Education: a privileged instrument for social transformation

Dear readers, after two years of collective work in the Open Education Association, debating the state of education in Spain, on October 15th, we published the digital book, which brings together more than 100 articles written by teachers and professors, but also by parents and consultants, politicians, businessmen, doctors, architects, computer scientists or academics. You can participate in the discussion and see the details of the event on the AEA website. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my contribution to the debate.

“Education continues to be a privileged instrument for social transformation, but schools cannot solve all the problems of a society. There will be no educational change if there is no social change.” Open Education Association #CalmarEdu

In times of accelerated change, the future is not something that is yet to come, but something that is already here and that we simply do not see because our mental models, beliefs, ways of doing things and habits of the past do not allow us to see it. That is why it is important to thoroughly review the principles and beliefs that underpin our educational model, and to stimulate debate on new ways of learning and teaching through new technologies, social networks and open digital content.

The future is young people, and they are already here. Recent generations have developed new cognitive abilities and will not readily accept the learning systems of past eras. They live connected, are interactive and fast in the use of new technologies, and are constantly updated. Their learning model is that of the social web, they learn collaboratively, they do not expect master classes but open conversations that allow them to develop in community the skills they need to survive in a global world.

It is time to build on what already works and, at the same time, explore new perspectives that make possible a new educational reality in our schools and universities. In other words, our job as leaders is not to have all the answers, but to know how to ask the right questions that tell us what are the strategic challenges facing the education of the future.

• How to reinvent education for a complex, uncertain and rapidly changing world?
• What knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values will today’s students have to thrive and shape their future?
• How can education systems develop these knowledge, skills, attitudes and values effectively?

Responses to these challenges must necessarily be collective and the result of public and open discussions with all the actors involved. Initiatives such as “Calm Education” or the OECD’s initiative at the European level, Education 2030, are a good starting point and aim to find collective answers on the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed for today’s students to thrive in a global and connected world, and how the educational models of the future can be effectively developed.

The paradox lies in the fact that, while the world based on new technologies and new digital ways of doing things is moving exponentially, our schools, educational institutions and government models continue to move forward with linear thinking and incremental improvements, trying to solve the enormous educational challenges we face with tools of the past. The reality is that our educational model does not simply need reforms, but an accelerated digital transformation that makes the most of the new opportunities for open training in a connected society.

To harness the full potential of education as a social driver of citizens capable of directing their own future, generating employment, economic growth and social equity, we need to move from an educational model designed to manage scarcity, to a model designed to manage abundance. This is based on the premise that in a global and borderless educational world, sharing creates value and access to education must be free and ubiquitous, allowing learning from any device and place.

So far, we’ve learned how to scale technology, but now it’s time to scale people. Education is key in this great opportunity. The ultimate goal of education is to equip all people, regardless of gender, age, or circumstances, with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to own their future. It’s not about enriching ourselves with a brilliant resume, but about enriching our lives permanently, no matter when or where we are.

The true mission of education is to create free people, able to write their future and participate fully in the life and work of their society. The real value of people lies in our capacity for initiative, creativity and passion, which we can put into our work when we find value in what we do. Therefore, education should be seen as a basic human right and as a value in itself, which gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

To achieve its goals, education must have a three-dimensional perspective and prepare young people for life, work and citizenship. In a global and connected world, it is necessary for young people to think imaginatively, work in teams, and have highly developed personal and social skills. In an uncertain and complex world, young entrepreneurs are required to be able to get out of their “comfort zone”, build their own future, take smart risks and learn from their mistakes. In a digital world, new capabilities are needed to create value, connect with the collective intelligence of our organizations, develop new ways of working, new products, new business models, and new social models. In a sustainable society, citizens are needed who are educated in values, participative and committed to equity and social equality.

Education in values is especially important because social inequalities and marginalization are not genetically programmed issues, but the result of specific economic models, such as capitalism or unbridled liberalism. In many democratic societies around us, as we can see every day in the newspapers, many injustices and inequalities are related to the “unbridled greed” of extractive elites who have taken over our institutions through clientelism and exploitation for the benefit of a few and to the detriment of the social majority.

Education in social values teaches us that it is possible to do things differently and that there are alternatives, as long as you want and act to make them a reality. Education continues to be a privileged instrument for social transformation, as it is a determining factor in the socialization of the younger generations and leads to the assimilation of the cultural values that make it possible to achieve a more ethical and sustainable society.

With rapid technological progress and social change, it is unthinkable that a person’s initial education can serve him or her throughout his or her entire existence. Although school remains the essential means of transmitting values and knowledge in the early stages of our lives, school alone cannot solve all the problems of a society.

Schools are tasked with preparing our children for jobs that have not yet been created, for technologies that have not yet been invented, and for solving problems that have not yet been anticipated. Therefore, education must be a shared responsibility. The education of the future is lifelong and has no borders. We are all part of the problem and the solution, and it is important that teachers, parents and students commit to collectively making possible the changes needed for a lifelong, inclusive, open and universal education.

There can be no educational change if there is no social change. The greatest danger in times of accelerated change is not uncertainty, but continuing to act and make decisions with the logic of the past. The real challenge as innovators in education is to dedicate the necessary time and effort to unlearn and validate, from the perspective of a new time, the beliefs and behaviors that sustain the current educational model inherited from the industrial era. It’s about being able to distinguish what has always been true from what is true right now.

That is why it is necessary to have an open forum such as “Calming Education”, aimed at all actors in the education system: policy makers, academic experts, school networks, teachers, educational leaders, students and social agents. In this space we will be able to ask the key questions for the future of our education, share disruptive practices and collectively seek the right initiatives to make open education a reality in our country. We look forward to your participation. Do you dare?