The Evolution of Education

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a series of unprecedented changes, the world of education was already undergoing evolution.

The schools and classrooms of yesteryear with their neat rows of desks, chalkboards and whiteboards, and heavy reliance on textbooks and teacher-led discovery, were already beginning to embrace forward-thinking educators who were finding additional ways of sparking curiosity, nurturing student interests and passions, and bringing learning to life.

School has certainly come a long way…

That evolution continues due to affordable and accessible smart technologies that offer students and schools greater choice on how their learning journey is shaped and delivered.

Leading this evolution is online learning.

Once perhaps seen as an alternative or fringe option, it came to the fore – and to the rescue – during COVID-19 lockdowns. It proved that many children can learn, and want to learn, in Zoom rooms and via virtual platforms that fit with their learning style and lifestyle.

Haileybury Pangea is Australia's first private online school for students in Years 5 to 12.

Classes begin in 2023 and students will enrol in the full school curriculum, or undertake single subjects and choose from one of 23 VCE subjects. These are delivered in a safe, online environment that promotes student learning, wherever that student is located.

Building on Haileybury’s 130-year history in Victoria, Haileybury Pangea uses the school’s proven teaching and learning methods to deliver an academic program based on the Australian curriculum and VCE accreditation.

The kind of technological revolution embodied in Haileybury Pangea will continue in education.

Virtual Reality that allows students to ‘visit’ other countries and immerse themselves in different times in history will become a more prevalent part of their learning experience.

The Internet of Things is helping students and teachers gain greater and easier access to more information. Some major educational institutions are looking at how Big Data can help them learn more about how and when students learn best, so they can make curriculum content more relevant and interesting for young minds.

The most innovative and creative schools are harnessing these latest advances and insights to ensure education reaches out to every student and that it is relevant, meaningful and encourages students to discover opportunities and their innate potential.

Research suggests that when students are given more choices about how and what they learn, they become more motivated.

Educational psychologist at the University of Maryland in the US, Dr Allan Wigfield, says when children have control and autonomy in their reading activities, it improves motivation and their level of comprehension. This may well happen when students are given greater independence and control over many other aspects of their learning.

Whatever the future of education holds, and whatever shape schools of the future may take, creating students with deep learning and lifelong curiosity is a partnership between schools and educators who are keeping an open mind to the many changes that are happening in the world of learning.

Families are also a key part of this partnership. Increasingly curious families are also keen to find new and improved ways of learning that best suit their child’s interests, needs and learning style.

The future is bright for the students of today and tomorrow…