Teach Middle East Magazine Sep - Dec 2020 Issue 1 Volume 8 | Page 34

Sharing Good Practice
TOWARD TWENTY FIRST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
BY HSING WEN WANG AND LORRAINE CHARLES
Introduction
The purpose of education is the social,
academic, cultural and intellectual
development of the individual, but
it is also to prepare individuals to
enter the workforce. Consequently,
education systems globally have
been attempting to integrate 21st
century skills - Critical Thinking,
Problem Solving, Communication and
Collaboration- into the curriculum.
In parallel, the Science, Technology,
Engineering, Art and Mathematics
(STEAM) movement, has emphasised
the role of technology education,
as it is believed to be the primary
delivery method for inclusion of
technology, and can integrate with
21st century skills. It is assumed that
when technology education is well
implemented, students will think
critically, collaborate, problem-solve,
and innovate solutions to extend
human potential by applying old and
new knowledge. It is thought that
the creation of knowledge occurs
as students continually practice and
apply technical skills.
However, in many schools, the
implementation
of
technology
education has not yet provided a broad
view of technical literacy to facilitate
the development of 21st century
skills and knowledge creation. There
is a common misconception about
the implementation of technology
in education. In the past twenty
years, social media, digital devices
and software applications have
dominated technology innovation.
This has contributed to the frustrating
situation of technology education
being limited to computer literacy (the
use of digital devices and software
applications), as well as, tools used
in educational technology. The other
concern is how these tools are used
in the classroom. While technology
in education has evolved in schools
globally, opportunities have been
missed to create knowledge and teach
21st century skills. Technology has
been used to facilitate a continuation
of instructionist pedagogies, where
students are fed content instead
of being encouraged to create
knowledge.
34 |
Mar - Arp 2019
|
|
This article provides a view of how
to better implement technology in
education in the K-12 system so that
students will be equipped with 21st
century technical skills and have the
potential to create knowledge. As we
speed into what has been called the
fourth industrial revolution, where
technology is changing the way our
society functions and the jobs that
exist, there is a sense of urgency for
education to adapt (Larsen AME
2018). Education needs to provide
the skills that young people need to
survive this revolution. Ultimately, this
would result in the improvement of
our society.
Technology education and the
labour force: the need for 21st
century skills
Education, and technology education,
has not been able to keep up with the
demands of labour markets. On one
hand, the labour market is becoming
increasingly technologically focused,
while on the other, many jobs are
being displaced by technology, and
the ones that remain are those that
require the soft skills (i.e., 21st Century
Skills). World Economic Forum (WEF)
has categorised the sixteen most
needed critical 21st century skills into
three broad categories: foundational
literacies,
competencies,
and
character qualities. These 21st century
Class Time
skills are thought to be necessary for
the future labour force.
While challenges around technological
disruption
are
particularly
significant, they are compounded
by demographic changes, shifting
business models and the evolving
nature of work. It is estimated that
35% of the skills demanded for jobs
across industries will change by 2020
(WEF 2018). According to the World
Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs
report, by 2020, more than a third
of the desired core skillsets of most
occupations will be comprised of skills
that are not yet considered crucial
for jobs today (Leopold TA, Ratcheva
V, Zahidi S 2016). Overall, social skills
(persuasion, emotional intelligence),
content skills (information and
communication technology (ICT)
literacy and active learning), cognitive
abilities (creativity and mathematical
reasoning) and process skills (listening,
critical thinking) will be in higher
demand across industries than narrow
technical skills, such as programming,
equipment operation or coding.
Therefore, education systems need
to be cautious that technical skills
are supplemented with strong
social, content, processes skills, and
cognitive abilities. Education needs
to change to equip individuals for this
future, with technology education
aligning with the needs of future jobs.