Not long ago, Google Education released a research report on the future of education. The report, in collaboration with Google and Canvas8, conducted a 2-year survey of 94 education experts from 24 countries around the world, discussing the future form of education, the role of education in the future, education equity, global talent needs, teaching Ways, learning ecology, work skills and other key topics.
The present looks at the past, and the future looks at the present. How will education develop in the future? How to prepare for the future of education? What kind of changes will occur in education in the era of artificial intelligence?
Table of contents
01. The future development trend of education
Personalized education is sought after, and education assessment becomes a major challenge
From VUCA Era to BANI Era: Innovation Ability will be the Focus of Cultivation
International talents: 100% Chinese thinking + 100% international thinking
International education: not limited to studying abroad
02. How does family education break the problem of educational involution
03. The impact of artificial intelligence on future education
01. The future development trend of education
Personalized education is sought after, and education assessment becomes a major challenge
According to the "2022 Chinese Returnees Employment Survey Report" released by Zhaopin.com, the number of international students graduating from overseas in 2022 will increase by 8.6% year-on-year, and the number of international students returning to China for job hunting will hit a new high. Chinese companies' demand for overseas talents is also on the rise.
As the founder of an education consulting company, Julian also has many overseas returnees. He personally participated in the recruitment process and revealed that during the interview process, he found that Chinese job seekers, regardless of whether they have overseas study experience, are more homogeneous . " I once went to school in China with a very high GPA, and I went to study abroad to obtain a degree and returned to China. They are all very good students, but everyone's experience is very similar and cannot be distinguished." Julian believes that what Chinese students need to think about in the future What makes them different, not what makes them the same.
Paying attention to the differences of each student also puts forward higher requirements for the existing education model. Dr. Xie Ping believes that the educational evaluation model that uses a ruler to measure all students will be eliminated, and continuous attention to individualized education will be more important. Urgently promote the corresponding changes in educational evaluation and move towards multi-dimensional comprehensive quality evaluation. "At present, the country has been reforming and experimenting with student evaluation, adopting qualitative and quantitative methods to comprehensively evaluate children's learning, accomplishment, attitude, moral character and potential. I believe that the evaluation of Chinese students will be more comprehensive and three-dimensional in the future."
Julian believes that there is still no perfect assessment plan for the personalized education model, but it is certain that the standardized test-based assessment method has limitations. A single assessment model or too much emphasis on assessment will lead to the loss of a large number of opportunities and talents . "Some children are considered not smart enough just because their math scores are not good enough, but he obviously has other specialties, and he may be a very successful writer." Only using standardized test results to measure whether a child is good or not is inevitable. It will deal a blow to some children who are not good at a certain subject test, thus affecting their learning fun. As Einstein said: " Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing that it is a fool. "
From VUCA Era to BANI Era: Innovation Ability will be the Focus of Cultivation
In the 1990s, the concept of VUCA (Volatile Unstable, Uncertain Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) was first proposed by the US military, and was later borrowed by Procter & Gamble COO Robert McDonald to describe the unpredictable era. However, futurist Jamais Cascio co-created the term BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) in 2016. In his view, VUCA is outdated .
Dr. Xie Ping believes that from the VUCA era to the BANI era, no matter how the words change, the uncertainty has been increasing. Educators must use certainty to face all uncertainties in the future society, and the certainty of education It is to educate people. Respecting the objective educational law of student development is the eternal core of education , such as the cultivation of critical thinking ability, cooperative spirit, innovation and creation, independent learning, global literacy, leadership and other abilities are still indispensable for the development of future talents .
We need to let students learn to deal with the comprehensive ability of uncertainty in future life in the era of change. The four pillars of education put forward by UNESCO in the last century are still very important today, enabling children to learn to seek knowledge, learn to do things, learn to live together, and learn to be human. "
Julian bluntly said that in the face of the BANI era, it is bound to encounter various incomprehensible and unpredictable challenges at present. How to creatively solve problems in a new environment is an ability that schools urgently need to cultivate.
Standardized tests are not difficult, and you can get a good score if you put in the time and effort. But after entering the society and starting a job or starting a business, there will no longer be standardized test papers waiting for you. How to deal with problems without standard answers will be the focus of talent training. "
Julian took a summer camp challenge he once did as an example. Chinese students had to find their way in the British countryside with only a map without navigation. "A few teams get lost every time, but every time they can 'overcome the danger' and reach the finish line successfully." Whenever Julian asked the students what their biggest gains from the summer camp were, they would all talk about the experience of getting lost. " Because this is their ability to explore creative solutions in a real environment facing challenges, which is not an ability that can be cultivated by exams or brushing questions ."
