What will education look like in 2050?

Illustration: TBS

Imagine a typical classroom setup, where students are sitting in front of a whiteboard. The teacher is writing or drawing something on the whiteboard. The students have pens in their hands, a book open in front of them, and they are taking notes from the board. In between, they are trying to listen to or understand the teacher.

This process has been followed in our education system for a long time. However, as the nature of education is changing in the 21st century, so is our education system and the way of teaching. With gradual development and integration of modern amenities, supported by technological innovations, the face of education is changing almost every day.

In ancient Greek times, education was mostly a homely affair. In the city-state of Athens, arrangements were made at home for the young children to receive education. They were mostly taught by a "pedagogue" in individual capacity. 

During Socrates' time, young people used to gather around a particular place where sophists or contemporary philosophers like Socrates delivered lectures on moral education and principles for the young minds.

Later on, Plato established the Academy, a school setup used largely for encouraging doctrinal diversity and multiple perspectives within it. Aristotle's school in Athens — The Lyceum — carried on this legacy of imparting knowledge. At that time, it was customary to walk around the school grounds while lecturing.

Many centuries down the line, both the nature and purpose of education, as well as the instruction method, will have undergone seismic changes. 

From the oral traditions of ancient societies to the structured and well-facilitated classrooms of the modern age, the way knowledge is imparted has constantly evolved and transformed into something more intuitive and participatory.

In this post-modern age, education has become more interactive. Driven by modern pedagogical concepts and learner-friendly methodologies, the real transformation began with technological advancement. 

The development of online learning platforms, mobile apps, and blended learning models has allowed students to access materials beyond the classroom walls.

With the advent of personalised learning software, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning began to tailor lessons to the needs and pace of individual learners. No longer confined to the slowest or fastest in the group, students could now move through material according to their own strengths and weaknesses. 

Moreover, students are now active participants in the classrooms, rather than just being passive receivers. Different technological innovations have also supported this shift.

For example, modern concepts like multisensory learning have revolutionised the teaching-learning process, adding a new dimension to the global education system. Through multisensory learning, students learn using their eyes, ears, hands, and other parts of the body.

As a result of the involvement of multiple senses, different parts of the brain are activated, which strengthens their memory and understanding. In traditional education, where teaching is done using a simple medium, multisensory learning ensures a rich and deep experience for students.

According to experts, multisensory input strengthens the neural connections of the brain and increases the speed of children's learning. Both children and adults benefit from such an environment. Here, they learn by seeing images, hearing sounds, or touching something, and at the same time, they get the opportunity to expand the scope of their thinking.

In this process, interactive flat panels (IFPs) help teachers implement multisensory learning. This digital board plays a much more effective role compared to whiteboards. Teachers and students get the opportunity to work together in this method.

The use of IFPs in classrooms around the world is whetting students' appetite for learning, leading to more improvisation in the education system. Through this, complex molecular structures can be animated in science classes, interactive timelines can be used in history lessons, and real-time feedback can be obtained to improve pronunciation in language learning.

Using this technology makes the learning process much more enjoyable and effective than just memorising lessons. Not only in the classroom, but also very effective in online and hybrid learning.

In this post-modern age, education has become more interactive. Driven by modern pedagogical concepts and learner-friendly methodologies, the real transformation began with technological advancement.

Even in the coming days, there will be significant changes in the educational process, marking a transformative change from a static approach to a more interactive approach.

To be specific, AI's use in education will grow rapidly, making generative AI tools, learning analytics, and intelligent tutoring systems a part of the regular teaching method. AI-powered assistants will create personalised tests, provide immediate feedback, and even use emotional recognition technology to spot signs of boredom or annoyance in the classrooms.

This means that regular duties like lesson planning and grading will be greatly reduced for teachers, giving them more time to devote to mentoring and interpersonal relationships.

The Learning Compass 2030 framework from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international organisation dedicated to building better policies, offers a forward-thinking perspective on how education will look in the future. 

It suggests that education should give students the skills they need to navigate complicated, uncertain futures in addition to knowledge.

Moreover, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies will provide immersive learning environments that allow students to explore global ecosystems, walk through historic cities, and model scientific experiments — all from within the classroom. Lessons will be gamified so that learning is not a set of predetermined tasks but rather a sequence of interesting challenges and quests.

According to the OECD Scenarios for the Future of Schooling, school scenarios will also change drastically in the next 20 years.

This could be outlined in four categories — (i) schooling extended: international collaboration and technological advances will support more individualised learning, (ii) education outsourced: learning will take place through more diverse and flexible arrangements, (iii) schools as learning hubs: experimentation will become the new norm, and (iv) learn as you go: education will take place everywhere anytime, blurring the lines between formal and informal learning as society turns significantly to the power of the machine including AI.

Meanwhile, BBC's Science Focus says that the use of Internet of Things (IoT) in the education system will be widespread, opening up new windows of learning opportunities. 

With a population of around 9.8 billion by 2050 (forecasted) and around 90% expected to have the internet, there is every possibility that homes will turn into classrooms, creating learning opportunities for home students. 

3D printers will also become an essential part of the school ecosystem by 2050, facilitating teachers to explain difficult concepts in an effective way. Despite the changes, educators hope that the essence of education will remain the same — to nurture inquisitive minds, and to empower them to contribute to the betterment of the world.