School 2050: A concept of thorough change

Necessary Change

Children, young people, young adults and adults need to be given the opportunity to deal with the increasingly complex and complicated environment we live in and are on our way into.

Learn to deal with challenges around themselves, and the collective, through more advanced methods around thinking and a holistic view that leads to a joint co-creation for the benefit of the entire planet.

During the late 2020s, it became increasingly apparent that our schools, colleges and universities were not giving our children and young people the tools they needed to function in society and as responsible independent individuals. Various businesses and employers increasingly needed to create their own training programs.

The level of knowledge that our children acquired during all their years in the school environment was simply not up to par. The changes in society, strongly driven by technological development and the introduction of artificial intelligence in virtually all fields of activity, made completely different demands on both theoretical and practical knowledge. Most activities out in society had complex interaction patterns with several other actors at local, regional, national and global level.

The rapid change of operations and its need for human labor became very difficult to overview. This has resulted in the knowledge imparted in school needing to change fundamentally in order for it to be able to match a future filled with uncertainties.

New knowledge and competences needed to make their way into school to rise to the new demands made by our complex society. Understanding that we needed to find solutions to a series of challenges that have become a consequence of our lack of holistic view and pursuit of constant growth.

New requirements meant that old requirements, methods and perceptions had to be phased out. Not a cosmetic change, but a thorough change right through the entire system. Research in the field of education had made enormous progress where the increasingly advanced technology was used to support everyone within the school world. The technology provided great opportunities for individually tailored support and individual feedback as well as group and higher level feedback.

The journey has certainly not been easy and the resistance, at all levels, has been based on reluctance to leave the safe as well as from a well-established dogmatism. The discussions have been both heated, nasty, sometimes frivolous, but absolutely necessary to bring out what works and what doesn’t into the light.

Knowledge entering from the work in quantum physics opened the eyes to how old truths need to give way to new achievements in science. The realization that everything in the universe is intertwined and built from the same basic components made many people reflect on how we have treated our planet, our environment and our nature.

A way that was in no way sustainable. The research also highlighted that the species that have been successful are not the ones that are the strongest. In major crises or upheavals, the creatures or organisms that were able to interact are the ones that survived.

School of the Future

Already the environment around the building itself makes you feel welcome entering the building. The interior offers several possibilities for students, teachers and other people who have a role or task in the creation of knowledge together with the students. All premises where students work on their assignments have access to the latest technology. In several places in the school there are small rooms where students or teachers can have a moment of privacy, and rooms for work in smaller or larger groups. The entire architecture is centered on creating as good a learning environment as possible.

This particular school has students from 5-15 years old. The wide age range indicates that it is an individual’s suitability that determines the start of school and not a set age. Every student, teacher and support person has a personal avatar in the form of an old truths need to give way to new achievements advanced Virtual AI robot. The robot supports the individual by reasoning around the current question or topic and guiding the individual towards understanding and knowledge. The robot masters the individual’s entire curriculum and can use the latest pedagogy adapted to each student. The advanced technology allows the robot to function as a conversation support, pick up emotions and signals if the individual does not seem to be feeling well, both physically and psychologically.

Much of the work and knowledge acquisition takes place through work together with others. All students have been taught techniques in listening, conflict management, feedback and how to achieve co-creation. The students are highly involved in the creation of both direct objectives and how the work should be laid out. The teachers and other support staff act as coaches who help shape the framework for the joint work as well as act as a sounding board when the students work towards their goals.

The teacher has advanced training in one or more subject areas and collaborates with other teachers in the same subject area or in other areas. Which specialist areas need to be involved depends entirely on which subject or problem areas need to be dealt with. Support persons come into the school when there is a specific subject area or with specialist knowledge of the problem the students must deal with.

The teachers’ role has shifted from being the fact-giver to being the one who orchestrates the class towards the knowledge goals the students shall achieve. The teacher is the one who lays the foundation for the students’ work around the basic values, the view of other human beings, and the view of society that permeates the entire education. Dialogue around these is a theme that will recur in all cohorts during the school year. The reflections around these will vary the more developed and aware each student becomes.

The school has support staff with specialist knowledge of how several different fundamental technologies or functions work. They assist the teachers when basic and extension skills in these special areas are to be implemented. These fundamental techniques lie together with the basic values as a base plate in the system. The fundamental functions include how to give and take feedback, how feedback loops work and how to handle conflicts.

Added to this are different techniques for listening, dealing with different forms of uncertainty, how to strengthen one’s resilience and the importance of understanding polarities and the benefit they can do in problem solving.

In the technical area, training is carried out on the various support systems, the individual AI robot, and technical aids for biofeedback. Techniques for different forms of thinking are central elements. This includes principle thinking, lateral thinking, parallel thinking and systems thinking.

The most difficult basic understanding and basic competence is that of leading oneself. This is both dialogue and reflection, individually or in groups depending on maturity. This part also covers how you as an individual manage your emotions. As an individual, you can choose to have a human coach or to use your AI robot.

The entire education has a well-developed mentoring system where students from higher classes or other schools assist with their own experience when the students have started brainstorming around a new problem.

In a way, you can say that the knowledge of the fundamental techniques or functions is a spiral-shaped creation of understanding over the years at school. The more maturity and understanding, the more extended dialogue within the various fields.

Every day at school begins with a moment of mindfulness. It applies to everyone who participates in the school’s activities. This simple action has caused students and teachers to have a calm and positive approach to the day’s activities. Research in the 2020s showed that learning ability multiplied by training in mindfulness.

The school also offers a voluntary meditation package where you can learn about the basics of meditation, both different forms and different breathing techniques. It is possible to have dialogue about interpersonal interaction, competence and personal change management as a voluntary add on.