Article

The Future of Curricula: Empowering Students for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Aug 30, 2024

Introduction

A report by Institute for the Future and Dell Technologies (2017) projects that by 2030, 85 percent of the jobs that today’s students will be doing haven’t been invented yet. Dell further asserts that the rate and pace of change are occurring so rapidly that people will need to “learn at the moment” through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality (Streefland, 2022). The concept of learning at the moment unearths the idea that the ability to understand how to gain new knowledge in the future may become more valuable than the knowledge itself. Visualizing the future of learning and the workforce underscores the urgent need to revolutionize our approach to curriculum. One litmus test for the curriculum is to ask the question, “Will the curriculum in place today produce the outcomes for tomorrow?” Before we explore the future of curriculum— let’s start by defining what curriculum is and understanding what it may encompass.

The curriculum outlines the what, when, why, and how of everything students should learn. It aims to achieve meaningful learning outcomes and addresses societal and governmental demands. The foundation of the curriculum even reflects broader political and social agreements on what is important to pass on to future generations (Stabback, 2016). With mounting pressures in classrooms, educators are often rushed to focus just on “what” needs to be taught and “when” without considering “how” to achieve learning outcomes and “why” instructional choices are made. This shift in perspective for all stakeholders in education is crucial for empowering students and fostering deeper learning. Transitioning from rote memorization to fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills is essential. Students spend formative years in classrooms demonstrating understanding of the content learned, only to be propelled into workspaces where no one cares about “their” understanding. Employers want employees to understand what is needed from them as employees and to use all of their knowledge, skills, and abilities to influence others and shape new perspectives. In work, we are immediately tasked with moving beyond understanding content and into influencing other people's behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes in the real world.

That said, while what we are expected to do at work is drastically different than what we do in the classroom, our view of classrooms and education has not changed as drastically as the world outside of school. When the outcomes of what we require from education shift, we must pay attention to the curriculum in classrooms today, locally and globally, to ensure that our educators, students, parents, school leaders, and communities are prepared for a future where we know they must learn how to learn at the moment.

The Social Architecture of Curriculum

Teachers are the social architects of learning, shaping the social and emotional landscape of education within every classroom. Social architecture is often referred to as an element of the “hidden curriculum,” and it empowers student agency and interest in learning. Teachers facilitate the social, connectional, and relational aspects of learning, with relationships serving as the essential building blocks of every learning ecosystem worldwide. Collaborative work, team efforts, and peer interactions are crucial for effective learning. Creating environments that support social and emotional well-being with positive mental health ensures that learning is accessible and equitable for all students (Di Michele Lalor, 2022). While teaching and learning are directly connected, they do not always correlate to student attainment and achievement. The future demands curiosity and the continuous inquiry and iteration of curriculum design to enhance student attainment and lifelong resilience.

Dotting the I’s and Crossing the T’s of Curriculum

Dictionaries generally define the idiom “dot the i’s and cross the t’s” as to pay careful attention to every detail, especially when finishing something. Paying attention to the details in the curriculum is often a missed opportunity within education. The curriculum should help make sense of the entire ecosystem, and the relationships between the systems that facilitate student learning. Educators, students, parents, and school leaders should pay great attention to the elements of the curriculum to ensure that the outcomes meet the needs of students, schools, and the wider community.

The call for change in the education system is wide-reaching, yet there are far more questions than answers on how to operationalize positive changes. Our thoughts on education today are more conflicted and constrained than ever before, but we have access to information at our fingertips. To leverage technology for good, the curriculum is an evolving ecosystem that we must pay attention to and handle with great care, as it is how we meet the emerging needs of the future today.

Dotting the I’s in the Curriculum

This learner focus is on student identity and agency of the learner through “I can” statements:

“I Can” Statements: These declarations of positivity place the student's identity at the heart of learning. To ensure the balance of assessment, challenge and support are put in place to foster the development of the learner’s identity (Short & Hirsh, 2020). These statements are intended to foster a mindset where every student believes: “I CAN achieve my goals,” which then evolves into: “I AM’ capable.” Learner identity development is at the foundation of learning. Imagine a classroom where all students believe in their potential to learn anytime and anywhere. The “I can” statements provide clear learning objectives, outlining what students should know and be able to do by the end of each lesson. Developed by teachers in planning, they should be shared with students before the lesson. These statements ensure that students have clarity and understand how to make progress. This approach builds confidence and prepares them for lifelong learning and success, making education a truly empowering experience. “I can” statements should be commonplace and leveraged with students at the beginning, throughout, and the end of lessons.

Crossing the T’s in the Curriculum

This curricular focus is on the use of resources and tools available to facilitate deep and authentic learning through the intentional use of the “t’s”:

T’s (Resources): The resources—tools available to facilitate learning from the teacher—include text, tech, tasks, tests, and talk. Utilization of the t’s (resources and tools) should be carefully planned to ensure the alignment of all learning activities, the expected inputs and outputs of the activities, and more importantly, the outcomes of impactful student learning.

Educators are the social architects of learning, shaping new outcomes through innovative approaches to curriculum. They are leaders of the curriculum of the future who enable us to start thinking beyond textbooks. Whether students are learning in class or out of class or learning across modalities of online, offline, asynchronous, synchronous, in-person, remote, or hybrid models, these are five emerging curriculum trends that align with crossing the t’s: text, technology, tasks, tests, and talk.

