Making Children Fit for the Future at School

Due to the future trends outlined before, schools around the world are facing fundamental changes. These affect the educational content, teaching methods, and assessment procedures. The importance of acquiring factual knowledge will decrease considerably in favor of learning methods - the ability to find relevant information, evaluate it and use it creatively. This way the foundation is laid for lifelong learning in the knowledge society. Moreover, communicative, social and personal skills must also be promoted more than today. A competency-based educational concept is therefore needed that focuses on key qualifications that can be further developed over the course of life.

Furthermore, the pool of talent must be better exploited - especially the potential of children with a migrant background or from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, but also that of highly gifted children: Some of them are not identified at all or too late and therefore do not receive enough support like acceleration and enrichment offers.

In all-day schools, the subject matter can be taught in the morning and in the afternoon. In between, students can do their "homework" and repeat, practice and deepen learning content alone or in small groups - with or without support from teachers or pedagogically trained staff. This enables independent and self-responsible learning, whereby students can divide their time within a given framework and also set their own priorities. In addition, low-performing students can be supported individually or in small groups during these periods.

Moreover, in all-day schools activities where cognitive learning is not the focus and the pressure to perform is lower can be inserted between lessons and homework times. These may include sports, reading in the library, music, computer programming, art, first aid courses, group games, crafts, cooking, needlework, drama groups, language courses, debating clubs and study groups. This way, a balance can be achieved between cognitive learning on the one hand and motor, musical, artistic, cultural, media, emotional and social learning on the other. At the same time, school becomes a place of experience and living that is designed not only by teachers, but also by the students themselves.

Since teachers usually have to spend the whole day at school with lessons spread over the morning and afternoon, they are available during their free periods to answer questions from their students - but also for meetings with colleagues, for example to plan interdisciplinary lessons, projects or special activities together. They are also available to professionals who work with individual students with behavioral problems, learning difficulties or disabilities (e.g. special education teachers, school social workers and psychologists) or who advise parents with parenting difficulties and other problems. In this way, a culture of cooperation and feedback can develop in the increasingly multi-professional school staff.

Educational Content

If one takes the idea of lifelong learning seriously, one will not "fill" the students with huge amounts of knowledge according to the Nuremberg funnel principle. At present, high school students have to acquire knowledge in many subjects that teachers with other subject combinations at the same school do not master - this goes far beyond general education. The curricula should be radically streamlined so that motivation to learn is maintained, topics can be discussed critically (promote thinking instead of cramming!), knowledge can be deepened in group work and time is available for repetition in order to consolidate learning success.

Above all, children and adolescents need to develop learning skills so that they can acquire the knowledge they need over the course of their lives themselves. They must learn to learn, i.e. know how to obtain, assess, compare and classify relevant information in relation to previous knowledge, how to memorize it and how to check their own learning success. But students must also learn how to pass on their own knowledge, for example, how to present it in a working group, how to combine it with the knowledge of other group members, how to solve problems together and how to achieve a work result that is supported by everyone.

Today's students should be enabled to shape science, technology, business, culture and society as adults. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus already believed that education is not "filling barrels" but "igniting flames". Or, as the neurobiologist Gerald Hüther said, it is not as important to pass on cultural assets as it is to ignite the spirit that created these assets. Thus students must also acquire subject-specific methodological skills, i.e. learn which processes are used to gain knowledge and solve problems in the respective educational field. At the same time, they should develop an inquisitive attitude based on curiosity, intrinsic motivation and strong interests.

Cramming or learning out of fear is not the future - instead, according to brain researcher Manfred Spitzer, learning should be associated with positive emotions, even with a feeling of happiness. Therefore students "only" have to acquire a basic framework of knowledge that enables them to orient themselves in the postmodern world, lead a self-determined life and actively shape social processes. Their knowledge should be sufficient as a basis for vocational training or university studies.

