MBR_ISSUE 40_Lowres

Malta Business Review
EDUCATION
THE GLOBAL SEARCH FOR EDUCATION: YES THEY’RE READY
TO TEACH IN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!
What does the fourth
industrial revolution and
the extraordinary period
of societal change mean
for teachers and learning?
How can classrooms
equip learners with the
competencies, mindset and
agency to shape their own
lives and contribute to the
lives of their communities?
A ground-breaking new
book by Armand Doucet,
Elisa Guerra, Michael
Soskil, Jelmer Evers, Koen
Timmers and Nadia Lopez,
Teaching in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution:
Standing at the Precipice,
shares predictions and
strategies for an education
system that matches the
needs of the AI future.
Welcome to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
It’s a complex, volatile, ever-changing
world where we have already witnessed
fundamental shifts in the way we live. Given
this extraordinary period of societal change,
what will this mean for teaching? How should
teachers equip learners with the competencies
and mindset to approach learning as being lifelong?
How can education equip learners with
agency to shape their own lives and contribute
to the lives of their communities?
Six internationally recognised Global Teacher
Prize finalists have authored a new book
(Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution:
Standing at the Precipice; Routledge, March
2018) in which they share their vision and
strategies for an education system that
matches the needs of the future.
The Global Search for Education is pleased to
welcome co-authors Armand Doucet, Jelmer
Evers, Koen Timmers, Michael Soskil, Elisa
Guerra Cruz and Nadia Lopez.
“We need to embrace a new paradigm: the
networked teacher. We need to build our
classrooms, schools and educational systems
based on the principles of collaboration and
trust.” — Jelmer Evers
MBR: How can education lead us through
an unknown future to a place of peace and
prosperity?
Michael Soskil: Only by keeping education
rooted in human relationships and empathy
can we meet the great challenges on the
horizon. Our students are craving the
opportunity to make a difference and shape
the planet they will inherit from us. Our global
society faces dangers of inequity inside and
outside our schools. If we are to realize the
peaceful and prosperous vision of the future
we desire, a focus on equity through and
within our educational systems must be one
of our main driving forces. Ever widening
inequity will be one of the gravest threats to
the health of our future society.
MBR: How does a good teacher prepare
her students for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution?
Nadia Lopez: Teachers must be life-long
learners. Teaching is not just about preparing
students for a particular workforce, but to also
become agents of change that have a positive
influence within humanity. When we teach
girls that they can be entrepreneurs, architects,
computer scientists, and engineers, then we
begin to dismantle the stereotypes that limit
them from pursuing any and every career.
Education can build bridges across the globe
and we can learn from one another.
MBR: What are some of the key take-aways
from your research in Teaching in the Fourth
Industrial Revolutionwith other teachers?
Elisa Guerra Cruz: Children need the artistic
touch of human connection to reach their
unique potential. Even in environments
devoid of technology, excellent pedagogy is
still leading to astonishing student learning
outcomes. True educational success lies in a
system that meets the needs of the individual,
with or without the use of technology.
“Passion is what engages and empowers
students. Schools have timetables; learning
does not.”
— Armand Doucet
MBR: You write about the challenges of
the Fourth Industrial Revolution requiring
a shift to holistic education. What are the
steps we must take to accomplish that?
Michael Soskil: We need a shift in focus
from accountability measures based on
standardized test scores toward metrics
that take into account universal access to
quality teachers and learning environments,
robust curricula that include the arts, as
well as student engagement and well-being.
Passionate teachers having professional
discussions about what is best for kids leads
to a better education system. Each individual
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