Text is evolving, with digital integration transforming education through the increased accessibility of digital tools, gamification of learning, and online resources. Digital methods of learning include interactive textbooks, virtual classrooms, augmented laboratories, and online courses (Smith, 2023).
Technology is everywhere, whether you are for or against its use. When advanced technologies are in parallel with teachers, they can tailor personalized learning experiences and students can grow their achievement and attainment in record time (Zia, 2023). Personal learning focuses on the needs of each student, allowing for each learning experience to be unique so that students can learn at their own pace and focus their time and energy where they need the most support. Advanced technologies are emerging and shaping new spaces inside and outside the classroom to optimize learning opportunities.
Tasks are demonstrated as skills and competency-based learning (CBL). CBL is becoming more prominent, emphasizing mastery of the skills necessary for the future of the workforce (Global Online Academy, 2024). The approach integrates teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and digital literacy to prepare students for job roles that may not yet exist. CBL adapts to individual students, offering a personal and meaningful experience.
Tests are expanding to include new forms of feedback, and assessments are also emerging in new ways through interdisciplinary approaches combining subject areas for holistic engagement, integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), even adding reading, arts, and humanities to foster innovation and creativity (Science Education Resource Center, 2010). The interdisciplinary approach incorporates new ways to demonstrate learning through space, place, problems, projects, or portfolios that foster creativity, adaptability, ingenuity, and more.
Talk materializes in multilingualism and multiculturalism, and ways of communication include the opportunities for deep authentic debate, discussion, and discourse. Talk is social, and the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas to and through others is essential. Multilingual and multicultural opportunities provide access to global perspectives and help students understand and navigate diverse cultures and global issues as global citizens (Giannini, 2024; King, 2018).

The curriculum of the future requires seamless access, flexibility, responsiveness, adaptability, equity, and inclusion. If student learning and attainment are the destination, we must activate the curriculum as our map to guide and enhance the lifelong process of learning.

The importance of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s in developing a holistic curriculum supports educators in meeting the demands of the future today and tomorrow through evolving innovative approaches to expand and develop student learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom.

Steps for Educators, Students, Parents, and School Leaders to Dot Their I’s and Cross Their T’s with the Future of Curriculum

Educators:

Find a professional peer (learning partner) who you can engage with inside and outside of your classroom to grow as a professional practitioner.
Focus beyond “what” you need to teach by “when,” and move inclusively toward “how” and “why” in the planning of student learning. How are instructional choices in each lesson and activity aligning to achieve the learning objectives?
Stretch ideas of traditional assessment beyond the book, and test with questioning, checking for understanding, and authentically applying student learning.
Use diverse tools and resources to create engaging learning experiences, and always map back to the learning outcomes.
Foster a student-centered (identity-developing) learning environment, including students in the planning processes (when possible) to understand what they are learning, when, how, and why.
Provide time for students to reflect and assess their own and others’ learning in multiple ways.

Students:

Find a peer (learning partner) who you can engage with inside and outside of your classroom to grow as a learner.
Take time to understand how you learn, not just that you learn the subject or content in front of you.
Take ownership of your learning journey.
Engage actively with various resources and activities.
Reflect on your learning process and outcomes. What works for you, what didn't work in the past, what can you do differently next time?

Parents:

Tap into various types of supports inside and outside of your child’s school to stay engaged and supported in the process.
Consider strength-based approaches and celebrate effort and hard work beyond grades and assessment scores.
Support your child’s learning and encourage curiosity and a growth mindset.
Extend learning opportunities outside of the school, at home, in the community, and in creative ways.
Communicate regularly with educators about your child’s progress.

School Leaders:

Find a professional peer (learning partner) who you can engage with inside and outside of your school to grow as a professional practitioner.
Create the vision, culture, and climate to foster holistic approaches to learning and continuous school improvement.
Build a community for all stakeholders and engagement within and outside the school.
Provide ongoing professional development for all staff and teachers on an individual, subject, and grade level and in schoolwide efforts.
Ensure clear alignment of curriculum with educational strategies, goals, and standards for high-quality teaching and learning environments.
Create a community of practice that is supportive and a responsive environment for innovative teaching practices.

Conclusion: What’s Next?

Education requirements are constantly evolving. To make a lasting impact, educators, students, parents, and school leaders must come together and focus on the “how” and “why” of learning rather than just the “what” and “when.” It appears that when we learn may be shifting to “at the moment” rather than by the end of the lesson. In 2024, we are transitioning to the future, preparing for 2030, and by dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s in our approaches to curriculum, we can create a future where the curriculum is a powerful, evolving set of tools for better understanding of what works, for whom it works, and under what conditions it works. The future of education starts today with thoughtful choices and a commitment to learning how to continuously improve our curriculum simultaneously with learning how to learn “at the moment.”

How are you dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s in your classroom or school today? What changes do you foresee in the future of curriculum today and tomorrow? We hope you join us for the Future of Curriculum Series: Empowering Education for Today and Tomorrow!

About the Author

Jenni Kincaid is a global education leader with over 25 years of experience spanning education, government, and industry sectors. She has dedicated a decade to living in the Middle East, working on large-scale education projects worldwide. Jenni is a certified teacher, principal, and superintendent in the United States and a qualified education assessor and verifier in the United Kingdom. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

References

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