The Future of Education

Who could have imagined, in this new year of 2020, that formal education’s systems and content could be thrown into complete upheaval within mere weeks across continents and cultures due to a global pandemic? In the wake of this as yet unfettered viral tsunami of destruction and devastation at all levels of society, education as we have known it has been washed away along with a whole lot of other societal foundations. Reaching every corner of the world, covid19 has managed to shutter formal education systems and facilities worldwide. It has halted millions of learners’ feet marching in step with traditional learning strategies which don’t work now and won’t work in a future where the realities of global lockdowns can realistically be expected. What a perfect time to redesign education for this new world dynamic - one which must be increasingly connected virtually alongside personally; one which places the responsibility of embracing learning and mastering skills and meeting goals squarely on the individual rather than teachers and programs (truly learner centered); one which engages, equips and empowers learners through integrated multi-generational and multi-cultural collaboration to strategically and sustainably master lifelong learning skills (intercultural communicative competence and the democratization of education following Council of Europe models); one which connects learners locally and internationally as active participants in vibrant learning communities (communities and landscapes of practice). This presentation will explore some of the initial how to’s for this transformation by defining and drawing from a set of innovative PROACTive learning perspectives and strategies which have been developed and field tested over the past 4 decades in emerging countries with independent learners of all ages where there was the necessity and freedom to innovate long before covid19 and its aftermath darkened our future educational horizons. As we emerge from the initial chaos of covid, this presentation will contribute ways education and every single one of us as learners can once again  start marching, this time to move beyond surviving cataclysmic change to thriving in a world where PROACTive learning is available to all.

Keywords: learning strategies, intercultural communicative competence.

References:
[1] Barbour, Elizabeth (unpublished manuscript). PROACTive learning strategies and global community building.
[2] Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[3] Council of Europe (2018) Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture. Volume 1: Context, Concept and Model. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.