As has happened with almost all areas of our life, technology will also change teaching forever. As one of the most solid (and somewhat rigid) branches of society, it is not entirely easy for the changes taking place to take effect in the short or medium term. However, the technological revolution of recent decades, and especially the progress of recent years, provide a good number of tools which, if used well, can be very useful for teaching.
The teaching of the future
Video games, applications and platforms for solving tasks or communicating with parents, flexible spaces that adapt to the needs of increasingly collaborative work, and even robots that correct tests and send feedback in real time are some of the many changes the world will see in next years.
In the context of the evolution of the educational system, teaching will see the emergence of some trends. I identified 9 of them.
End of the 'student sitting, teacher explaining' model
This is the great premise that needs to be done. The one from which almost all the technological changes in teaching emerge. The premise is simple: the model based on students sitting at the desk while a teacher explains are outdated. And it's not just because kids and teens have so many answers to their questions and unlimited information at their fingertips on the internet. This model is outdated because their minds have to be constantly stimulated. And this brings us to the second trend.
From teacher to facilitator
Student/teacher roles will be changed, especially that of the teacher. This professional, already affected in recent years by many additions and modifications to his traditional role, will increase the functions of coach-facilitator-moderator. "Soft" skills that will equal, if not surpass, those of "transmitting" knowledge to others. Knowledge that will increasingly tend to be built collaboratively, and not starting from a single "speaker".
Inverted class teaching
This inverted class model is an educational trend in the world, already used to a good extent. It will assert itself more and more in the coming years. The focus of the teaching is reversed: instead of giving priority to the teacher's presentation in class and sending homework to put into practice, the children watch the theoretical explanation of the topics at home through videos, and it is in class that they apply that knowledge through exercises and proposals. In this way, video platforms allow you to make better use of lesson time and adapt to individual learning times and different attention spans.
New paradigm, new classrooms
Collaborative and group teaching and learning, classroom screens and project work will increasingly lead to a dramatic change. We will see transformations in the furniture, layout of learning spaces and infrastructure of advanced institutions. Some schools no longer have computer rooms, as mobile devices bring technology where students go. The special classrooms are reserved for truly advanced laboratories: multimedia, video editing and graphic design. Other institutes, however, will transform what were computer classrooms into creative laboratories that exploit 3D printing and scanning, robotics and virtual reality.
Virtual reality, a cumbersome and stimulating host for teaching
Virtual reality will not be used only to experience video games with greater intensity or to have exaggeratedly realistic experiences. One of the most effective uses, for example, will be for immersive language lessons. Sometimes we cannot travel as much as we would like and, therefore, we do not practice other languages continuously. Thanks to this technology, there will be applications that will allow students to take language lessons in simulated environments, connected directly with native speakers of the destination countries. It will be like doing "an hour of Erasmus" in collaboration with different institutes. The immersive lessons will also include knowledge of historical passages, or foreign cultures, all "almost" in person. The field where I expect the most growth, however, is that of medicine: real-time assistance during virtual operations infinitely expands the possibility of practicing. With this type of technology, students will practice even in the absence (or before) of real situations.
In many cases, classrooms will be expanded and made flexible (yes, the much-maligned “desks on wheels”) to create and recreate new spaces. There will be types of lessons or workshops that will see students sitting at a desk, or simply sitting on a pouf with a tablet, or others at a desk with other devices.
Learn to learn and manage curricula
Children are ready to learn. Especially what will provide them with lifelong abilities. The critical thinking, the metacognition (understanding of the thought processes that are occurring), the deduction andinference, they will be essential. In the future context, self-learning will be a central and growing trend, in step with the explosion of MOOC (huge open online courses, which are already offered by many universities) and at a time when knowledge will always be at hand (through tutorials, videos and e-learning).
Personalized learning
Although the trend is to work collaboratively, there will also be a personalization of teaching based on the level and interests of each student. It will be possible thanks to the systematization of student information. A trend that will grow hand in hand with "learning analytics", apps and platforms where teachers will have a detailed record of each student and will be able to share it with their peers, and interactive "dashboards" that will allow them to see at what point it is each student in the learning process and compared to the general group.
Integrated teaching career
The textbook, encyclopedia and notebooks will coexist with screens and digital devices. And, while both formats may persist for some time, the truth is that the trend will be to have fewer and fewer “encapsulated” printed and linear media. There will be more and more space for “open” media that will present student content and outcomes. It will be a "user manual" for each student, progressive and personalized. A sort of "teaching journey" for each one, which incorporates everything. A “living” curriculum. I'm out of metaphors.
Farewell to justifications
It is likely that this practice that has left us with so many anecdotes will soon be abandoned. Today, many schools manage communication with parents through apps that report grades, schedule changes, homework, student information and, yes, absences. That precious asset that as students we all had the power to manage... how to say... with discretion.
Artificial intelligence, natural teaching
Artificial intelligence is set to have a huge impact on teaching models. It can be used to automate the grading of assignments, texts and student evaluations. It will drastically reduce your workload. Unlike teachers, an AI system can provide personalized attention to an unlimited number of students, helping to deliver tailored teaching.
I know, this may seem like science fiction to you. However, several approaches to this technology already exist. Virtual learning assistants use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to provide one-on-one tutoring.
When a student is given a concept, the AI will be able to converse with her. And not only that: you will be able to ask questions, answer open-ended questions and give an immediate answer. It will even evaluate the student's work, providing accurate assessment data.
