What Students Should Know in the future
Preparing
for the future has been the core focus of education. Adapting to the changing world,
integrating modern devices in schools, coping with climate change, and
providing students a chance to think out of the box are changing demands of
future-ready curricula. Future-ready curricula are designed to equip students
with the essential skills and knowledge required to adapt to evolving rapid
change (Schwab, 2016). Awareness about climate change (Nadeem and Nawaz, 2022),
integration of technology in education (Vennatta at all, 2014), and major space
for critical thinking (Ro.j, 2023) in the curriculum can improve their quality
of life. A curriculum is required that helps a child to use the advanced gauge
as using another part of the word, cope with climate changes, and think out of
the box. Our current curriculum has failed to integrate certain needs in
education which resulted in 26 million students out of school, a supportless
school system during the disaster, and a hollow mindset. One of the prime aims
of a future-ready curriculum is to help the students cooperate and compete with
the changing world and ensure their best survival in contemporary times. The
aim of this is to emphasize the importance of curricula in preparing students
for future success by providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and
competencies.
The current curriculum failed to meet the
criteria of a 21st-century curriculum. The curriculum could not provide what the
students and the teacher needed. During covid-19 we could not offer such an
environment for students so that they could carry their activities indoors. We
failed to give gadgets and internet to the teachers. Our higher education
failed to run the courses smoothly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our schools were
unprepared for floods in 2022 and earthquakes in 2018 which dilapidated the
situation even more. Unfortunately, our educational institution teaches blind
acquisition of knowledge, we have failed to teach the students to think
independently and free from the pressure of society. The future of our new
generation will be based on critical thinking, and research, and integrated
with fast technology. To cater to these needs we need to formulate such
curriculum that helps the students in their best survival. Now, the main
question arises how much we have been able to prepare our students for the
future?
Managing Natural Disaster
Rapid
climate change has attracted all the decision-makers in education
unequivocally. They need to pay close attention to deal with the devastating
impact of climate change on our lives. According to Dawn News, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary
Education Department has reduced school hours in the province’s summer zone due
to a heat wave (1). The future-ready curriculum should provide a comprehensive
understanding of the science behind its global impact on human lives. It should
engage students in sustainable development practices. Enroll students in
projects i.e. recycling initiatives, science fairs, and capstone projects.
Unfortunately, there has been a lack of practicality in the curriculum. Books
are only taught just for the grades and positions not to bring societal change.
Leveraging Technology
The
future of students will be encompassed with electronic gadgets. A few years
back I was just known to the word of ‘internet” but now I cannot bread without
it. Therefore, the curriculum for the students should involve play-based
learning with simple robotics and coding. Fostering an initial understanding of
technology is very important. Students need to discuss the societal
implications of Artificial intelligence. The curriculum should prepare high
school students for careers in AI-related fields. Students need to interact with new digital
devices in the class. But the absurdity of our educational system is that the
only computer is usually raped in plastic to make it free from dust. We must
prepare our students for the future when electronic devices are completely integrated
into education.
Students
have become sharper with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in their
studies. Each day a new gadget is being introduced in the market and the same
market demands such an individual who can upgrade the gadget to the limitless.
One live example of this idea is ChatGPT. 2.0, which was best in 2022 and was
only limited to writing. Then ChatGPT 3.5 was introduced which was more
advanced and involved reading and writing. Now students use ChatGPT 4.0, which
helps in reading and writing, picture framing, designing, and chart
explanation. This development does not stop here, it grows day by day. Having
such facilities in our education is not alarming, but it is disconcerting if we
are not prepared for it. Therefore, a curriculum is demanded that fulfills the
needs of the next generation.
Developing Critical
thinking
No
one can ignore the importance of critical thinking as an integral part of human
development. The creation of new ideas, innovations in science, and remedies in
health all are the creations of the human intellect. In this regard or
fostering critical thinking in students, the curriculum should be
research-oriented in schools as well as in colleges along with higher
education. Socratic seminar needs to be arranged so that students find out new
ways to secure human existence on the earth. Research projects help in
identifying key social and moral issues and make an individual candid toward
their role in society. I remember one of the quotes of Socrates who says that
he had taught people nothing but compelled them to think. If we can integrate
such a plan to make the students think and learn by themselves, we can say that
we have done a valuable thing.
On
one hand, we are making our students competent learners but on the other hand,
we also snatch their reasoning and critical thinking ability. We are trying to make
our learning easy but at the same time, we kill a student’s love for arts. The
curriculum needs to make a student think out of the box, teach empathy, love
for nature, and above all love for humanity. Human intellect is the best
creation of God and this creation needs to be protected and safeguarded. This
could be done with Socratic seminars, research projects, and internships.
Students should be given a chance to explore nature, meet people of other
beliefs and creeds, and should be taught to create an opportunity not only for
themselves but for those who live around them.
In light of the above-discussed literature and
the help of ChatGPT, a curriculum framework for future ready-curriculum has
been made.
Table 1 Components of a Future Ready Curriculum
Component
Percentage
Climate Change Awareness
20%
Technology Integration
25%
Critical Thinking
20%
Research and Innovation
15%
Empathy and Social Skills
10%
Practical Skills Development 10%
Table 2 Consequences
of Current Curriculum Failures
Consequence
Magnitude
Students
Out of School
26
million
Inadequate
Disaster Preparedness High
Lack
of Technological Integration Severe
Deficiency
in Critical Thinking
High
Unprepared for Remote Learning Critical
Table 3
Integration of AI in education over time
Year AI
Integration Level
2010 Low
2015 Moderate
2020 High
2024 Very High
2030
Ubiquitous
The prime aim of the future-ready curriculum is to create a sound soul in a sound body. The problem we are facing now will not be faced by the students in the future. The next generation should have the best option to have the best career. Future-ready curriculum focuses on the main fields that need to be addressed which will influence the next generation more than now. Living in the generative AI age demands a vibrant and vigilant user which run along with the trends of the age, who would have the skills and competencies to deal with different challenges and issues like climate change. This could be done by formulating policies and curricula that address the needs and the upcoming challenges. By doing so we can create a safe, prosperous, and healthy student. The student has more opportunities, more liberty, and above all a good living condition.
References
1. https://www.dawn.com/news/1835661
The fourth Industrial Revolution: What it means and how to
respond. (2016, January 14). World
Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
Nadeem,
O., & Nawaz, M. (2022). Climate change and sustainable development
perceptions of university students in Lahore, Pakistan. International
Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 32(3),
181–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2022.2154973
Vannatta,
R. A., & O’Bannon, B. (2002). Beginning to Put the Pieces Together: A
Technology Infusion Model for Teacher Education. Journal of Computing
in Teacher Education, 18(4), 112–123.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10402454.2002.10784447
Ro,
J. (2023). Critical thinking in the national curriculum and teacher education
in South Korea: a missing link. Teachers and Teaching, 29(6),
553–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2172393
