rethinking education essay in english

Rethinking education in a changing world

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, rebecca winthrop and rebecca winthrop director - center for universal education , senior fellow - global economy and development @rebeccawinthrop eileen mcgivney em eileen mcgivney former research associate - center for universal education.

September 12, 2016

This post originally appeared on the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) as part of the Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s World series produced in partnership with SSIR and CUE.

E arlier this year, we visited developers from IBM Watson , famous for creating the intelligent machine that beat both the world’s top chess player and the long-time Jeopardy! champion. IBM’s work to simulate the intelligence and actions of humans has reached the level of science fiction, prompting the question: What will the world look like in the future? Depending on which economist you talk to , advances in technology such as AI either hold incredible promise—enabling increases in productivity that will give us twice as much leisure time —or mark the end of decent work for most of the population and an incredible increase in inequality.

Skills that allow young people to adapt to rapid change could be an important factor in determining whether the future is full of promise or peril. Automation has hollowed out the labor market, leaving many middle-skilled workers out of work or in low-wage jobs, a phenomenon documented in more than 30 countries across the developed and developing world . On the other hand, the skills that are uniquely human and that complement digital technologies are increasingly in demand. These skills, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and flexibility, have always been important for work and life, but the current context makes them even more crucial for future generations. A 70-country study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2020, approximately 83 million high- and middle-skilled jobs will go unfilled because employers looking to hire in developed and developing countries will not find people with the necessary skills.

Not only individuals’ future employment needs, but also ever-more-complex global challenges demand a new approach to education. As boundaries between nations and communities that once contained our problems fade, we will need creative solutions to problems such as climate change, the global migrant crisis, and, as the spread of the Zika virus reminds us, cross-border health epidemics. We need to foster good global citizens who actively care about their communities and the world, work together to solve problems across boundaries, and contribute to more inclusive and peaceful societies.

Throughout history, every society has grappled with how to best educate and prepare its young people for the world they will face. From hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago who had to impart vast amounts of knowledge about plants, animals, and relations between tribes to their youth, to craftsmen who taught trades through apprenticeships that defined education for many young men in the 18th and 19th centuries, humans have adapted education to meet the needs and challenges of the time.

Our current world and the changes we predict for the future call for education to equip every young person with the appropriate set of skills. Academic skills—such as mastery of reading, math, and science—are crucial but not sufficient. Young people increasingly need to be able to do such things as develop ideas, empathize with others, and collaboratively problem-solve; they also need to have the resilience and adaptability to continue to learn and master new things. Indeed, some learning scientists argue that these non-academic skills are among the most important skills of all, as they can help to both drive better academic outcomes in school and prepare children to thrive in a changing world .

The problem is that most children are not participating in the learning experiences that would help them develop this full breadth of skills. Opportunities to engage in the types of experiences in and out of school that do promote these skills are too often unequally distributed between richer and poorer children, perpetuating deep inequities both between and within nations.

We know more about young people’s academic competence, including their ability to think critically and analytically, than their non-academic skills, due to regular international student assessments in subjects such as math, reading, and science. The United States, which regularly beats itself up about the quality of its education system , actually has some of the best schools in the world, but stark inequities hold it back. Students in the state of Massachusetts, for example, achieve scores equivalent to the top 10 high-income countries in the world , demonstrating strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills in math. However, scores of students in Mississippi are tied with Chile for second-to-last place on the same list, beating out only Mexico.

Most students in low- and middle-income countries, those where per-capita income is less than $12,475 per year , perform far worse in academic competence than even the least accomplished students in the United States. By one estimate of reading and math skills, an average student in these countries scores alongside the worst 8 percent of students in countries where the annual per-capita income is above $12,475. And that only considers the students who are in school and being tested—not the 120 million kids shut out of academic learning all together, of which more than 96 percent live in developing countries. Based on a number of measures of academic learning and school completion, we have found that at the current pace of change, it would take nearly 100 years to close the education gap between rich and poor countries.

