VIEWS & OPINION
How the next normal offers a better future for education
Comment by NEIL SAWYER, UK&I Channel Director, HP Inc.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to education. School pupils across the globe experienced a tumultuous academic year, many of whom are likely to face ongoing disruptions to their education as we begin the new year with further school closures in the UK. According to UNESCO, 9 out of 10 pupils were held out of school worldwide this last spring as the pandemic took hold and forced vast, fundamental shifts in how societies operate. With GCSE and A-Levels cancelled for the second year running, the UK is facing a widening education gap, and now must decide what the future of education will look like. This seismic event is undeniably challenging, but it has encouraged us to step back, assess how we operate and why, and affords a unifying opportunity for change. The truth is education has long
been in need of disruption. According to the recently published EU Skills Agenda, there is a rapidly growing demand for digital experts that cannot be met. In cyber security alone, there’s a skills gap in excess of a quarter million workers. And that’s just a field we know about; WEF highlights that “65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new types of jobs that don’t yet exist.”
The rise of blended learning From this period of challenge and change, we have the opportunity to implement a more advanced future that better prepares students for new professional realities. Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transition in education, bringing into focus glaring shortcomings and highlighting clear opportunities. According to UNICEF, across the world, the education of over 1.5bn children has been impacted by the pandemic. As educators and pupils grapple with the fact that blended learning is becoming part of the new normal, it's time for us all to look at the potential this style affords in developing the skills of tomorrow – and understand that this will become standard practice in many areas. Digital and online learning can be remarkably effective tools to engage
students. Data from the Research Institute of America found that, on average, students retain 25-60% more material when learning online, compared to only 8-10% in a classroom – and yet 50% of end-users lack the tools they need to work remotely. With the sudden shift to at-home learning, technology and digital tools are no longer just a component of learning; they are a must have, connecting teachers with their students and students with each other to not only nurture crucial collaboration experiences, but to also leverage these blended learning aspirations. With more limited opportunities for in-person engagement, educators can assess which subjects will benefit from the higher retention rates of
digital learning, and which will benefit from some of the more emotive and interactive aspects of a classroom environment. Digital learning itself is about far
more than just ticking a box. To succeed in equipping students with the skills required, teachers know that technology must generate interest, cultivate imagination and inspire student curiosity. This is an active effort, involving engagement to upskill teachers and hone curriculums. At HP, we’re engaged in this effort by using technology to shape learning environments and enable better learning outcomes through initiatives like the HP Future of Education programme. In 2015, HP pledged to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025, dedicating more than $20 million to help break the cycle of poverty in underserved communities across the world by giving them access to high quality classrooms and scalable models that support digital inclusion and learning.
Levelling the education playing field But creating relevant, accessible educational programmes is just half the battle – students need to be able to access it from home. Where you live shouldn’t define how you learn and yet, however unfortunately for many, geography plays a core role in defining access to education and development opportunities. As the next normal of digital education gains ground, this time we must help reset the foundations for more equal access. While the opportunity is there, the foundations for this future are far from firm. Significant work is required to ensure the potential for a more equal and relevant education playing field is fully realised. Here at HP, to support home, distance and blended learning, we
launched the Classroom of the Future initiative with partners Microsoft and Google, to help educators create learning environments optimised for personalised, interactive student-centred activities for developing higher order cognitive skills. Furthermore, to enable students to remain connected whilst working from home, the HP Refresh Programme was developed to help communities to crowdsource donations of unused computers to allow students to continue learning remotely. As the majority of British school children begin their spring term at
home, we have a unique and powerful opportunity to reassess education and create a next normal for teachers and students. With the right tools and approach, this normal can better prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, using methods proven to be more effective for student retention, on platforms that are more accessible than ever before. And that – despite all the challenges we face today – is indeed a future to look forward to.
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www.education-today.co.uk
February 2021
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