‘Society is changing rapidly. Our social and economic future is becoming increasingly difficult to predict, which means we are educating children for a world we cannot reliably conceive’, (Independent Schools Victoria, Navigating the future of education, p18).
Education is increasingly influenced by a range of interconnected factors, including technological advancements, the rapid expansion of information, political and legal developments, evolving social and cultural values, economic and labour market demands. As the purpose of education extends beyond preparing students solely for employment, schools must equip learners with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to navigate and contribute to an increasingly complex, uncertain, and rapidly evolving future.
These changes have important implications for what and how teachers teach. We need to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to adapt to an uncertain and changing future. The changing environment brings about differences in the way young people think, behave and learn.
Over the years, the skills underpinning effective learning and capabilities have evolved. According to the OECD Skills Outlook 2017, strong cognitive skills are not enough on their own to achieve academic and future success. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has identified five essential skills for learning - critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and self-regulation. This alongside cognitive processes that underpin effective learning.
While this skillset is critical to the modern classroom, these skills cannot be gained without identifying and exploring the underlying cognitive processes that underpin effective learning. Referred to as, metacognition, it is the act of planning, monitoring and evaluating one’s own learning process.
The LEARN Instructional Model provides the framework that will most effectively support collaborative, creative and innovative learning. It also acknowledges the shifting pedagogy to address the new skillset.