We know much less about children’s non-academic skills, largely because they are not easily captured in international student assessments. However, we do know that many educators, employers, and academics are deeply worried that children’s learning experiences often do not enable them to develop the full breadth of skills they need. For example, employers around the world regularly express unhappiness with young people’s lack of “workplace competencies” like communication and teamwork. The foundation for these and other skills, such as creativity and learning agility, are laid in early childhood, and we know that globally a full 200 million children below the age of 5 are not achieving proper cognitive development due to impoverished early childhood experiences that include poor nutrition and lack of stimulation. We also know that children from high-income families struggle to master the full range of skills necessary, even if they perform well on academic measures, often because parents and schools do not provide learning experiences that would cultivate skills and attitudes such as the ability to work hard to meet goals and resilience in the face of failure.

Ultimately, we need to redefine the basics to include the full breadth of academic and non-academic skills that all children, rich and poor alike, need. Then we need to rethink how to help children have the types of learning experiences—both in and outside of school—that can help cultivate these skills.

That’s why we are excited to announce this series, Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s World . Over the next 10 months, experts from around the globe will weigh in on some of the biggest challenges that we face today in achieving breadth of skills that the world’s children will need, and give examples of success in widely varying contexts. Contributors will include many of our scholars from the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution , as well as a diverse array of individuals implementing programs on the ground.

The series will examine critical areas where education efforts from early childhood through adolescence, in and outside of classrooms, can give children the skills they need to deal with rapid change and how our current systems can adapt to cultivate this broader vision of learning; how innovative solutions can be implemented and scaled; and perhaps most importantly, how to reach the world’s most marginalized children. Our aim is to bring together the latest evidence and a diversity of perspectives to increase understanding of and debate on one of the most burning issues of our time. We encourage you to follow along and participate in the conversation here at Stanford Social Innovation Review and on social media.

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Futures of Education

• Research and knowledge
• New social contract
• Digital learning futures
• The Initiative 2019-2021
• National & local dialogues
• International advocacy

The Futures of Education

Our world is at a unique juncture in history, characterised by increasingly uncertain and complex trajectories shifting at an unprecedented speed. These sociological, ecological and technological trends are changing education systems, which need to adapt. Yet education has the most transformational potential to shape just and sustainable futures. UNESCO generates ideas, initiates public debate, and inspires research and action to renew education. This work aims to build a new social contract for education, grounded on principles of human rights, social justice, human dignity and cultural diversity. It unequivocally affirms education as a public endeavour and a common good.

No trend is destiny...Multiple alternative futures are possible... A new social contract for education needs to allow us to think differently about learning and the relationships between students, teachers, knowledge, and the world.

Our work is grounded in the principles of the 2021 report “Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education” and in the report’s call for action to consolidate global solidarity and international cooperation in education, as well as strengthen the global research agenda to reinforce our capacities to anticipate future change.

The report invites us to rebalance our relationship with:

• each other,
• the planet, and
• technology.

Summary of the Report

The international commission.

In 2019 UNESCO Director–General convened an independent International Commission to work under the leadership of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. President Sahle-Work Zewde, and develop a global report on the Futures of Education. The commission was charged with carefully considering inputs received through the different consultation processes and ensuring that this collective intelligence was reflected in the global report and other knowledge products connected with the initiative.

Our thematic research priorities

Featured highlights.

Sustainable development challenges and the role of education

Our foresight work, looking towards 2050, envisions possible futures in which education shapes a better world. Our starting point is observation of the multiple, interlocking challenges the world currently faces and how to renew learning and knowledge to steer policies and practices along more sustainable pathways.The challenges are great. But there are reasons for optimism, no trend is destiny.

Our work responds to the call of the International Commission on the Futures of Education to guide a new research agenda for the futures of education. This research agenda is wide-ranging and multifaceted as a future-oriented, planet-wide learning process on our futures together. It draws from diverse forms of knowledge and perspectives, and from a conceptual framework that sees insights from diverse sources as complementary rather than exclusionary and adversarial.

Linking current trends and the report of the International Commission on the Futures of Education.

