The Future of Schools

It seems like change is a constant in the field of education with new ideas and ways of learning constantly being brought forward or recycled in the classroom. The leap forward in technology (both hardware and software) has also created a number of changes in the classroom for instructors and learners. It often makes me wonder what the future of schooling will look like. There are a number of ideas that have been presented.

Vintage Classroom Structure - Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In this September 2017 article by CNN entitled Are these the schools of the future, there are a few ideas and concepts that are put forward. One of these is the portfolio school which focuses on project-based learning and integrating technology into the mix of guided choice and personalized education. The use of an interdisciplinary model is a key component to their model and the idea of balance in life (school/home, work/play) is also a piece of the puzzle.


Future Schools Imagined Using the Essential Fluency of Learning is an October 2017 article by Lee Watanabe-Crockett does an excellent job of describing some of the changes we are seeing in education. One key idea that really resonated with me is "The best piece of classroom technology available is, and always will be, a teacher." The idea is that technology should augment education and the interpersonal relationship is still key to learning. Other key concepts presented include; self-motivation, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, digital media, and information fluency. The focus of these schools is to create a citizen who can become a part of their community and be productive in a future workplace.

Concept Classroom

My favorite idea was the open school concept that I first learned about in an article I read a few years back. Unfortunately, I do not remember the article name or publisher, but if my memory serves me correctly the trial school was in New York state. In this conceptual school, the doors open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM with students expected to attend 6.5 hours of school each day. The school uses an automated check-in and check-out system and the daily schedule is flexible and based on student choice or interest. This means that the student decides when they would like to do math or history or language arts. They still need to "attend" each class on a daily basis but there isn't a daily schedule set by the school itself. 

This model is heavily dependent upon technology, as the student must keep track of their short term and long term learning goals through a management software. The open class concept means that the instructor has posted the content and learning expectations with the student expected to engage with the learning - it reminds me of the constructivist theory in this aspect. The student is required to give summative evidence of learning, but they have a considerable amount of choice on how they want to accomplish this. The physical space is also an open concept with traditional settings (tables, chairs, workspaces) and non-traditional settings (couches, bean bags, etc.) available to students. The instructors work in shifts to provide support to students who need help and the school focuses on having teachers who are highly qualified in specific content areas there at all times. Each teacher also has a cohort of students that they are responsible for monitoring with weekly advisory times where the student and teacher meet one on one for some discussion time. This model is really focused towards middle school or high school learners as there is a considerable amount of personal responsibility involved.

If you have time, PBS produced an interesting Nova show about the future of schools that gives some ideas for anyone involved in education to ponder. It runs a little under two hours but is very informative. The video can be viewed here.