Teacher of the future

What does the teacher of the future look like? Sir Ken Robinson stresses in his most viewed, very entertaining TED talk (13.5M views) that school kills creativity (our son agrees to that). WIth UNOO, we started a program for one of the most respected high schools: ‘Learning with the Next Generation.’ Board, teachers and students are send out on learning journeys together to find solutions for a system in crisis. Did you know that in Finland all teachers, including those at Kindergarten have a University degree? That children in Africa learn themselves English with a mobile tablet without any external support?

We will dive into the role of teachers in the future. How can they get the appreciation again they deserve? What is their role in society? What does that mean for their own development? How could we design programs to support them better? Is Walter Lewin (see video here) the example of the Professor of the future or should we look further than him? are only a few of the questions.

September 6, 2013 the results will be shared in an international conference we’re organizing.

Robinson in the TED talk: ‘Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth: for a particular commodity. And for the future, it won’t serve us. We have to rethink the fundamental principles on which we’re educating our children. There was a wonderful quote by Jonas Salk, who said, “If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.”And he’s right. What TED celebrates is the gift of the human imagination. We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely and that we avert some of the scenarios that we’ve talked about. And the only way we’ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future. By the way — we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it.’