• The global population is projected to reach a peak at around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s , nearly double the global population of 1990 (5.3 billion)
• There will be an estimated  170 million displaced people by 2050 , equivalent to 2.3% of the global population
• Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be home to some 1/3 of the global population  by 2050

"A new social contract for education requires renewed commitment to global collaboration in support of education as a common good, premised on more just and equitable cooperation among state and non-state actors. Beyond North-South flows of aid to education, the generation of knowledge and evidence through South-South and triangular cooperation must be strengthened."

• The number of persons aged 65 years or older worldwide is expected to double over the next three decades, reaching 1.6 billion in 2050 (16% of global population)

"Human longevity may also increase and perhaps with it, at least for some, the extension of the work period of life. If older people can remain active and engaged, they will enrich society and the economy through their skills and experience."

• Global temperatures are expected to increase  2.7 degrees by 2100 , leading to devastating global consequences
• Humans currently use as as many ecological resources as is we lived on 1.75 Earths

"The planet is in peril (...) Here children and youth already lead the way, calling for meaningful action and delivering a harsh rebuke to those who refuse to face the urgency of the situation. (...) One  of  the  best  strategies  to  prepare  for  green  economies  and  a  carbon-neutral  future  is  to  ensure  qualifications, programmes and curricula deliver ‘green skills’, be they for newly emerging occupations and sectors or for those sectors undergoing transformation for the low-carbon economy."

• Global freedom has been declining for more than 15 years  

"There has been a flourishing of increasingly active citizen participation and activism that is challenging discrimination and injustice worldwide (...) In educational content, methods and policy, we should promote active citizenship and democratic participation."

• There will be an estimated 380 million higher education students by 2030, up from roughly 220 million students were enrolled in formal post-secondary education in 2021

"Future policy agendas for higher education will need to embrace all levels of education and better account for non-traditional educational trajectories and pathways. Recognizing the interconnectedness of different levels and types of education, speaks to the need for a sector-wide, lifelong learning approach towards the future development of higher education."

• Less than 10% of school and universities have guidance on educational uses of AI

"The challenge of creating decent human-centered work is about to get much harder as Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and structural transformations remake employment landscapes around the globe. At the same time, more people and communities are recognizing the value of care work and the multiple ways that economic security needs to be provisioned.”

• Fake news travel 6 times faster than true stories via Twitter - such disinformation undermines a shared perception of truth and reality

"Digital technologies, tools and platforms can be bent in the direction of supporting human rights, enhancing human capabilities, and facilitating collective action in the directions of peace, justice, and sustainability (...) A primary educational challenge is to equip people with tools for making sense of the oceans of information that are just a few swipes or keystrokes away."

• Employers anticipate a structural “labour market churn” (or disruption) of 23% of jobs in the next five years, resulting in a net decrease of 2% of current employment due to environmental, technological and economic trends.

"Underemployment, the inability to find work that matches one’s aspirations, skillset and capabilities, is a persistent and growing global problem, even among university graduates in many of the world’s wealthiest countries. This mismatch is combustible: social scientists have shown that a highly educated population unable to apply its skills and competencies in decent work, leads to discontent, agitation and sometime sparks political and civil strife... Learning must be relevant to the world of work. Young people need strong support upon educational completion to be integrated into labour markets and contribute to their communities and societies according to their potential."

• CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS: Global population in 2080s: 10.4 billion ( UNDESA  World Population Prospects, 2022) /Africa 1/3 population ( UNDESA  World Population Prospects, 2022)
• AGING POPULATIONS: 1.6 billion people over 65 in 2050 (UNDESA World Social Report , 2023)
• PLANETARY CRISIS: Humans use 1.75 Earths ( Global Footprint Network ) / Global temperatures to increase 2.7 degrees by 2100   ( UNFCCC  Synthesis Report, 2021)
• DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING: Global freedom has been declining for more than 15 years ( Freedom House  Freedom in the World report, 2023)

*  All figures correct as of 2023.

