21st century education - what does it imply?

We constantly come across the notion of 21st century education, without truly understanding what it means. There is also a slight misconception of it being merely about the integration of modern technologies in the education (from mobile learning and game-based learning to Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies et al.). It is not inherently wrong to conceptualise 21st century education this way, but to me this approach is not comprehensively integrating current realities and trends in modern education systems.

There are many researches on various education systems and traditions, attempting to rank those and select the most progressive or efficient ones. And while I am not going to bring any concrete examples of states which succeeded in transforming their education systems, I’ll try to present my take on the major traits which any education system should have to succeed in the modern world based on those researches and analyses. And as a side note, there's no need to design an education system de novo, it would be more efficient to make use of the already existing systems, combining or adjusting those to the local culture, thus making a frog leap over the years that would have otherwise been spent on establishing something new.

Before dwelling into the actual process of education system building, we should understand that education is not an end in itself, it is rather a means to an end. Developed human capital is core to fostering sustainable state and society development and prosperity. Thus, well-thought strategies should be designed to lay foundations for an efficient system of education, incorporating the following concepts as the major components of that system.

• Adaptive and learner-driven personalized learning vs standardized collective learning

We all are different, and we all have our own style of learning. Instruction should be made differentiated and adaptive to each person’s learning pace. The system should go beyond the traditional objectives of education, go beyond teaching students to the test, and rather try to open up the full potential of students, through creating an ideal learning path for each. And let's always remember that education should not be about academic success, but about finding your passion (whatever that would imply in various contexts).

• Active learning and knowledge ownership vs passive instruction

There is a substantial need for students to have an equal ownership of what they learn. The traditional passive, lecture-like instruction is already outdated, and it should be replaced by a learning process where students are actively engaged not only in the part of knowledge-acquisition, but also in the part of content-creation and adaptation, tailored to the needs of the class and each learner.

Furthermore, active engagement of students in the community works or practices will strengthen the understanding of any concept taught to them. Volunteering, real-life experiences, engagement in the ongoing processes, all of these can become mainstream as mechanisms supportive to formal education processes.

• Meta-cognitive learning and growth mindset

Going hand in hand with the active learning, meta-cognition allows students to think about the process of their thinking and learning, taking deeper ownership of their knowledge acquisition, taking into account their personal specifics of learning.

And if injected by the educators with a belief that it is not about having or not having talent to do well, but rather about the abilities of all of us to achieve a goal, working toward improvement, we'll be able to implant a growth mindset in the students, giving the reins of their learning to them, and not attributing success to the misleading elitist approach of "talented" or "endowed" ones. This does not imply equal abilities for all, but rather equal opportunities and equal push to go forward. We all are differently able!

• Forward looking education system and integration of technology

Educate for the future, not just the present. Education system should be directed at teaching progressive knowledge and skills to the kids, which they will not only be able to use in the present, but which will be equally and even more valuable and applicable in the future. Education is a long process, and it should not be wasted on skills/knowledge which will get out of use before even a student gets the chance to apply those in the real world. That said, not only current market demands should be accounted for, but also the future job market predictions.

Education is about preparing kids for life, and life without ICT skills is unimaginable nowadays. To build a better efficiency, this should not only imply the instruction of ICT skills, but also the active usage of ICT tools in the process of instruction. Go beyond the books or paper-based materials. Usage of visuals, digital platforms, online learning courses and gamified content during the class curriculum should be one of the major components of the school learning processes with a goal to introduce, reinforce, or extend student mastery of a specific concept.

• Investment in teachers and local ownership versus mere infrastructural reforms and top-down control

Focusing all efforts and resources on infrastructural changes without equal attention to the "human" side of the equilibrium, is simply inefficient. Infrastructure is just the facade of the entire structure, and what lies behind is far more important. Without progressive and well-educated and motivated teachers and educators you can not build a high-quality education system. And contrary to the common belief, it is not necessarily a matter of high pay, but rather of being valued by the society and not being taken as merely technicians in the educational machine. Eventually, without a teacher who understands the above-mentioned core values of modern education system, you can not achieve any substantial sustainable results.

Decentralisation of education system and local ownership of the learning processes is another cornerstone of the structure. Teachers/educators should have vast autonomy and trust vested in them to plan the learning processes at their schools and their communities, adjusting the materials to the local needs and students' characteristics. What can be universal is the end point you're trying to achieve, but not in any case the methods one should use or the paths one should take.

To sum up, education is a lengthy process and requires structured and coherent system-wide efforts. It's important to have a well-thought strategy, and avoid much experimenting, as it will only result in the losing of the generations in the process, which is a very high price to pay. And whatever structure of education is chosen or built, it should be aimed at creating a culture of education in the society, with the above-mentioned traits. Only in that case any forward-looking education system transformation will become feasible. And as Singapore's (Singapore being a great example of such successful transformation in education) founding father Lee Kuan Yew said in one of his speeches: “My definition of an educated man is a man who never stops learning and wants to learn.” The making of such an "educated man", as a foundation of the culture of learning/education, should be the eventual objective of every 21-st century system and every country at large.