If the curricula were streamlined, there would be more time for economics, for example. This subject should be introduced in all schools and taught across as many grades as possible. Students should also gain practical experience, e.g. through internships or case studies in companies. In addition, some of the teaching could be done by managers - either at school or directly in the company. Students may also set up their own companies at school (e.g. a sales stand, a student café, an event service, a T-shirt production facility), thus developing an entrepreneurial spirit and acquiring practical commercial skills (e.g. market analysis, customer acquisition and care, calculation, bookkeeping). In addition, economic knowledge and skills can be taught to students with the help of special computer games that simulate companies.

In recent years, the importance of the natural sciences has been recognized and at many schools the teaching of mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics has been intensified. Some high schools even have research time: For example, the students carry out individual research activities at university institutes, in companies or municipal institutions. There they are guided by a mentor. The students document their practical experiences and present them to the class at the end of their research time.

Scientific knowledge can also be imparted through lessons in nature, by working in school gardens or raising animals. For example, more and more school gardens are being set up in the USA (there are now more than 6,000 in California alone) so that students can learn how food is produced and what it tastes like in its natural state. At the same time, it is becoming clear how dependent humanity is on natural resources. The nature deficit disorder as described by Richard Louv could also be countered through lessons and research activities in parks or forests, on agricultural land or at a lake. The more experiences of nature a student has, the more likely it is that nature is seen as something to be loved and protected.

Engineering - including computer science - should also be considered in the curricula, as economic development largely depends on technology and as most children are surrounded by (and fascinated by) technology. In addition to theoretical lessons, children should also learn as early as possible how to work with materials such as wood, plastic, metal or ceramics, for example by making useful objects, gifts or jewelry. Older students can take technical devices apart and learn about their components and how they work together. They could also build small vehicles, airplanes, machines or robots, maintain school computers and networks, program new functions or carry out repairs in the school building. Practical experience could also be gained through visits, internships or projects in factories, craft businesses or municipal utilities. This would intensify interest in engineering. At the same time, students would learn to apply scientific knowledge.

Since our society is strongly influenced by laws and regulations, legal knowledge should be taught in schools in the future. Current political issues and social problems should also be addressed in class and discussed by students. Medical, sociological, psychological and educational knowledge are also becoming increasingly important and should therefore be included in the curriculum. Internships in hospitals, facilities for the disabled, retirement homes, daycare centers, courts and prisons would provide practical experiences.

Unfortunately, there is currently a lack of teachers with medical, legal, engineering or business qualifications. Thus schools should be able to give contracts for a few teaching hours to managers, engineers, technicians, lawyers, doctors, IT specialists, etc.

In our globalized world, foreign language skills are becoming increasingly important. Therefore it should be checked whether the most important languages are really being taught in our schools. For example, according to Wikipedia, Mandarin Chinese is currently spoken by 921 million people, but English, the second most common language, is only spoken by 370 million people. However, English plays a greater role as a second language: 898 million people have learned English, but only 199 million have learned Chinese. Other world languages with a future are Hindi and Arabic; they could overtake English as the mother tongue by 2050. The importance of Spanish will also increase; in the USA, people of Latin American origin, together with blacks and Asians, will make up more than half of the population by 2050. French or even Latin and Greek, on the other hand, will become less important.

If one considers that China will be the largest economic power in a few years, Mandarin should be offered at least in all secondary schools in the future. Spanish or Hindi should also be given preference. Of course, it is not possible to train enough teachers for Mandarin or Hindi in just a few years. But teachers can be recruited from China, India, Spain or Latin America. Lessons would then be taught exclusively in the respective foreign language. Teachers from other countries, who would also represent their culture, customs and traditions, would certainly enrich the multi-professional school staff of the future.

But even in subjects such as history or geography, more teaching time should be devoted to the heavily populated regions of the world or the economic and global powers of the future. Students should know at least as much about the nature, population, history, culture, economy and society of countries such as China, India, Russia and Brazil as they know about the USA, the European Union, and Great Britain.

Through stays abroad, technical or entrepreneurial activities at school, internships in companies, projects with an extracurricular focus, etc., students not only gain insights into the world outside the school walls, but also recognize a connection between the knowledge imparted in class and later application in the workplace, between learning (now) and working (later). Then learning makes sense, as the practical value of school content and its relevance to everyday life become apparent. This will increase motivation and enjoyment of learning.