• TECHNOLOGY: Less that 10% of school and universities have guidance on educational uses of AI ( UNESCO study, 2023)
• DISINFORMATION: Fake news travel 6 times faster than true stories via Twitter ( MIT  study, 2018)
• UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF WORK: Net decrease of 2% of employment over next 5 years ( WEF  Futures of Work report, 2023) 
• CHANGING LIFELONG EDUCATION APPROACHES: 320 million students by 2030 ( World Bank  blog, 2022)

The third in a series of major visioning exercises for education

Reimagining our future together: a new social contract for education  is the third in a series of UNESCO-led once-a-generation foresight and visioning exercises, conducted at key moments of historical transition. 

In 1972, the  Learning to Be: the world of education today and tomorrow  report already warned of the risks of inequalities, and emphasized the need for the continued expansion of education, for education throughout life and for building a learning society.

This was followed by the 1996 Learning: The treasure within report that proposed an integrated vision of education around four pillars: learning to be, learning to know, learning to do, and learning to live together in a lifelong perspective.

News and stories

Please feel free to contact us here if you have any questions or requests. 

Rethinking Educational Practice Through Reflexive Inquiry

Essays in Honour of Susan Groundwater-Smith

• © 2011
• Nicole Mockler 0 ,
• Judyth Sachs 1

University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, Australia

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Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

• The book brings together perspectives from a range of key scholars and practitioners
• The book explores practical, political and theoretical dimensions of action research/practitioner inquiry
• The book provides a contemporary exploration of the links between practitioner inquiry and teacher professional learning
• Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Professional Learning and Development in Schools and Higher Education (PROD, volume 7)

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About this book

Susan Groundwater-Smith is one of the most influential voices in the world of educational practitioner inquiry. The convener in Australia of the Coalition of Knowledge Building Schools, she is a staunch advocate of innovative methods of practitioner inquiry with a particular emphasis upon student voice and the use of images in capturing young people’s perspectives on their learning experience. So it is more than fitting that this unique text on practitioner inquiry and teacher professional learning is dedicated to her.

Rethinking Education Practice Through Reflexive Inquiry is a compilation of essays that explore contemporary issues in practitioner inquiry and action research from the perspective of both university-based and school-based authors. The essays discuss the practical, political and theoretical dimensions of practitioner inquiry, advancing the argument that the adoption of an inquiring approach to practice is both an integral dimension of teachers’ work in the modern school as well as critical to effective and authentic professional learning. And the essays draw on the work of Groundwater-Smith to demonstrate the benefits brought to bear on schools, teachers and learners when the complex nature of the relationship between inquiry and practice is understood and acted upon in pursuit of democratic knowledge interests.

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Embracing Co-operative Inquiry to Embed Education for Sustainable Development

• Practitioner inquiry
• action research
• professional development of teachers
• teacher professional learning

Table of contents (18 chapters)

Front matter, practitioner inquiry, rethinking educational practice through reflexive inquiry: an introduction.

• Nicole Mockler, Judyth Sachs

A Self-Reflective Practitioner and a New Definition of Critical Participatory Action Research

• Stephen Kemmis

Localisation or Globalisation? The Dynamic Variations of Action Research

• Bridget Somekh

Inquiry-Based Professional Learning in Educational Praxis: Knowing Why, What and How

• Petra Ponte, Jan Ax

Patterns of Partnership: Student Voice, Intergenerational Learning and Democratic Fellowship

• Michael Fielding

Cooperation, Collaboration, Challenge: How to Work with the Changing Nature of Educational Audiences in Museums

• Lynda Kelly, Pauline Fitzgerald

Creating Spaces for Practitioner Research: Strategic Leadership to Create a Third Space for Practitioner Enquiry in an Authentic Professional Learning Community

• Greg Elliott

The English Masters in Teaching and Learning: A New Arena for Practitioner Inquiry?

• John Furlong

Teachers' Work and Learning

Becoming and ‘being’ a teacher: understanding teacher professional identity.

Nicole Mockler

Connecting Inquiry and Professional Learning: Creating the Conditions for Authentic, Sustained Learning

• Anne Campbell

Skilling or Emancipating? Metaphors for Continuing Teacher Professional Development

Judyth Sachs

Towards an Ecology of Teacher Collaboration on Research

• Colleen McLaughlin

The Insider and Outsider Model of Professional Learning

• Jane Hunter, Jane Mitchell

Professional Learning in an Across School Network: An Epidemic of Passion?

