Imagining a Future for Education

In an imagined future, where none of the current constructs and bureaucracy exist, what might education look like – and what would we want it to provide or equip our children with?

The difficulty with this idea, is that so much of what we have in our education system, is there because it’s always been there.

Setting out some fundamentals seems a good place to start: education should build independence, inspire curiosity, establish and maintain a culture, and develop a community. These concepts are basic and broad, granted, but if those cornerstones are built on with a learning structure that is creative and expansive, less about single subject-domains and more cross-curricular project based – so that children can take their learning where they want to take it, that picture starts to look quite interesting. The results and outcomes would undoubtedly be different, but the children themselves may be different too: independent thinkers, who know what questions to ask and are motivated by curiosity.

This idea is really all about participation and engagement – not having education done to our children, but helping them to live it, experience it and be part of it. What’s more, they might go through the process with a sense of belonging and develop an understanding of others, along with the skills to work together.

Since the pandemic there’s been a noticeable shift in how schools tackle resilience in children, and the provision of support in relation to change and loss. There’s much more talk of compassion and empathy and a recognition that these skills have been squeezed in an ever-more saturated school day. Resources are being called on increasingly to address this, and while there’s a way to go, there’s an acknowledgement that children (indeed everyone) needs to learn how to be comfortable with uncertainty. It’s a life-skill of growing import and relevance, interesting to consider in light of our somewhat rigid, formulaic, success-driven education structure.

For so long we have accepted an education system that is fundamentally linear – with concepts of going up (and down), of a success criteria based on comparison and competition and a structure of compliance and control. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves whether these values still hold, whether the system works for everyone, or anyone? Whether it’s time to consider replacing behavioural policy with relationship-based policy?

Let’s think about the communities we want for the future, filled with people who can cooperate, adapt, flex, explore, are willing to try things out and accept failure…aware of their own voices, how they fit in, and each other’s value. If this starts at school, then maybe – just maybe – we’ll be able to create communities destined to flourish.