Generally speaking, schools have looked the same for the last 75 years or more. Of course, technology is now a key part of the classroom, and interactive whiteboards may have replaced the traditional chalkboards. But still, the basic premise remains the same – the teacher stands at the front-facing rows of desks which students sit behind.
So, schools really haven’t changed much physically for the better part of the century. Some schools have experimented with flirtations of ‘open plan’ classroom design – but long corridors with conventional classrooms off them are still largely the order of the day.
Indeed, the way schools are organized has changed little either. Children are still typically grouped by age first and then by ability second. Of course, all over the world, you will always find isolated stories of schools being particularly innovative and creative. These are the schools that have decided to do things a little bit differently (often with great results), but – by and large – not upsetting the status quo seems to be the way most schools do things.
But technology has never moved at such a fast pace. Many people will be asking the question: What should the school of the future look like? People are intrigued by the thought of embracing technology more to improve the learning environment. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is big news these days – Will robots take over from teachers one day?
Technology is moving quickly and it can enable us to do some amazing things; so: what will schools look like in 20/30 years’ time?