On course for the future

Rather than fearing lost learning, we must continue to support new ways of learning and teaching that have begun during the pandemic

COVID-19 has accelerated many latent trends and shown how outdated and irrelevant some aspects of traditional education have become. These accelerating trends and drivers of change involve a spread of interconnecting factors: technology, demographics, climate, mobility, and social justice/equity, among others. These global transformations are shaping a future that is unpredictable, interdependent, and complex. So, how can education prepare students for such a world? More than anything, students need the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will help them embrace opportunities and solve challenges. In addition to cognitive ability, they need broader competencies, such as teamwork, critical thinking, social and global awareness, time- and life-management skills — attributes not taught by traditional education.