If you consider that children and adolescents are reading less and less in their free time, are reading more and more superficially, and are developing a primitive writing style through texting and typing texts on social websites, promoting reading and acquiring de-contextualized or written language skills will be of great importance in the future. For example, (primary) schools should create more enjoyable reading situations by offering emotionally appealing reading material or by taking into account the students' interests, which encourage intrinsic motivation to read. Regular reading times in (primary) classes, reading diaries, reading competitions, reading nights, literature cafés, engaging volunteer reading mentors or book rallies could also be useful. Reading corners in the classroom and a school library with reading rooms which are open all day would enable students to study the available books and (youth) magazines alone or with like-minded people (e.g. in a reading group). Reading scouts - children who love books - could make their classmates curious about exciting books. Older children and adolescents should also be introduced to non-fiction and specialist texts. If paper and pens were used more often instead of keyboards, students could develop a complex, accurate and cultivated writing style. They should produce longer texts as often as possible (e.g. articles, essays, presentations, term papers).

In addition, children's creativity must be encouraged more. Relevant activities are possible primarily in music and art classes. In addition, more projects could be carried out together with musicians, painters, sculptors and filmmakers, or music performances and art exhibitions could be held in the school or other locations.

Furthermore, sports and physical activity (e.g. during recess, by transforming schoolyards into adventure playgrounds) would promote motor and health development - too many students are untrained, clumsy and too fat. Since they are often overtired and stressed, they need information about the importance of sleep and the causes of stress. They should also learn relaxation techniques. Children must also be prepared for life in a leisure society in which they have many opportunities for self-realization and hobbies.

The more diverse and differentiated a society becomes, the greater the number of options is and the fewer traditions, values and customs are shared by everyone, the more important it is to provide help with orientation, in the search for the meaning of one's own life and in the formation of a conscience. Subjects such as religion and ethics will therefore continue to be of great importance in the future. Students could acquire knowledge about various religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism and Confucianism. Such knowledge is relevant for life in a global world: People are increasingly confronted with other religions in their home country, during stays abroad and when traveling and should therefore know the most important beliefs, cults, rituals and behavioral norms.

In ethics, key problems of today's and the future world can be discussed: social inequality, population development, dealing with the elderly and the disabled, unemployment, poverty (including in developing countries), migration, war, exploitation of nature, climate change, environmental destruction, etc. But also ethically relevant experiences of children and adolescents should be addressed: "unfair" performance assessments, conflicts with adults and peers, emotionally stressful experiences such as the death of a grandparent, bullying, binge drinking, drug risks, etc. Ethical questions could also be dealt with in other subjects, e.g. a lack of fairness when playing football in sports or the dangers of genetic engineering in biology. However, children and adolescents will only talk about personal matters if they feel a genuine interest on the part of teachers, experience them as reference persons and friendly conversation partners, and do not have to fear negative sanctions.

It would be ideal if students were led from reflecting on ethical problems to taking concrete action. For example, they may develop an understanding of the living conditions and needs of senior citizens, whose share of the population will continue to rise. Then the generation war expected by some experts could be avoided, as younger people might be more willing to forego an increasing share of their income in favor of senior citizens. Or the discussion of ecological problems could result in support for climate refugees, school projects such as building a wind turbine, sponsoring a biotope, better recycling behavior or more economical use of resources such as water, electricity, heat, paper, food, etc. At the same time, students experience that their actions make sense and have positive effects on society.

Since older students often experience problems when dating and have less and less experience with small children, since many relationships have become fragile and parents are becoming more uncertain about how to raise children, there should be a subject called "family studies" in schools. Important pedagogical and psychological knowledge could be imparted and - to a very limited extent - the experiences of students in their own families may be discussed. Students could be asked how they imagine a good partnership, how they would try to achieve it, how they would like to raise their own children and how they plan to combine family and work. Moreover, relevant communication and emotional skills could be trained. There are now also lifelike, computer-controlled dolls that students can take home and look after like real babies. The "infant simulators" demand all-round care through loud screaming, so they have to be fed, changed, held and rocked, for example.

