The Future of Education: Helping Students Find their Passions

When it comes to education, many would agree that the current model is outdated and is not providing all that our next generation needs for the future. Traditional education has remained virtually the same for decades, and perhaps even centuries. For this reason, when I happened upon Mike Howells' TEDx talk on "The Future of Education" (Howells, 2022) a few weeks ago, it struck a chord with me. Mike Howells is the president of the Workforce Skills division of Pearson Publishing, and his talk from a TedxPCL event in May 2022 appeared during a rabbit hole dive that came out of my frustration with the current state of the formal education system in the US. If you're an educator or a parent (or both, like me), you may be frustrated too. I have felt the brokenness of our system for a long time, though I'm not entirely able to put my finger on what change should look like. Howells explains that this may be because, while we foundationally think of learning happening inside an institution outside of the "real life," learning is actually the fundamental skill we use as humans for life and growth. Howells asserts that, therefore, as teachers, it makes sense that our role and responsibility to students ought to be, simply and yet profoundly, to "help you discover what you love and become great at it" (Howells, TedX, 6:30).


This goal, if we were to embrace it as a society, would change everything in education. If the objective of education were about figuring out what students love and then how to get good at that, I believe there would be several significant changes necessary to revamp our system. Personalized learning experiences would need to become much more prevalent. I think of the Montessori methodology as one picture of a more individualized approach to education, and I remember looking at several Montessori-style schools when my children were young, hoping to find an environment that would give them the freedom to discover their passions and strengths. Ultimately, I did not choose that model for them because I felt the resources were outdated, the facilities and staff were limited, and there were better options available with a traditional approach. However, if more funding were allocated toward a truly individualized approach that also pointed toward the world of tomorrow rather than the last century, students could receive the support they need to identify their own interests and strengths and develop them to their fullest potential.


Places of learning, then, would absolutely require the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, gamification, and adaptive learning. Instead of running away from these technologies because we can see the potential dangers, we would need to see them as tools that are already shaping the future of education, offering unparalleled opportunities for enhancing student engagement and personalizing the learning experience. With such technologies in place, the emphasis on the curriculum would shift towards creativity and exploration, with students given ample opportunities to explore different subjects and areas of interest while interacting with the kinds of tools that are changing the world, the kinds of tools they'll need to be able to use when they are the future leaders of all kinds of industries and organizations. Learning could take the form of project-based, self-directed, and hands-on experiences, all of which would enable students to discover their passions and strengths in a more meaningful way and which become much more feasible and accessible with the use of new technologies.


The kinds of knowledge that students need to acquire are already very different from what they used to be, and these skills could become the central focus of learning in whichever field they were to choose. Critical thinking and the ability to evaluate, for example, are paramount to being able to navigate through a future with AI. Students no longer tend to be the sole creators of content, but rather evaluators of which content truly reflects the message in their mind, as well as to parse and understand the content they are consuming more deeply. In addition to the skills of thinking, students need to increase their abilities to connect with ever more diverse types of people and perspectives. The ability to interact and collaborate, facilitate and participate in deep meaningful conversations, and work on a team utilizing each person’s strengths will be skills that lead to success. These metacognitive and cognitive thinking strategies as well as these soft skills all need to be more explicitly taught and practiced, in both online and in-person settings.


All of this would also necessitate a huge shift in the role of the teacher and the school building. The teacher would no longer be seen as the source of all knowledge, but rather as the “re-source”. The role of teachers in the future of education would shift towards the facilitation of learning. Teachers will have to be proficient in using these latest technologies, be able to differentiate instruction and provide personalized learning experiences to meet the developmental needs of diverse learners. With the technologies we now have at hand, teachers would be able to guide students toward collaborative learning with peers and experts in their target field. I imagine a teacher being able to network and reach out to places and spaces in the community or across the globe, and facilitate rich connections for their students’ growth. Via online platforms, experts in every field could be accessed, and field experiences for students developed. The in-person setting and the meeting in groups would continue to play an important role in providing practice with the soft skills spoken about above. Teachers would still have objectives and create plans to meet them, but the goals and objectives, the styles of teaching and learning, and the means of assessment would evolve.


Beyond the school walls, education would need to involve more collaboration and engagement with the local community as well, in order to help students identify their passions and strengths, and exercise them in real contexts. This might involve partnerships with local businesses, mentorship programs, and community service projects. “Schooling” wouldn’t necessarily need to take place inside the brick-and-mortar buildings as it does now. Schools, as organizations instead of locations, would need to become much more agile and responsive to the changing needs of learners by offering flexible learning pathways, personalized learning experiences, and some sort of stackable credentials. They will also have to be willing to collaborate with industry partners and the community, allowing that education not always only happens inside the four walls of the school.


