We live in a constantly evolving world, and this presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for our children. Particularly when it comes to the workplace, the challenges your sons will face will be very different from the ones you experienced. Research has found that millions of jobs that exist today are highly likely to be obsolete over the next ten to 15 years, indicating a very competitive job market in the future. As a result, schools must lay the foundations for students to succeed in an ever-changing world.
Here are three ways good educators help students prepare for the future:
1. They help students to become critical thinkers
Professor Iram Siraj suggests that the need for children to learn and memorise facts is diminishing. Rather, it is being replaced by the need to learn how to assess information critically and dig out the 'truth'.
Through experiential learning in the early years, good educators teach your child how to become a critical thinker. They teach students how to access information, assess the information they have and integrate this information in a practical way. With the vast amount of information boys are bombarded with on a daily basis — good educators help students prepare for the future by teaching them to critically evaluate the information they consume and use it appropriately.
2. They help students develop people skills
Research has found that the workplace of the future will have a higher demand for employees with interpersonal skills as opposed to technical skills. In the early years, boys learn how to socialise through play. Though STEM skills are important in the later years, being able to connect and collaborate with others is an even more desired quality. As the workplace becomes increasingly technological, human workers distinguish themselves from machine workers through their ability to communicate and build relationships with one another.
Traditionally, school work has been based on individual accomplishment. However, the nature of work has changed and has become more collaborative. Good educators, therefore, don’t just focus on how boys work and what they achieve academically, but pay attention to how they play, resolve conflict and support others.
3. They help students to become learners
With technology at their hands, boys have easy access to a plethora of information. Boys can learn new material anywhere, at any time and in different ways. From early education, good teachers are able to teach their students to become life-long learners by helping them to discover the way they learn best - whether it’s through using technology, working in groups, or taking part in hands-on activities.
Mark Scott, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, states that students must be prepared for life-long learning, to be resilient as they change jobs and adapt as their job evolves overtime. Good educators help students prepare for the future by inspiring them to take ownership of their own learning and helping them see that learning really takes place outside of the classroom, and ultimately, outside of school. Beyond the four walls of the classroom is where real-life problem-solving takes place.
Good teaching will always be essential. In an ever-evolving landscape, good educators are required to develop students who can flourish in the future.
At Christ Church Grammar school, our boys leave the School as men, equipped to live positively and courageously in an increasingly complex world. To find out more about how we prepare students for the future, download our Prospectus.
