Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. – Albert Einstein

I am interested in the science of the future and future trends, yet I will confess that I learn mostly from my son who subscribes to YouTube channels that specialise on these subjects. He keeps me abreast of latest developments and challenges my understanding of scientific phenomena through his questioning of what he has learnt.

This desire to learn must be encouraged in all children, no matter where the information is gleaned from. It boosts lifelong learning, which is a necessary skill for future readiness; and enabling students to associate pleasure with learning is critical.

So the key in current day education is to realise that students have countless sources of knowledge, which are beyond the classroom, leading to the reinvention of the teacher’s role.

The function of the teacher is no longer to convey knowledge, but to impart skills. Today we teach how to learn to learn. The teacher is the one who bestows students with the greatest number of possibilities for them to choose their paths. We no longer adapt children to their future jobs but harness their skills for a rapidly changing world.

Emerging Labour Market

Over and over, my articles this year have advocated the reform of how we educate our students for future readiness.

Having a job/career will no longer be about compliance or school certificates but will centre around mastery – the deployment and application of skills thoroughly.

Due to this trend that I have detected in all that pertains to the jobs of the future, our current classroom format with individual students all gazing towards one source in front – their teachers, doesn’t support the emerging needs of the labour market.

As I have stated previously, the format we use is more in tune with the needs of the factories of the nineteenth or early twentieth century, than to modern and future offices. Our current setup doesn’t favour collaboration, which is a STEM skill that propels future readiness.

Right now we frown upon children eliciting help or answers from others. Unfortunately, this doesn’t facilitate learning to learn. Whereas at work, when a person doesn’t know something, s/he would say so, ask a friend or search about it on Google.

This is why I emphasise that the mindset of a learner is key; it is linked to having a growth mindset, which means tolerance with frustration.

We need to start teaching our students to understand that failing is vital to success; that you can fail nine steps and then succeed the tenth time. The important thing is to learn while retaining the ability to have fun.

Adetola Salau; Educator / Speaker / Author/ Social Entrepreneur / Innovator

She is an Advocate of STEM Education and is Passionate about Education reform. She is an innovative thinker and strives for our society & continent as a whole to reclaim it’s greatness. She runs an educational foundation with the mission to transform education.

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