A Vision For Learning

From Education to Learning

Education is transitioning from education structures rooted in the industrial age to learning structures reflecting the informational age in which we live.  Education structures such as grades, grade levels, stand alone courses, physical buildings (to name a few) are being replaced.  Creating new structures involves more than renaming old structures.  We must create a new learning ecosystem that is radically learner centered and places the learner and the learning experience at the center of education. 

The new learning ecosystem welcomes significant contributions from institutions and programs that are rapidly developing to meet the learning needs of students.  Barriers of time and space in the learning process are no longer significant because of rapidly developing delivery models for learning.

Theory of Change

There are two important facets of the current education structure that will change in order to transition to learning structures.  First is learning itself.  Learning will be dominated by the learning experience.  Learning experience is defines as the best learning opportunities provided in the best learning style for the student through the most appropriate delivery model. One of the old school structures, curriculum, will not be as important in the new learning ecosystem.  A “Learning Experience Platform” will be the vehicle in which learning is managed for learners.  Learning experience platform is defined as the social, cultural and community interactions in which learning takes place.  Curriculum, learning management systems (LMS) and other education structures that survive the transition to learning structures will work within the learning experience platform. 

The next item in our theory of change is structural change.  Structural change is defined as the process of accessing the new learning structure utilizing the needs from the old, education structures.   It is unlikely that education structures will be replaced by substituting one for the other in one easy stroke.  Currently, schools and districts operating within the educational structure have needs specific to the old structure.  For example, alternate pathways for students who are not successful in the current system are a need created by the old structures.  The transition will occur when the needs of the education structures are fulfilled by the strengths of the new learning structures. 

Vision of the Future

The future learner will have the opportunity to choose multiple learning opportunities in multiple modalities of instruction (courses, seminars, MOOC’s, projects, internships, create your own course etc…).  Learners will be engaged in their learning by choosing the delivery model as well as the decision making about the what and where of their learning.  Learning spaces will include schools, but will also include nontraditional spaces…basically anywhere their learning experience takes them.  Managing the learning experiences within the new learning ecosystem is an opportunity for growth.