International talents: 100% Chinese thinking + 100% international thinking
In recent years, China's development has attracted worldwide attention, and many global leading companies have been born. More and more Chinese brands have gone overseas one after another and achieved extraordinary results. Julian believes that with the continuous development of China's economy, a large number of Chinese companies will set up branches around the world in order to expand their influence in the future. Therefore, the demand of major enterprises for international talents will continue to rise.
Not long ago, TikTok CEO Zhou's funding, which caused heated discussions around the world, is a typical example. Born in Singapore, he was admitted to Hwa Chong High School, a top university in Singapore at the age of 12. He graduated from University College London in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He was admitted to Harvard University in the United States in 2008 and received an MBA degree from Harvard University in 2010. He has the advantage of being educated in Asia, Europe and North America, making him a contender for global companies.
" It is foreseeable that students with Chinese-English bilingual ability and global literacy will still be competitive in the future. " Julian described an ideal portrait of returnees in percentage terms: 100% Chinese thinking + 100% international thinking , "It's a pity What’s more interesting is that most of the current Chinese returnees are 100% Chinese thinking + 1% international thinking, which is far from enough for them to work in multinational companies or go overseas to start a business in the future .” Julian gave two pertinent suggestions to Chinese students who are about to study abroad:
Seize the opportunity to study and live overseas, communicate more with local people, and participate in campus club activities. You may feel uncomfortable at the beginning because of the different cultural background, but after going through the 'pains' of not adapting, you can deeply explore and understand the language, culture, habits and thinking of another country. In every dialogue collision and cultural shock, gradually lay the foundation for future transnational communication and business development, and become an international talent with a global vision. "
Julian has encountered many Chinese returnees who said during the interview that they are applying for their first job in life, and fresh graduates who lack work experience will also make the interviewer feel a little uneasy. He suggested that if time permits, you should try to work part-time or intern on and off campus to accumulate work or workplace experience as much as possible.
International education: not limited to studying abroad
When it comes to international education, many people subconsciously think that it means sending their children to study abroad, or specifically refers to schools with international characteristics, that is, education that provides international courses. In Dr. Xie Ping's view, such an understanding is not comprehensive. " The international education of studying abroad in the traditional sense has a completely different connotation in the post-epidemic era ." International education is not only achieved through studying abroad. It is an education that covers an international awareness, international vision and international literacy. Chinese children who do not go abroad should also be part of international education . "We want to cultivate the global literacy of 'staying at home' students through 'Internationalization at home' . Therefore, international elements and content in curriculum construction and teacher training are very important. Today's post-00s and Children born in the 10s are often referred to as digital natives, and they began to receive global network information at a very young age. Therefore, even if they do not study abroad, they need to be trained to correctly understand international rules, distinguish the authenticity of massive information, and have the ability to communicate across cultures. Communicate effectively. ”
Julian noticed that in the past, the field of international education in China was basically based on Chinese children accepting international courses such as AP, A-Level, and IB and studying abroad. " Will there be Chinese international courses going to the world? " It is also one of the high-profile educational topics in the future, and Julian is also looking forward to the overseas and landing of Chinese courses.
Breaking down the bias towards vocational education: education, employment and entrepreneurship will be more closely integrated
Many Chinese parents have a prejudice against vocational education, believing that vocational schools are a helpless choice for students who cannot continue their studies. But now, Julian is very happy to see that Chinese parents are changing their prejudice against vocational schools. Instead, they have rediscovered the ancient Chinese educational philosophy of "I am born with talents to be useful". "Maybe you are not good at math, but you are good at sports; maybe you are not good at liberal arts, but you are good at art performance. Every child has his own shining point , the key is to give children a variety of opportunities and resources to experience and Find out, and finally find a career that you are good at and love.”
Julian, who has 18 years of experience in education in China, noticed that in recent years, in order to support the high-quality development of vocational education, China has successively introduced legal systems and policy measures related to educational reform and innovation, "focusing on high-quality technical skills Vocational education for talent cultivation will be a direction for China's education development in the future ." Julian is very optimistic about the development of vocational education in China, not only because China is a big manufacturing economy, but also because the future society will pay more attention to practical entrepreneurship. "In fact, every student should receive some vocational education ." Julian believes that the "secular" school-running goal of K-12 schools in the past was to send children to college, but now more and more schools realize that children will be employed or start a business in the future. The creativity, innovation and drive that is needed does not start during or after college, but starts in elementary school. " Education , employment and entrepreneurship will be more closely integrated in the future ." This is Julian's prediction of future education and his expectation for the development of China's education.
