Report: The Future of Learning

In November the European JRC-IPTS (Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies) published the report The Future of Learning: Preparing for Change. The authors, among whom CELSTEC’s researchers Paul Kirschner, Slavi Stoyanov en Bert Hoogveld, identify six challenges for the future of learning and describe a vision of the ideal future of learning in 2020 and beyond.

Challenges

Europe and its citizens face and will continue to face many socio-economic, demographic, environmental and technological challenges. Education and training will play a crucial role in meeting these challenges, adequately preparing them for life in the future society. However, to do that, it is necessary to envisage what competences will be relevant and how these will be acquired in 2020-2030. 

Vision of the future

This report identifies, explains and visualises major changes to learning in the future. It develops a descriptive vision of the future based on existing trends and drivers, and a normative vision outlining a future of learning in which all citizens are enabled and empowered to develop their talents and foster their own wellbeing and prosperity (as well as that of society) as active citizens. 

Shift in the learning paradigma

The overall vision is that personalisation, collaboration and informal learning are at the core of learning in the future. This is not new in education and training but will have to become the central guiding principle for organising learning and teaching in the future. Many of the changes depicted in the report, though espoused elsewhere by others, come together here in such a way that is becomes urgent and pressing for policymakers to consider them and propose and implement a fundamental shift in the learning paradigm for the 21st century digital world and economy. This paradigm is characterised by lifelong and life-wide learning, shaped by the ubiquity of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). 

Read more

You can download the report from the JRC-IPTS website.
The report is edited by Christine Redecker & Yves Punie  and written by Christine Redecker, Miriam Leis, Matthijs Leendertse, Yves Punie, Govert Gijsbers, Paul Kirschner, Slavi Stoyanov and Bert Hoogveld