What will the school of tomorrow look like?

This is a question that everyone can answer in a slightly different way depending on their experience. Tom Vander Ark, former principal of a public school in the United States and president of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, has his own idea ...

The reading of this article by Tom Vander Ark was proposed on Twitter recently by @ProfNoel and @NancyBrousseau, in particular. He recounts the reflections raised following his participation in theInnovative Schools Leadership Workshop from Microsoft, which was held in London at the end of January.

To read the article directly in its original version, Click here. Here is a brief summary.

First, he cites three fundamental changes in modern learning environments, as identified by Bruce Dixon, architect of type 1: 1 educational technology programs in Australia:

- the learner becomes social: he goes from “me” to “us”.

- the learner becomes autonomous: he is no longer dependent, but the main actor in his learning.

- the learner carries out his own investigations: he goes from the known to the unknown.

From there, Tom Vander Ark predicts the school's necessary adaptations to continue to adequately train those who are the citizens and workers of tomorrow.

1. The schools of the future will define important objectives, such as preparing young people to be global citizens, promoting excellence in communication, keeping the doors wide open to the community, etc.

2. The schools of the future will foster meaningful learning experiences, emphasizing how young people learn, connecting environments to enable learning anytime, anywhere, integrating technology to make things happen. live deeper experiences for students, for example by allowing them to put themselves in the shoes of producers, journalists, scientists, historians, inventors, programmers, etc.

3. Schools of the future will maintain productive learning environments, including placing a portion of courses online and varying models, such as blended learning (blended learning) or inverted class dynamics (flipped classroom).

4. Schools of the future will know their students, maintaining a complete profile of each one that will help foster learner-centered learning. Also, they will have a great report card in which the teacher will record observations on how his students are learning. The latter will be evaluated on their experience, and their file will contain a portfolio of their best achievements.

5. Schools of the future will aim to acquire skills, with a recognition system to mark student progress.

6. The schools of the future will make the most of the talents of teachers, in particular by differentiating roles, ranging from assistant to teacher, sometimes using remote specialists (concept of extended reach, developed in the article).

7. The schools of the future will build communities, involving parents and other community stakeholders, valuing the involvement of young people and community-based learning.

Do you feel that your school is on the right track?

To follow on Twitter:
Tom Vander Ark: @tvanderark
Eric Noël: @ProfNoel
Nancy Brousseau: @NancyBrousseau