Sustaining+the+Vision

In the not so distant future, the viability and sustainability of schools will be hampered not only by technological challenges, but also demographic challenges (Rudd, Gifford, Morrison, & Facer, 2006). Demographic challenges include, but are not limited to, fewer children attending school, a wide age variety among children, and an increase in the mobility rate of children (Rudd et al., 2006). These challenges along with those associated with our economies and societies will in turn affect the requisite skill sets and competencies required of our future generations (Rudd et al., 2006) and thus the world of education and learners will need to change. Given these challenges, Rudd et al. (2006) state that "new learning spaces cannot be rigid or ‘exclusive’ and need to consider how to build on and interconnect and integrate with informal and formal provision that already exists.".

Making a new learning model for tomorrow should encompass creating a positive school culture by forging relationships between teachers and students as communal learners. The role of teacher needs evolve into that of a facilitator. In terms of sustainability and viability, this shift requires us to answer pedagogical, technological, organizational, and societal questions such as:
 * **What sort of education do we want to see in the future?**
 * **What competencies do we want learners to develop?**
 * **How do we overcome barriers to sustainability of educational reforms?** (i.e. funding, ethics, incomplete collaboration or understanding of initiatives)
 * **What tools and resources are available to us to support learning?’" (Rudd et. al., 2006)**

**Trends to watch** **The de-evolution of the Syllabus**. The syllabus itself, where it exists, should continue to have the curriculum and discipline areas that are important to fulfill learning standards. Students should be able to contribute to the share of knowledge in their classroom with their own research and interests.

**More experiential and inquiry-based learning - especially in math and the sciences.**The rising interest in meta-disciplinary units that combine applied science and math in a single lesson, as in STEM programs, should reach into other subject areas. These STEM classrooms are already able to branch into higher-level aspects of science often not seen until the graduate level of our current educational system. Laboratory areas such as robotics, engineering and experimental paper science are already taught at some magnet schools. As technology continues to merge into education, these subjects should be introduced at lower levels. (With the addition of A for STEAM, this increases the possibilities when the arts are added.)

**New forms of assessment** Recognizing the importance of skills beyond verbal and quantitative reasoning as indicators of academic potential and success will enable standardized assessment - if a common tool is what should still be used - to reflect the relative modernity of the experiential learning that takes place in a STEM classroom or the technical literacy in science and math under Common Core state standards for 6-12.

New tools will bring increased chances and flexibility for inquiry-based learning, exemplified by these Siftables designed by a team at MIT (below). (Presenter: David Merrill.) media type="custom" key="11555320" align="center"

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