Trends Shaping Education 2022, the report of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, explores trends that affect the future of education, from early childhood to lifelong learning. Given the particular moment we are experiencing, each chapter of the volume begins by examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic before moving on to trends and their implications for education. Chapter 1 highlights how global economic growth has allowed millions of people out of poverty, helping to raise living standards around the world. Yet, despite this, socio-economic inequalities are widening and the unsustainable use of resources is putting a strain on our environment. Quality lifelong education, as well as boosting economic growth, can foster greater social mobility and skills development so that individuals can contribute to the global economy. It also plays an important role in raising awareness of environmental issues and in promoting the development of technical and critical thinking skills necessary for a sustainable future. The second chapter describes the change in the world of work: over the course of a century, we have seen the steady reduction in working hours and the increase in flexible forms of work, such as part-time or teleworking. Digital technologies are increasingly helping us manage our private lives. Family structures, also thanks to technology, continue to evolve and are increasingly moving towards gender equality. Education can help create a community where all members are taken into account, providing each individual with the support they may not find elsewhere. Robust lifelong learning systems can convey the adaptability and resilience needed to address the future of work. Knowledge and power Chapter 3 states that digital technologies produce a huge amount of data and information, providing new and powerful means to make decisions and solve problems. However, these also generate new challenges, such as managing the abundance of information, sometimes false or misleading, in a rapidly changing context. Often more information and knowledge also leads to greater uncertainty. Effectively governing knowledge is therefore a priority, both for individuals and for the collective. Promoting research and investing in innovation is key to improving the quality of education. Identity and membership Chapter 4 explores the importance of understanding who we are and what our place is in a global and digital world. The virtual world allows you to explore different identities in a completely new way, giving individuals and groups more voice and allowing new forms of belonging. By contrast, societies are becoming increasingly fragmented and many forms of disadvantage and discrimination remain unchallenged. Education is tasked with meeting the needs of diverse students, providing them with the global skills for the 21st century and helping them socialise on the basis of common norms and values. Identifying and addressing discriminatory and disadvantageous environments is a key first step in ensuring accessible, flexible and affordable education for all. Chapter 5 highlights the social and environmental processes that together contribute to human well-being: food production and nutrition, digital communications and face-to-face relationships. We are called to find a new relationship between innovation and progress, between what is technologically possible and our social and planetary needs. Climate change requires us to act; current advances in physical, cognitive and emotional empowerment raise further fundamental questions about what it really means to be human. Original article published on invalsiopen.it on 29.3.2022
Source: European Digital Skills & Jobs Platform
