We all know that the role of an education system is to equip the young person to be a valuable member of society, which is in a constant state of evolution. If we are evolving as a civilisation, should our education system also be adapting and evolving? In this article, we will take an in-depth look at today’s education systems and whether they are keeping in line with our development.
Technical Explosion
This era will go down in history as the 2nd Industrial Revolution, as digital tech continues to streak ahead and that means schools need to integrate digital tech into the daily lives of the students. There should, however, be a limit to the time a young child interacts with a touch screen, which is closely monitored. A classroom full of 5-year-old smartphone addicts is not the goal!
The Power of IT
The older generation might have issues with the latest 5G tech, but young people were born into the digital age and one of the major goals of any K-12 international school in Thailand is to produce IT competent students who are equipped for the digital world. From an early age, students are taught how to use Ms Office and by the time they reach Year 8, students are able to build a basic website and are competent users of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. (https://www.dynamicslr.com/)
Balance with Nature
We don’t want a generation of youngsters that are unaware of the importance of preserving nature and this would be a major aspect of the curriculum. There is a constant danger that the children of today become obsessed with the digital world and it is the role of the school and the parents to ensure that the children spend time in the great outdoors and develop a love and understanding of the importance of preservation. Here are a few essential skills that children gain from group learning.
Exciting Career Opportunities
The future tech is arriving, with AI, robotics and machine learning; our children need to learn about such things in order to be able to move into these new fields. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a platform for digital devices that will be powered by 5G and it won’t be long before 7th and 8th generation are developed, as we progress further down the road of digital development. Future generations will not experience the fossil fuel-based way of life the older people remember and we need to equip the children of today with the skills that will enable them to carve out a successful career and a happy life.
Distance Learning
The pandemic saw schools throughout the world turn to e-learning, in a bid to protect the children from the virus; most schools offer distance learning when it is required and if it wasn’t for the dedication of IT teachers, schools would not have been able to provide distance learning programs.
To conclude, today’s school needs to develop specific life-skills and prepare students for the 21st century world and most learning institutions are leading the way.
