Are schools equipping Alphas with skills needed for future jobs?

Are schools equipping Alphas with skills needed for future jobs?

Children from this generation are ones who are born after 2010 and the majority of them are offspring of the millennials.

It wasn’t too long ago when millennials started leading the way to innovation and youth entrepreneurship, but, now there is a new generation where the spotlight has shifted to – the Alpha generation.

Children from this generation are ones who are born after 2010 and the majority of them are offspring of the millennials, which means they were practically born and are being raised with smart devices in their hands – using technology comes as second nature to them.

As the Alphas grow, the technologies being developed in this Fourth Industrial Revolution is also advancing at a rapid pace, especially the use of artificial intelligence.

How well prepared are schools to teach the Alphas skills that will be required for future jobs that don’t exist yet? Do schools even know which specific skills are essential for this generation?

Brendon Fulton, the principal of the Dubai British School, believes enterprise, entrepreneurship and problem solving will be some of the main skills taught to Alphas in classrooms.

“With increased access to information and knowledge, the impetus of education has been moving rapidly to a focus on how to manipulate and use information, knowledge and understanding, rather than merely dissemination. With increased globalisation, students are developing a greater empathy for worldly issues and so the future is crying out for problem solvers – people who are able to think outside of the box and are used to making mistakes, learning from them and adapting approaches,” he said.

“Being as tech-savvy as they are, Generation Alpha children are able to access information with ease (certainly without the help of adults and teachers), so there will be a rapid shift in educational programmes to harness this ease-of-access and develop the skills of enterprise and entrepreneurship to enable students to add value to society.”

Karan Deep, the innovation manager at GEMS Education, said skills such as critical thinking, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective written and oral communication, assessing and analysing information, curiosity and imagination are important skills that need to be taught to Alphas to prepare them for future jobs.

“The world is changing radically with rapid advances in technology. Widespread innovation is continuing to give birth to exciting new industries and the major drivers of transformation will have a significant impact on global interaction, job displacement and job creation. Over half of the jobs current middle school students will be doing in the future do not exist today. The skills taught in the classrooms to Generation Alpha will evolve towards inquiry and life skills,” he said.
Deep said that GEMS Education offers the ‘Global Futures Curriculum’ in partnership with Singularity University, where they aim to teach pupils tools needed in the rapidly changing society

“More specifically, it will provide students with deep intellectual insight into a range of exponential technologies (artificial intelligence, digital biology and robotics etc), conceptual frameworks for discussing both the positive and potentially negative implications of these technologies.

“For the society as a whole and for them as individuals, a ‘toolkit’ that is centered around design and critical thinking will help make more informed career and life decisions in an era of exponential change,” he said.

Tech-savviness must for next-generation teachers

Teachers need to become more tech-savvy in order to effectively teach children of the generation Alpha, a Dubai school principal has said.

Brendon Fulton, the principal of the Dubai British School, believes “good schools have already invested heavily” in ensuring teachers are ready to teach Alphas, however, there are other technologies that schools should also focus on.

Schools may have a general idea on which skills Alphas may need to prepare them for the workforce, however, teachers also need to be ready.

“Teachers certainly need to become more tech-savvy, especially on the use of mobile technologies. Schools generally should be looking to virtual and augmented reality technologies to help students develop experiential, rather than theory-based understanding,” Fulton said.

“One key factor will be on wellbeing, and teachers will certainly need to develop skills in ensuring that this remains a focus of student’s development. The continued proliferation of technology will undoubtedly put social skills at risk, and so schools and teachers should be strategically planning opportunities to develop social skills and shine a spotlight on the emotional and physical well-being of students in their care.”

Karan Deep, the innovation manager at GEMS Education, said teachers need to trust technology.

“UAE is home to over 200 nationalities making up approximately 90 percent of its population. The rate of second or third generation students in the classrooms is increasing and it is important for teachers to be able to spread and inspire collaboration, communication and tolerance,” he said.

“Teachers are mentors and guides to the learning and development of any student. In this regard, most teachers are already equipped to teach Generation Alpha students. They would, however, need to be aware and constantly adapt to the changing social norms and student expectations catalysed by lifestyle changes, information access and technology progress and infiltration.

“Technology is a friend and should not be met with hesitation or distrust. One area in which teachers need improvement is data interpretation, management and manipulation. When students work online, teachers receive data about student performance, which can then inform teachers of potential follow-up instruction.

Source Credit: khaleejtimes.com