Of course, as alluded to above, testing would need to change as well. Standardized testing, which has been criticized for promoting rote memorization over creativity and critical thinking, would all but disappear. Instead, assessments would be authentic and allow students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in meaningful ways rather than punishing them for their deficits. To support this new approach, each student might need an individualized education plan (IEP) that begins with self-awareness and self-discovery and then outlines the knowledge and skills needed to advance in their specific area of interest. Data analytics and changing technologies would play a critical role in providing insights into student learning, identifying areas for improvement, and enabling personalized instruction. This data could help institutions make data-driven decisions about their approach to helping students discover their passions and guide them toward continued growth and improvement. 


Our new system would hope to prepare students for the rapidly changing job market of the 21st century as well. To do that, we would need to acknowledge that there are significant gaps between the current educational system and the skills and knowledge that are required, and which are also constantly evolving, making it challenging for schools to keep up. One solution could be to establish partnerships with public and private industry and seek funding from sources outside of government. This would enable schools to collaborate with industry experts and ensure that their curriculum is aligned with the specific needs of the job market. Through these partnerships, schools could also gain insights into the latest trends and technologies, allowing them to better prepare their students for the future. By facilitating these connections and promoting open communication, we could work towards closing the gap and ensuring that students are well-equipped to succeed in the workforce. 


While this futuristic picture of an educational utopia may seem far-fetched, even impossible, for someone without influence in political realms to demand the changes, it is important to think about how we can make progress towards it as individual educators. Changing a large system like the US Department of Education is admittedly no easy task, but it is possible to take small steps towards that future on an individual classroom level. Even within the boundaries and regulations of the current system, we can employ strategies and network with other organizations and technologies, bringing the future into our classrooms toward the goal of helping students figure out what they love, and then help them get good at it.


Though there are significant constraints of our somewhat standardized curriculum, we can still personalize learning experiences for our students as much as possible. We can get to know each student and their interests, and try to incorporate those interests into lessons whenever possible. We can offer choices in assignments or activities to allow students to pursue their passions. They can choose their own media to consume (books, podcasts, articles), topics to research, people to interview, etc. as we help them evaluate and consume critically. When we see a curiosity in our students, we can resource them with whatever we find to fan that flame. There are also ways that we can foster creativity and exploration as well, as we provide opportunities for hands-on experiences and project-based learning. Allowing students to take risks and try new things might be a part of an authentic assessment. While of course we may be required to give standardized tests, we can also offer authentic assessments that allow students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in meaningful ways including presentations, portfolios, or other projects that allow students to showcase what they’ve learned in a way that reflects their strengths and interests. Students could choose the kinds of assessments they think best showcase their learning.


Additionally, we can find opportunities to involve the broader community in our classroom. This might include bringing in guest speakers or taking field trips to local businesses or organizations. It could also mean looking for ways to connect our curriculum to real-world problems or events in our own communities. Likewise, we can utilize companies like “Lenguas Club” for example, a growing venture that allows students to access knowledge and neighborhoods they’d not otherwise be able to visit. Lenguas Club is a company that is miles ahead of the mainstream, already using current technology to individualize and authenticize education and is currently being invited into some schools to collaborate. Lenguas Club’s motto is “We use technology to bring the world into your classroom”. Students using the Lenguas club model in their high school classrooms are finding a unique way to have authentic language experiences and interactions that are changing their perspectives on the world. I would encourage other language teachers to explore how Lenguas Club’s strategies can have a significant impact on their students’ learning. This is one example among many that allow us to make small shifts in the classroom while having a significant impact on students, as we fight for the larger fundamental changes that need to be made “above and beyond” our reach.


Finally, we can learn the latest technology ourselves and see what we can do to bring them to the classroom to explore. How can AI, or specifically ChatGPT, be useful rather than a hindrance? As an example, in my college classroom, I have begun to use ChatGPT with certain assignments so that students have the opportunity to interact with the technology and see what responses or content is offered. Then, we talk and work through the results to see what is helpful and what is not, critically think and evaluate the responses, the interactions, and appropriate uses, and hypothesize other potential applications. Additional questions we should be asking are how can we utilize technology for gamification or for a more real and authentic experience? In what ways can we start to close the gap that exists for graduating students entering the workplace with regard to soft skills and technology? We can continue to have these conversations with our colleagues and also invite our students to be a part of them. We may not be ready yet to unveil my picture of an educational revolution inspired by Mike Howell’s “Future of Education” Tedx, however, we can move in that direction a little each day.


While there may be significant constraints within our current educational system, there are still ways we can help our students figure out what they love and how to be good at it. By personalizing learning experiences, fostering creativity and exploration, providing more authentic assessments, intentionally engaging with our communities both locally and beyond, and utilizing the amazing technologies that are available to us in this current world, we can create a classroom environment that encourages students to discover their passions and strengths and to chase after them.

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Kellie Tompkins