It should be noted that the expansion of the range of subjects should not lead to students having more lessons per week or having to learn more. As already mentioned, the current curricula should be streamlined and no more knowledge should be taught that goes beyond general education. In addition, many minor subjects do not have to be planned for every school year. For example, it would probably be sufficient if family studies were only taught at one grade level.

Promoting Interdisciplinary Skills

In addition to subject-specific, learning method and other cognitive skills already mentioned, teachers must promote other skills and abilities that are important for the future and that have not yet been specifically trained. Many of these are not tied to a specific subject, but are relevant in everyday school life.

Social skills are particularly important: Firstly, students should learn to cooperate with one another in class, to complete tasks together and to support one another. When homework is done at all-day schools, students who are better at a subject can help classmates who are worse - or older children (tutors) can help younger ones. Secondly, living together in a class should be peaceful even when no adults are present. For example, class teachers could draw up a code of conduct with their students at the start of the school year, whereby compliance with the agreed rules will be checked again and again and violations would be discussed in the class. Above all, however, bullying and other forms of violence, which have become increasingly common in recent years, should be prevented by setting boundaries and disciplinary action. Students should learn to stand up for the weaker and to resolve conflicts peacefully. Specifically trained classmates might act as conflict mediators or teachers as supportive mediators.

It is also important to promote communication skills. Teachers should not only pay attention to whether answers are right or wrong or contribute to the planned course of the lesson, but also how they are formulated. By asking questions, rephrasing and, in the case of older students, by criticizing, children and adolescents can be stimulated to use longer and more complex sentences, more appropriate nouns and verbs and more adjectives. In the future, students should have more opportunities to speak in class, i.e. not just have to answer questions from teachers. Long and intensive discussions could arise if pupils' interests or current problems are addressed (e.g. using online games, relating "throwaway society" to one's own behavior, dealing with refugees, religious and ethnic conflicts, terrorism). Then students learn to express their own feelings, thoughts and opinions without fear (since they are not graded), to respond to the statements of other people or to question them critically, to distinguish between what is essential and what is not, and to recognize and follow the "common thread" of the conversation.

Communicative skills therefore go far beyond formulating linguistically correct sentences or using de-contextualized language. Children and adolescents must also learn, for example, to communicate openly and authentically, to send congruent messages (where verbal statements and non-verbal behavior match), to clarify their statements when necessary, to express feelings appropriately, to respond empathetically to the emotions of others, to seek eye contact, to let others finish speaking and to listen actively to them, to signal their understanding or to ask questions. They should also be able to deal with feedback and metacommunication.

Emotional skills include not only the appropriate expression of feelings, but also the ability to first perceive one's own emotions. Male students in particular often have problems with this. Teachers and adults working in extra-curricular situations could occasionally ask: "And what are you feeling now?" or "How are you feeling?" Many (male) students also have to learn to perceive the feelings of others, for example to deduce them from their facial expressions, posture and tone of voice, and to correctly identify and name their emotions. Self-control must also be supported. Especially during recess and during activities at schools that are not part of the curriculum (see above), situations arise again and again, in which emotional skills can be promoted.

The same applies to the development of the child's personality, e.g., the formation of a positive self-image, the discovery of identity and the assumption of gender roles. The more students are able to determine their own learning, acquire knowledge together with others and choose between many extracurricular activities, the more independent they become. At the same time, they should take responsibility for their own school performance - and for their own behavior, their own body, their own health and their own media consumption. In the future, personal development and the assumption of responsibility could be supported more strongly through experiential educational projects, internships in social institutions, working in student companies, participating in school committees or acting as a mentor or mediator.

