We should all embrace classroom of the future

As schools move toward online, digital and remote teaching as a result of Covid-19, experts say it is time for a paradigm shift regarding the future of learning.

Some parents may be tempted to take their children out of school until the world returns to normal, but the fact is, the world has changed forever and when students return to school, they will be building on the skills developed during ‘lockdown’.

Progressive parents have in recent years realised the importance of ensuring their child’s educational journey prepares them for the workplace of the future, by enrolling them in schools that focus on developing – in addition to the traditional curriculum – 21st Century Skills and Global Competencies.

ADvTECH, Africa’s largest private education provider and parent company of Crawford, has been investing in ensuring schools are ready and able to develop these skills in line with global best practice for many years. That is why our schools were able to react quickly and effectively to the situation we now find ourselves in, and why we are able to continue delivering the highest quality of academic excellence and a full curriculum – including physical education - by way of technology.

It is therefore inevitably important for schools, parents and students to embrace this progressive way of teaching and learning – the new normal. Even as we look forward to getting back to our usual physical interactions, we understand that traditional forms will no longer dominate learning; technology is taking the front seat.

The unique and unprecedented circumstances in which we now find ourselves, provide a perfect opportunity to develop and entrench those global competencies which otherwise might not have received sufficient focus during normal school time.

We have known for some time that the world is changing, that the skills required in the workplace are evolving and that the workplace of the future is going to look much different from what used to be the status quo only four weeks ago. Now, all of a sudden, we find ourselves thrown into a completely new paradigm and it is quite clear that the world will not be the same after this. It is becoming clear that blended learning – a combination of online and contact learning - will be the norm in the future. 

So what better time to develop those global competencies and master 21st century skills than during the biggest global disaster in recent history? We have been preparing for the future for some time now, and the way we are currently working is what we would have been practising when at school. Now we are no longer preparing for the future, we are living it.

ADvTECH Schools, including Crawford International and Makini Schools have integrated Global Competencies in their curricula for several years, and those schools and educators who have not yet had the time to do so or have treated these as peripheral, now have the perfect opportunity to embed them in ‘normal’ teaching and learning.

The Global Competencies of thinking skills (creative, critical and reflexive), research skills (collecting, recording, organising, interpreting), communication skills (personal interaction with others), social skills (personal behaviour) and self-management are the only ways that teachers and students will navigate this period - and what follows it - successfully.

Remote work

It is important for learners to continue on their educational journey to ensure they consolidate prior learning, and also to adapt robustly to what will be required now and in the future – not only at school but also at workplaces, where remote work will become the norm.

Globally, parents and students have embraced the new face of the educational journey and  Kenyan schools and parents must not be left behind.

The time is now for all of us to do what we can with what we have – and of course to invest where we need to – to ensure we continue creating the leaders of tomorrow, who can stand confidently on the global stage next to their peers, even if they will be doing so virtually. Let’s ensure that we don’t miss this opportunity to allow our children to experience and develop these skills that will be invaluable going forward.

If the schools remain closed for a long time and learners do not engage in virtual learning, they may unlearn many of the skills they currently have, as well as fall behind on the new skills their peers are gaining. Now is the best time and opportunity to develop the resilience and grit of our children.

- Ms Coetzee is Managing Director at Crawford International School Kenya.