02. How does family education break the problem of educational involution
2022 is the first year of the promulgation of the "Family Education Promotion Law". Dr. Xie Ping emphasized that in the future development of education, the importance of family education will continue to be highlighted, and parents themselves also need to have a sense of lifelong learning and continuous self-improvement and ability. According to the ecological system theory proposed by the famous psychologist Bronfenbrenner, it can be seen that the development of students is nested in a series of environmental systems that interact with each other, and the linkage between family, school and society is very important. Based on the situation of the school, the surrounding community environment and family education resources, the home-school community jointly builds a curriculum system and an educational environment suitable for students' development, improves the family's ability to educate people, meets students' individualized learning needs, and creates a good social atmosphere. It is very important for students to form a sound personality and have a healthy and happy life. On the other hand, the combination of home school and community can also reduce the burden on teachers, " Although we often say that 'double reduction' is to reduce the burden on students, in fact teachers are also under heavy responsibility and pressure, and should be part of the 'burden reduction' . ”
Julian, who has talked with thousands of Chinese students, has a lot of experience in helping Chinese students develop confidence, realize their dreams, and plan their career development. Since the 1980s, there has been a wave of studying abroad in China, which reached its climax from the mid-to-late 1990s to the early 21st century, and a large number of outstanding returnee students emerged. However, I don't know when the aura of returnees gradually disappeared. Julian said frankly that the Chinese students and parents he has met in recent years are very anxious about the return of studying abroad . " Parents born in the 1980s have changed their destiny by studying. They also have the same expectations for their children, believing that education can solve all problems. . However, this is not the case .”
In the face of a cruel job market and a tightening global economic environment, a grain of sand of the times is a mountain on everyone's shoulders. " It's very difficult for parents because they have done everything they can to support their children; it is equally difficult for students because they have done everything that is required of them. " Running desperately forward on the road, everyone will think that there is only one way to succeed under the subtle influence, and they are all wrapped up in the vortex of involuntary invisibility. Julian said frankly that the current predicament is both a warning and an opportunity for future education.
2.1 Abandoning the inherent thinking is the first step. " Scholarly master does not mean that you can find an ideal job, nor does it mean that you must be an excellent employee. "
2.2 The second step is to build a new educational goal, " Schools need to cultivate students' independent learning and self-innovation abilities, and turn abstract ideas into powerful reality. "
2.3 The third step is to support students to realize their dreams, " We hope that children can find what they love, and we hope to provide them with all the support they need to make their dreams come true. "
To Julian's relief, as the post-90s and post-00s began to become parents, their requirements for their children have changed, "When I first arrived in China 18 years ago, the most common phrase that many parents talked about was 'eat Only when you suffer through suffering can you become a superior person', and now more and more new-generation parents only want their children to grow up healthily, live happily, follow their original aspirations, and do what they love." Everyone began to think about raising children and life development . Significance, even a small change in concept, also shows the epitome of future family education.
03. The impact of artificial intelligence on future education
2017 is the first year of artificial intelligence, and the world has moved from education in the industrial age to education in the age of artificial intelligence. In November 2022, the ChatGPT launched by the San Francisco-based American company OpenAI set off a new wave of industry, and the education field is no exception.
On March 1, 2023, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) officially announced that it would allow IB students to use ChatGPT to write essays , which aroused heated discussions in the international education community. "Students will use ChatGPT whether it is banned or not." Julian affirmed the IBO's decision, "It is the education system that needs to be changed, not the technology. " At present, the text produced by ChatGPT has a certain lag, and the answers to specific questions Relatively vague and general, students can use ChatGPT for their own use, but don't blindly rely on ChatGPT.
Regarding the impact of ChatGPT on future education, Julian believes that it is a source of information just as humans first came into contact with the Internet, books, newspapers, and periodicals. However, powerful artificial intelligence software can easily replace repetitive memory and memorization of knowledge in the exam-oriented education system, and can even do it better. This will bring huge challenges to future education, and the whole world will have to start thinking about the purpose of education What exactly is it?
From the perspective of an academic researcher, Dr. Xie Ping believes that although ChatGPT is very topical, it can never replace education itself. Although artificial intelligence can provide more comprehensive and objective data in teaching, monitoring, evaluation, etc., and improve scientific decision-making and educational services, the core of education is educating people. The establishment of emotion and relationship between human beings cannot be replaced by any artificial intelligence software and equipment. However, in Dr. Xie Ping's view, the combination of technology and education is inevitable and will become closer. However, the development of technology is for people to use . What is important is how to use it effectively under the premise of respecting ethics and moral norms, so as to better serve educators and students.