Personal development and social development could also be promoted by discussing the students' life situations in school, peer group, family and society with regard to their own role and the roles of others. Since the students experience these situations as personally relevant and are emotionally involved, they are not only very interested in the matter, but also want to become active themselves and get involved in a meaningful way. The search for solutions to problems and conflicts is often an intellectual challenge and promotes creativity; the implementation of jointly drawn up plans requires energy, instrumental and communicative skills, flexibility, cooperation with others, a willingness to compromise and the ability to overcome resistance. With adolescents, teachers can largely stay out of the analysis of the respective life situation, so that the students can act independently and responsibly.

If more current youth literature would be selected for lessons, the developmental tasks addressed therein could be discussed and students helped to master them. In this context, the ideas of children and young people about the future could also be discussed. Teachers can use texts written by futurists, but also teach methods of future research: For example, students can be asked to develop positive, negative and realistic scenarios for their own lives in 10 or 20 years and discuss them with each other. Teachers could address fears about the future or feelings of meaninglessness. Edward Cornish, the founder of the World Future Society, demands that young people should be helped to perceive the many opportunities they have in economy and society and to evaluate them realistically and optimistically. Then they would plan their lives for the longer term and more often postpone the immediate satisfaction of needs.

Social, emotional and personal skills can be developed particularly well in sports, music, art, theater, home economics and hobby courses, as well as in discussion and work groups (especially if attendance is voluntary or if the course is not graded). In the future, special programs like assertiveness training or aiming at violence or addiction prevention could also be used more frequently to promote these skills. Some schools have also experimented with "skills lessons", in which social skills (e.g. acceptable behavior in the class community, ways of resolving conflicts), communicative skills (e.g. rules of conversation, active listening, participation in group discussions, rhetoric), learning skills (e.g. completing homework correctly, preparing effectively for exams, concentration exercises, time planning, methods of academic work, research techniques in libraries) and IT skills (learning relevant computer programs, using the Internet correctly) are practiced. Skills can also be taught that are relevant for the next developmental step (e.g. writing job applications towards the end of school, training for job interviews).

Educational Methods

In preparation for the knowledge society, it is of great importance that students are given a much more active and independent role in the learning process than is currently the case. They should become "explorers" who, through critical exchange with other students and adults, independently gain new knowledge and become experts in their own learning. Education must become a self-directed, exploratory, "pleasurable" and socially embedded process that includes not only active knowledge construction, but also the acquisition and application of subject-specific methods and tools, problem solving and the development of very different skills (see above). Desire to learn, enjoyment of learning, critical review of one's own learning process, frustration tolerance and the acquisition of self-confidence and confidence in one's own abilities are other important aspects.

Accordingly, teachers should become "managers of learning processes", "coaches", "tutors" and "learning advisors" who accompany children and adolescents in the "adventure" of learning and on their individual educational paths. They must recognize and use the students' willingness to learn and to achieve, arouse their curiosity, encourage them to make greater efforts, give them the information they need, let them experience the applicability of what they have learned, encourage them and support them if necessary. They must also organize learning teams, promote exchanges between participants and moderate collaborative learning processes. Another task of teachers is to "capture" the results from the individual and social learning arrangements and structure them in such a way that they can be built upon.

These are not new goals. As educational scientist Ulrich Herrmann, for example, has made clear, teachers and psychologists have basically known since the late 18th century when learning is successful in the long term: Through suggestions, practical challenges that make subjective sense, and individually measured requirements that neither under- nor over-challenge the respective student, teachers should encourage curiosity and thirst for knowledge so that the children or adolescents become active on their own and acquire relevant knowledge and skills. Students should be able to determine the time needed for a task or learning process, because time pressure "blocks" the brain, and should also be allowed to make mistakes, as these are learning opportunities. Feedback and praise, but above all the experiences of success and self-efficacy associated with overcoming new challenges, would confirm the students on the path to independent self-education and maintain their joy of learning and intrinsic motivation. Alternating between tension and relaxation as well as lots of opportunities to practice and repeat, would also be important.

In the future there will also be frontal teaching, as it is the most effective and efficient form of imparting knowledge. However, it should last a maximum of 30 minutes, as even older students cannot listen attentively for longer. According to brain research, the working memory is overwhelmed of completely new learning material after just five minutes.

