The Future of Schools
Written by Tony Little Photography by John Schonobrich
Schools have always had to navigate new technological advancements, adjusting and adapting to keep themselves relevant and of worth. However, the rapid developments in artificial intelligence topped off with a global pandemic enforcing school closures all over the world have been a rather unexpected set of circumstances. Tony Little, former headmaster of Eton College, details the challenges posed by COVID-19, the advantages that stand to be gained in the education sector, and how it may all serve as a reminder of the fundamental importance of schools.
It is a commonplace notion nowadays that we stand on the cusp of momentous change. The world our young will inherit is likely to look very different indeed from the world their parents understand. The change is well under way and, some would argue, will be dramatically accelerated by COVID-19.
COVID-19 is not, however, the principal game-changer. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly developing and Super Intelligence (ASI) is on the horizon, when the machine world will take over many human functions and not only do them more effectively, but also do things humans can’t. The wonder of a machine programmed to beat a human chess genius, as Deep Blue did to Garry Kasparov in 1997, now seems ancient history.
ASI will transform our world far more radically than the Industrial Revolution. It’s the sheer pace of change that’s startling – and frightening. The pundits argue that the age of ASI will bring us either incredible gifts, such as the eradication of disease, or the destruction of humankind. It will be a time of great risk and great opportunity. There’s an argument that schools will become redundant – we will be able to access better-quality teaching more cheaply online. But in fact, the rise of AI, bringing with it the potential for children to learn without the need physically to attend school, only illuminates its real purpose which has always been fundamentally social.
AI may eventually replace the things we do – calculations, repetitions, a great deal of analysis, precision – but this enables us to focus on the things that truly differentiate us as human beings. At the heart of these human qualities are care and compassion, which give identity to society and need to be encouraged and celebrated if we are to flourish.
Curiosity, creativity, and collaboration are uniquely human elements, too. Educators around the world are beginning to adjust to this tweaked perspective, envisaging the school of the future as a place of face-to-face interaction, alive with creative energy and with academic training available online. Why hire a specialist maths teacher when you can have a Harvard professor at the push of a button? The schoolteacher of the future will be a specialist in the human condition.
And at this light-bulb moment when we collectively recapture the notion that schools are fundamentally social places and that academic measurement is, in the scheme of things, a recent and passing fad – a giant wrecking ball shatters the promise: COVID-19. This pandemic reduces us to masked strangers standing warily at a distance, touching nothing and nobody, resorting to digital faces and electronic communication, the antithesis of great education.
In some respects, the pandemic will hasten the process and benefits of e-learning. The burgeoning Ed-tech industry offers a great deal of snake oil, but also some wonderful tools. The availability of e-resources will grow dramatically. But none of this e-learning, the argument runs, actually needs school. Indeed, the greatest area for potential lies tangential to formal schooling – the creation of attractive online products direct to families that are underpinned by serious pedagogic tracking; fun on the outside, serious underneath. There will be a new methodology, using the digital world in a major way to harness children’s interests for the learning of the knowledge and skills that schools have sought to foster.
It is almost a given now that the routine administrative functions of schools will be taken over by the digital world. Algorithms are developing the nuance and sophistication that will enable even the assessing of English Literature essays to be done effectively and well online; online assessment will become the norm.
Properly channelled, there is a host of advantages to be had. But none of this diminishes the profound significance of face-to face contact and learning to navigate the human condition. This is where the pandemic will bite deep, if we allow it to. We need to be clear in our minds that these places we call school really matter. Being alongside others, children learn better what it means to be human. Good habits begin at primary school level, supported at home, shaping personality to value self-control, motivation, and our sense of self. This shaping needs the predictable structure of a school setting, offering routines and a range of relationships that can’t be solely achieved at home. Schools matter a great deal for the health and future of human society and no amount of technological advancement can replace their core purpose.
One of the interesting observations during the lock-down (and startling to some) is that most young people actually like school and miss it. We are social creatures. Returning our young to their schools needs to be a top priority.
Tony Little
Tony Little is an educator with a long experience in the management and leadership of schools. Among other projects, he currently chairs the boards of a Multi-Academy Trust in the Manchester area and of the WLSA Academy, Shanghai which is pioneering a new generation of not-for-profit scholarship schools in China. His background is as a school teacher. For 26 years he was headmaster of three UK schools, including Eton College. He was also responsible for the creation of two new state-funded schools under the government’s Free Schools initiative. He has worked with schools and educational charities in 19 countries.