We live in a time in which knowledge is growing exponentially and our access to it is immediate. Our children are growing up in a society that is everchanging, multifaceted, nonlinear, and increasingly demanding. As a result, the importance of education and the role of teachers are moving far beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking. These changing contexts call for new pedagogies and new student-centered learning that must draw on a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge base.
The monograph The Teachers of 2030: Creating a Student-Centered Profession for the 21st Century explores four emergent realities that will shape education and the teaching profession:
- A transformed learning ecology for students and teachers (tools that are changing the way students learn and teachers teach);
- Seamless connections in and out of cyberspace (expansion of learning opportunities beyond geographical limits);
- Differential professional pathways (hybrid teaching and collaborative teams); and
- "Teacherpreneurism" and the global education marketplace (more professional empowerment and rewards to develop teachers' talents).
Research shows that the highest performing education systems in the world rely on the high quality of their teachers. They recruit great people who have strong cognitive and personal relationship skills, and they train them well. Teachers are given the tools and authority to do their jobs effectively and responsibly with the trust and support of all stakeholder groups.
Profound change in teaching begins with profound change in trust and leadership. In low-trust systems driven by imposed short-term targets, we sacrifice depth of learning for the appearance of instant results. In the absence of trust, leaders generally assume a self-protective posture. They are more likely to micromanage and be overly directive. Conversely, transformational leaders influence results from the individuals and teams with whom they work by acknowledging shared values and outlining a clear mission and vision. School principals can sustain school improvement by developing the school's direction, motivating staff, and providing a supportive culture, while those closer to teaching can directly influence and foster improved teaching and learning.
The school culture must push teachers to collaboratively address new ways of thinking and provide specific strategies for implementation within their local context, allowing them to turn possibilities into reality for each learner. In the spirit of collaboration, school leaders and teachers must promote new ways of thinking and acting.
Today, we can ill afford to lose our individual sense of urgency, efficacy, or responsibility because education and teaching matter. Our choice is not about perfection. We're not going to be perfect. But we need to transform education and teaching from being ordinary to being extraordinary. Our options are to promote bold action or accept the status quo; to focus on solid research or be speculative. We should be happy to be criticized by today's cynics rather than risk the contempt of future generations.