“The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. The Second used electric power to create mass production. The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production. Today, the fusion of technologies and their interaction across the physical, digital and biological domains make the fourth industrial revolution fundamentally different from previous revolutions." 

- Klaus Schwab 

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Why education needs to evolve:  

 

• We are in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Globalisation and technological advancements has led to a transformation in the civic and work space. School systems have a critical role in preparing citizens to deal with the changes to come.

 

• We need to move away from traditional education models which prepared children for jobs that were ‘repet­itive, process-oriented’ and focuses on direct instruction and memorisation

 

• We need to move towards a skills based education system, which gives the students the digital and social-emotional skills along with critical and individual thinking skills.
   

• Learners need to be given human centric skills as well to help them to work in an increasingly interconnected world where inclusivity and equity are important. 

 

What we need to do to meet the future: 

 

• Education 4.0 needs to ensure that the learning content builds upon and enhances basic foundational skills. These skills include reading, writing and numeracy.

 

• Teachers who are facilitators rather than lecturers.

 

• Schools to consider how they can use innovative pedagogies and incorporate the different approaches to learning where they can. These approaches include; Playful learning, Experiential learning, Computational learning, Embodied learning and multi-literacy learning.

We need to equip children with 4 key skills & 4 key experiences:

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Skill 1: Global Citizenship Skills

Building awareness about the wider-world, sustainability and exploring what it means to play an active role in the global community. 

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Skill 2: Innovation & Creativity Skills

Cultivating skills around dealing with experimentation and failure, and how to iterate and frame challenges in order to find new solutions. 

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Skill 3: Technology Skills
Include content that develops digital skills, including programming, digital responsibility and the use of technology. 

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Skill 4: Interpersonal Skills
Content that focuses on interpersonal emotional intelligence, empathy, compassion, cooperation, negotiation, leadership and social awareness. 

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Experience 1: Self-Paced Learning 
From a system where learning is standardised to one based on the individuals needs of the the learner, and flexible enough to allow each student to learn at their own pace. 

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Experience 2: Accessible & Inclusive Learning 
From a system where learning is confined into schools buildings to one one in which everyone has access to learning. 

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Experience 3: Problem Based and Collaborative Learning  
From process based projects and problem based content diversity, requiring peer collaboration and close mirroring of the future of work. 

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Experience 4: Life Long & Student Driven Learning  

From a system where learning and skilling decrease over one's lifespan to one where everyone continually improves on existing skills and acquires new ones based on their individual needs. 

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References: 

Schools of the Future Report
Defining New Models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
World Economic Forum Year 2020