• Kris Needham

Extending Connections: Linking Support for Teachers Engaging in and Using Research with What Is Known About Teacher Learning and Development

• Philippa Cordingley

Changing Teachers’ Work in Australia

• Bob Lingard

Postscript: Vale Shirley Grundy

• Susan Groundwater-Smith

Editors and Affiliations

Bibliographic information.

Book Title : Rethinking Educational Practice Through Reflexive Inquiry

Book Subtitle : Essays in Honour of Susan Groundwater-Smith

Editors : Nicole Mockler, Judyth Sachs

Series Title : Professional Learning and Development in Schools and Higher Education

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0805-1

Publisher : Springer Dordrecht

eBook Packages : Humanities, Social Sciences and Law , Education (R0)

Copyright Information : Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Hardcover ISBN : 978-94-007-0804-4 Published: 15 April 2011

Softcover ISBN : 978-94-007-3590-3 Published: 29 May 2013

eBook ISBN : 978-94-007-0805-1 Published: 13 April 2011

Series ISSN : 1879-8624

Series E-ISSN : 2543-0556

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XX, 260

Topics : Teaching and Teacher Education , Educational Policy and Politics

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Svati Joshi, ed., Rethinking English: Essays in Literature, Language, History . New Delhi: Trianka, 1991. Rajeswari Sunder Rajan, ed., The Lie of the Land: English Literary Studies in India . Delhi: Oxford University Press. 1992

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Svati joshi, ed.,rethinking english: essays in literature, language, history. new delhi: trianka, 1991. rajeswari sunder rajan, ed.,the lie of the land: english literary studies in india. delhi: oxford university press. 1992., oxford literary review - united kingdom, doi 10.3366/olr.1994.011.

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The Ethicist

Can i use a.i. to grade my students’ papers.

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on artificial intelligence platforms, and whether it’s hypocritical for teachers to use these tools while forbidding students from doing the same.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

I am a junior-high-school English teacher. In the past school year, there has been a significant increase in students’ cheating on writing assignments by using artificial intelligence. Our department feels that 13-year-old students will only become better writers if they practice and learn from the successes and challenges that come with that.

Recently our department tasked students with writing an argumentative essay, an assignment we supported by breaking down the process into multiple steps. The exercise took several days of class time and homework to complete. All of our students signed a contract agreeing not to use A.I. assistance, and parents promised to support the agreement by monitoring their children when they worked at home. Yet many students still used A.I.

Some of our staff members uploaded their grading rubric into an A.I.-assisted platform, and students uploaded their essays for assessment. The program admittedly has some strengths. Most notable, it gives students writing feedback and the opportunity to edit their work before final submission. The papers are graded within minutes, and the teachers are able to transfer the A.I. grade into their roll book.

I find this to be hypocritical. I spend many hours grading my students’ essays. It’s tedious work, but I feel that it’s my responsibility — if a student makes an effort to complete the task, they should have my undivided attention during the assessment process.

Here’s where I struggle: Should I embrace new technology and use A.I.-assisted grading to save time and my sanity even though I forbid my students from using it? Is it unethical for teachers to ask students not to use A.I. to assist their writing but then allow an A.I. platform to grade their work? — Name Withheld

From the Ethicist:

You have a sound rationale for discouraging your students from using A.I. to draft their essays. As with many other skills, writing well and thinking clearly will improve through practice. By contrast, you already know how to grade papers; you don’t need the practice.

What matters is whether an A.I.-assisted platform can reliably appraise and diagnose your students’ writing, providing the explanation and guidance these students need to improve. In theory, such tools — and I see that there are several on the market, including from major educational publishers — have certain advantages. The hope is that they can grade without inconsistency, without getting tired, without being affected by the expectations that surely affect those of us who hand-grade student work.

I notice you haven’t raised concerns about whether the platform provides reliable assessments; you’ll have to decide if it does. (If it isn’t quite up to snuff, it might become so in a year or two, so your question will persist.) Provided the platform does a decent job of assessment, though, I don’t see why you must do it all yourself. You should review the A.I.-annotated versions of your students’ writing, check that you agree with the output, and make notes of issues to bring up in class. But time saved in evaluating the papers might be better spent on other things — and by “better,” I mean better for the students. There are pedagogical functions, after all, that only you can perform.

