The next generation of teaching and learning models will provide students with more personalized paths to learning. Technology will facilitate these experiences, offering students direct access to learning content and opportunities to build their knowledge and skills, while simultaneously assessing performance, providing immediate feedback, and storing and tracking student data over time. Technology is not the end game. Instead, it will serve as a means to enable this vision of innovation in education.
With its partners, the foundation seeks to develop a wide array of high-quality, relevant, and engaging educational content that can be made available to students at the pace and in the format that best suits their needs. Teachers will have the tools and flexibility to adjust how class time is used in order to ensure that all students master skills and content.
Vision for the Future
In order to support this vision of next generation learning the education sector needs three things: instructional building blocks for students and teachers; innovative learning models to demonstrate what’s possible; and an enabling environment that allows innovation to take root and thrive.
- Building Blocks: The creation of innovative learning paths requires some basic instructional building blocks, including: assessments aligned with college-ready standards; engaging digital content; systems that match student needs with content and delivery methods; technology-enabled professional development; and online platforms to deliver these diverse components.
- Learning Models: Building blocks are a top priority, but equally important is the support of innovators willing to assemble building blocks to create next generation learning models. This “test kitchen” approach—using innovative solutions school-wide or in particular subject areas—will help demonstrate the feasibility of work in a live environment to increase student achievement.
- Enabling Environment: In order for schools and districts in many states to adopt the building blocks and implement new learning models, policies such as seat time requirements, student-teacher ratios and charter caps must change. Also, entrepreneurs seeking to drive innovation in education must have access to funding and viable markets to adopt their next-generation models or tools.