[ Page 1 of 0 ]

The role(s) of teachers and learners in 2025

The role of the teacher as the central figure and authority in education is likely to have changed fundamentally by 2025. We can identify at least four main developments that are at the root of these changes:

First, we envision an overhaul of how teachers and learners interact. New ICT technologies enable a more collaborative relationship between teachers and learners and provide more room for customized learning. We believe that the teacher will lose the role as a gatekeeper to knowledge and instead become a guide for learners, helping them decide which learning path is most suitable for them.

Second, we envision the emergence of what we like to call ‘peer teaching’: learners teaching one another. So-called proto-professionals will emerge, people that have teaching skills and knowledge but who are not officially qualified and do not work as teachers. The distinction between professional and amateur teachers will blur. Also, learners will look at successful learning paths of others, and copy them. We call these crowd-sourced learning paths.

Third, we believe that in the future, teachers can again focus on their prime activity: teaching. Some of their secondary activities, most notably assessment, will be conducted by other organisations than the school that they work for.

Finally, demographic changes in the years before 2025 will reduce the number of teachers available for face-to-face teaching. This will lead to an increasing dependence on technology.

We also see some challenges ahead, in particular with regards to the deployment of technology in schools. There are still many open questions regarding the roles of the human teacher and technology in future learning processes.

With that in mind, we would like to introduce you to Frank, who lives in the Netherlands in 2025. Frank has been a teacher his whole life and is now reaching the official retirement age of 75. With his life long experience in teaching and having witnessed the integration of ICT technology for many years, he has thought much about what the role of the teacher vis-à-vis the technology should be.

So what do you think? Do you agree with Frank?

What do you think the role of the teacher should be in the future with regard to technology and learners?

Please leave a comment below and start the discussion!

(Click here if you need help about the commenting structure.)