Feature article on 5 December 2020; Edited 30 Mar 2025
Can you imagine Learning outside the classroom? How about not going to school every day and instead going to learning spaces or areas? Be prepared for this way of learning, as it will likely be the way we learn in the future.
As the world is starting to change to embrace tech futures, the way we teach, learn and work in our education system will also be reshaped to keep up to date with the growing demands of the 21st century and beyond.
RMIT School of Education Professor Tricia McLaughlin once claimed that experiences which allow collaboration, communication and teamwork for all students often happen beyond classroom walls. This means students can learn not only in the classroom but in other places as well. Self-directed learning has become a really popular trend lately (especially after the global lockdown and outbreak of COVID-19), and its demands will only grow over time, not to mention that in the future, demands for classrooms will be in decline. This decline will provide a great opportunity for student learning spaces. Those are set up to allow collaboration to occur on learning projects between individuals, small groups or larger groups, and they will only become more and more popular as time goes on. They may even replace classrooms entirely in the future, who knows?
Apart from these learning spaces, students can also learn at home through online classes and spend time in class collaborating and applying their knowledge to real-life situations. This makes learning even more practical and accessible for even more students as they can learn anytime and anywhere.
Over the years, more and more educators worry that exams might not accurately and validly measure what students are capable of when they enter their first job. As the factual knowledge of a student can be measured during the learning process, the application of their knowledge is best tested when they work on projects in the field. This suggests students will adapt to a project-based learning model and working scheme as careers are adapting to the future freelance/slasher economy, which is more focused on the process of working or finishing a task, much less on the result itself. With this in mind, the traditional tests and exams model on its own can be a dangerous approach to assessing a student's ability. According to RMIT School of Education Professor Tricia McLaughlin, she stated, 'We too easily jump onto the test results in isolation of what we need to achieve. This can lead us off in the wrong direct[ion] to what's really important,' she said. 'Surely we want a society in which everyone is able to do the job and elements of it competently. Do exams really prepare us for this future?'
A project-based learning scheme lets students and individuals work together with others, which encourages them to practise teamwork. They may also learn how to y skills in shorter terms to a variety of situations. Besides, organisational, collaborative and time management skills can be taught as basics that every student can use in their further careers. Education of the future will prove what you have been told many times before: results do not define you.
As early as 2012, Apple's former SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, once admitted that students and individuals love using the iPad to learn as they are thin and light, portable, powerful, interactive, searchable and up-to-date. It effectively offers great content that acts as a textbook in a much lighter and thinner package. Besides, e-books and virtual notes can be automatically organised, which means it will be much more effortless to find textbooks and notes on your electronic device, and it's very easily accessible as well. Not to mention that buying one tablet or computer for learning is more affordable than buying dozens of reference books, workbooks and textbooks every year.
In the future, education, especially ways of learning, may very well change in a massive way that we have never thought of before. With self-learning, students may learn anytime and anywhere without a classroom. Learning spaces and areas will be set up for students to promote self-learning. Project-based assignments can help students consolidate what they have learned, and electronic devices when used properly, let students learn better in a fun and interactive way. These advancements will help students and individuals learn better, and will definitely make learning more fun and engaging. The future of education is in our hands, and it has just begun.
SOS Office Equipment — The Future of Learning and Teaching, 14 Sep 2018
https://sosoffice.com.au/the-future-of-learning-and-teaching/
2. Christiann Henny — Welcome to the Future: 9 Predictions on What Learning Will Look Like In 20 Years, 28 Sep 2016
3. Apple Reinvents Textbooks with iBooks 2 for iPad, 19 Jan 2012
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2012/01/19Apple-Reinvents-Textbooks-with-iBooks-2-for-iPad/
4. Apple Education Event, January 2012