In sum: It’s not hypocritical to use A.I. yourself in a way that serves your students well, even as you insist that they don’t use it in a way that serves them badly.

Readers Respond

The previous question was from a reader who asked about professional boundaries. He wrote: “I am a retired, married male psychiatrist. A divorced female former patient of mine contacted me recently, 45 years after her treatment ended. Would it be OK to correspond with her by email? Or is this a case of ‘once a patient, always a patient?’”

In his response, the Ethicist noted: “The relevant professional associations tend to have strictures that are specifically about sexual relationships with former patients. … In light of the potential for exploitation within the therapist-patient relationship, these rules are meant to maintain clear boundaries, protect patient welfare, uphold the integrity of the profession and eliminate any gray areas that could lead to ethical breaches. But though you do mention her marital status, and yours, you’re just asking about emailing her — about establishing friendly relations. The question for you is whether she might be harmed by this, whether whatever knowledge or trust gained from your professional relationship would shadow a personal one. Yes, almost half a century has elapsed since your professional relationship, but you still have to be confident that a correspondence with her clears this bar. If it does, you may email with a clear conscience.” ( Reread the full question and answer here. )

As always, I agree with the Ethicist. I would add that the letter writer’s former patient doesn’t realize that the therapist is actually two different people — the professional and the regular person underneath. Therapists portray their professional selves to their clients. The former client may be disappointed upon meeting the therapist outside of the professional context. Additionally, the feelings she has toward the therapist may be based on transference, and they would need to address that. — Annemarie

I am a clinical psychologist. While the Ethicist’s description of professional ethical boundaries is correct, there is more to the story, and I disagree with his conclusion. A very big question here is why this former patient contacted him after 45 years. That is a question that is best explored and answered within the context of a therapeutic relationship. He would be well- advised to respond in a kind and thoughtful way to convey the clear message that he is not available for ongoing communication, and he should suggest that she consult with another therapist if she feels that would be helpful. — Margaret

In my case, it was the therapist who reached out to me, seeking to establish a friendship several years after our sessions ended. I was surprised, but he shared that he had since experienced a similar personal tragedy to one I had explored with him in sessions. Since it had been several years since we saw each other professionally, I responded. There was never any hint of romantic or sexual interest. Still, as he continued to reach out to me, clearly desiring a friendship, it never felt right to me. It did feel unprofessional, as his knowledge of me was borne out of a relationship meant to be professional, never personal, as warmly as we might have felt during our sessions. I ended up being disappointed in him for seeking out my friendship. — Liam

I am a (semi)retired psychiatrist who has been practicing since 1974. In my opinion, “once a patient, always a patient” is correct. Establishing any type of personal relationship with a former patient could undo progress the patient may have made in treatment, and is a slippery slope toward blatantly unethical behavior. As psychiatrists, our responsibility is to work with patients in confronting and resolving issues that are preventing them from having a reality-based perception of their life. With such an outlook, they are more capable of establishing satisfying relationships with others. An ethical psychiatrist is not in the business of providing such satisfaction to his or her patients. — Roger

I think there is a difference between being friendly and being friends with a former client. As someone who used to attend therapy with a therapist I think dearly of, she made it clear to me that it was OK to send her emails with life updates after our therapeutic relationship ended. But beyond that, I think it would be inappropriate and uncomfortable to pursue a friendship with her, and vice versa, because of the patient-provider relationship that we previously had and the power dynamic that existed between us. The letter writer didn’t share the content of the email his former patient sent to him, but if it’s just a friendly life update, I think it’s fine to write back and thank her for sharing. Beyond that, I feel like it would be unprofessional to meet or pursue a deeper relationship. — Meghan

Kwame Anthony Appiah is The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist columnist and teaches philosophy at N.Y.U. His books include “Cosmopolitanism,” “The Honor Code” and “The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity.” To submit a query: Send an email to [email protected]. More about Kwame Anthony Appiah