The role of content knowledge in 2025 will be much different than it is now (circa 2011). Most notably computers have changed how we access, use, and build content knowledge. With the advent of the internet, students from the late ‘90s till now have been able to go online to view topics, understand ideas, research how to solve problems, and find many uses of their content knowledge online. For example, in a history class it only takes two or three clicks to get to a website with primary documents from the Revolutionary War, or find a site on the Pythagorean theorem for mathematics. However I feel the internet has only scratched the surface of how students in 2025 will be able access and use content knowledge.
Before I begin a discussion on how content knowledge will be much different in 2025, it would be appropriate for me to define what content knowledge is, at least in my own opinion. I define content knowledge (Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English) as a group of subjects that lend themselves to helping students develop strategies and skills to help them in the everyday world. Mathematics lends itself by allowing the student to develop strategies in skills in solving problems, as well as using numbers respectively. Science lends itself to students in developing how the world works. The alignment of the stars, planets, and life forms and how they all fit in the universe. Finally, Social Studies and English are the humanities that lend themselves to the students by developing ways to communicate and critically think about how society works. Now that I have described what content knowledge is, it is appropriate to now discuss how it will be changed in 2025.
By the year 2025 I believe students will be able to involve themselves more in their content knowledge by way of virtual reality. What was once seen as pure ‘science fiction’ virtual reality will allow the students to immerse themselves in a ‘video game-like’ atmosphere, literally allowing those students to experience their subjects beyond reading in a textbook or listening to a lecture. For example, allowing students to experience shapes and measurements in geometry (math); literature, plays, poems, etc. (English); the signing of the declaration of independence, or battles (Social Studies); or a trip to the planets (Science). Not only could this benefit the content knowledge for students but also the entire field of education. Grant money could be given to priority schools, thus allowing students who may not have access to their own virtual reality system, to still have the opportunity to simulate the content knowledge. Students could be allowed to interact with famous historical figures like Abraham Lincoln or William Shakespeare, thus humanizing these historical people they could only see in books. Speaking of mastering and using a virtual reality system, what other skills will students need to master by 2025?
The skills students will need to master to be productive in 2025 will be organization, creativity, self-discipline, and tolerance. I have decided these four skills specifically and they are defined as followed. The first skill students will need to have is organization. Students will need to be even more organized because the information they will be receiving will be much faster than it was in 2011. Facts, ideas, and concepts are going to be delivered in a much more active involvement setting (virtual reality) so students are going to have to be able to process the information more quickly. Creativity will be the second skill students are going to need to utilize and learn. Since there is going to be a much bigger boom in technology and wonderment, I believe that the human mind will still be the most amazing invention. Students will have more time to create not only ideas and ways of using them but also the jobs of the future. Self-discipline will be the third skill set students are going to need to master. Self-discipline will be essential due to the expanded technologies, which will give students more freedom in their learning. They will have to be more alert and ready to hand varying homework assignments, decide which projects fit which assignments, and papers to detail their to demonstate mastery, & etc. Williams A. Draves and Julia Coates also mentioned self-discipline in their book Nine Shift. They mentioned there was going to be a push for students to be more self-disciplined and have less supervision. I believe that they are correct. If a student has more self-discipline there would have to be less supervision. Finally tolerance will be a huge skill set students will have to master which goes hand in hand with the freedom self-discipline affords. The country and world will be much more diverse. Growing countries like China and India are going to have bigger presence in Europe and North America and students will have to learn new cultures and customs, thus making the students more tolerable and respectful of other cultural backgrounds.
The year 2025 is not too far away. I believe that in 15 years many of these changes could take effect. If they do I hope our students are ready for the unique challenges the future will bring, master the content knowledge of their time, and use those skills to help keep this world improving, turning, and growing.
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