The world of teaching is changing. Expectations from leaders above us, demands from the parents and communities we live in, and needs of the students we serve are compelling educators to rethink and retool. It is happening so fast that many find it almost impossible to keep up. Sometimes we find motivation and challenge in unique places.
As educators, we are preparing students for jobs that have not even been invented yet. How do we do this? What skills are important for this new world? What tools do our students have access to that will streamline their opportunities in the future?
Let me introduce Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century. He was the keynote speaker at the INTRCONNECT 2023 – CoreLogic’s Open House and Next Gear Solutions conference. In his presentation, he challenged professionals (non-educators) to stretch their thinking about this new post-COVID world. He explains, “This is the best possible time that we have to reinvent ourselves and what we do. It is really the moment where I think, as leaders in this new world, we can define the values that really matter and the things and the people that we serve.”
Consider taking 50 minutes of your day to watch him bridge the Industrial Revolution to the challenges of today. (Click here for the link to his presentation.) Mr. Walsh shares three rules for the new world.
1. What was digital disruption is now digital delivery.
He explains the notion that change is what you do, not just how you do it. To be effective in the future, there needs to be a shift from transactions to experiences.
2. There is no remote work, just work.
Work now requires consideration of issues such as mobility, autonomy, memory, objectivity, and velocity.
3. AI will not destroy jobs but it will change them.
It is necessary to learn how to elevate the workforce, not eliminate them. This process begins with deep consideration of the things we do in our jobs and focuses on leveraging technology to remove boredom. As jobs change, we must embrace uncertainty and help our students become curious about things around them.
It has become apparent that the world will not return to what it was in January 2020. Mike states, “The future is not an upgrade on the present, but an invitation to think in an entirely new way.” As educators of the students who will direct our future, can you consider what you personally will do to embrace the new challenges of today’s world?