Much more important than the "classic" frontal teaching situation, however, are learning forms that promote a wider range of skills than the pure acquisition of knowledge and that correspond to the aforementioned findings. These include, for example:

independent study time, during which students either complete given tasks on their own, can choose between different topics or (in consultation with the teacher) devotes themselves to a question they have posed. The individual work assignments can also be adapted to the level of performance of the respective students and completed by them at their own learning pace.
partner study time, during which, for example, a topic is discussed with a classmate or learning material is practiced with him or her. The two students support each other.
group study time, during which a topic or various aspects of it are discussed in small teams or during which a (learning, research) task is completed. This is where the strengths of individual students come into play, while at the same time their weaknesses are compensated for by the others. They must cooperate with each other and work together.
station learning: Using a checklist, different stations (in the classroom) are visited and certain tasks or exercises are completed there, using the instructions and materials provided. These tasks often allow different approaches to a topic or relate to sub-areas. Depending on their level of performance, students often have to go through different stations or more or fewer stations; there are often also compulsory and optional stations.
workshops: Different materials relevant to one or more topics are placed on the tables in the classroom. The students have to choose a table.
open lessons: The students are involved in the planning and implementation of their learning by having a say in which topics are dealt with and what activities are carried out.
project work: A topic is pursued over a longer period of time, with the students having a large say in the goals, content and course of the respective project. By intensively dealing with the respective issue, they develop a deeper understanding and acquire more subject-specific and methodological skills. Often, the school building must be left to visit certain places (in nature or in the community; companies, institutions, research facilities, studios, etc.) or to interview experts, depending on the topic. Several projects can also take place simultaneously in a class, being carried out by small groups or by individual students. Some projects may even involve several classes or the whole school (In interdisciplinary teaching, similar to projects, a complex topic is taken up and dealt with simultaneously in different school subjects, for example the topic of "water" in physics, geography, biology, sports and music. Here, however, the specialist teachers work together to enable the students to learn in context).

In all of these forms of learning, the teachers hold themselves back, take on a more observing role and only offer support when necessary. The students learn largely independently or in a team, where information can be more easily collected and checked through cooperation with others. Students often have to present the results of their work in writing, orally or in multimedia format, and editorial work opens up additional learning opportunities.

The individualization of learning practiced in some schools goes even further than these future-oriented forms of learning: Here, every student can determine their own learning program, daily work priorities and learning pace within a given framework. When using weekly plans, students are given compulsory and optional tasks at the beginning of the week, which they are to complete in the hours reserved for weekly plan work - in what order or how quickly, whether alone, with a friend or in a team, is up to them. Depending on the student's ability, the tasks can also be easier or more difficult. The teachers are present during these hours and are available to answer questions or provide individual learning support.

At some schools, almost all learning is self-organized and self-responsible. Here, students are usually given clearly defined learning goals and content for a semester - often adapted to an adolescent's individual ability after an analysis of his/her learning level. Books, objects and materials that are needed are available in the various rooms of the school, in learning workshops, laboratories and studios. At the beginning of a day or week, students use a logbook to determine what they want to learn during this period. Learning paths are also documented here; learning results are evaluated based on specified criteria. Each adolescent is free to decide in which order, at what time and in which rooms tasks will be completed, how much time will be spent and with whom they will collaborate. Mixed-age work groups can also be formed in which students with similar levels of ability cooperate or younger students learn from older students. The teachers create a stimulating learning environment, supervise, observe, give suggestions, provide materials, answer questions, advise and offer individual support if necessary.

It is questionable whether largely self-organized learning in schools will prevail in the future - but there must be more independent, active, research-based and discovery-based learning in collaboration with classmates. Homework, when done at all-day schools, could also contain more cooperative elements. Since existing materials and rooms can be used in school, homework can also be combined with creative activities, experiments, research tasks and practical activities.

In the future, traditional textbooks will increasingly be replaced by e-books, which are cheaper and can be updated more quickly. The blackboard is also no longer needed: On digital whiteboards, teachers and students can interact with information, move it, select it, organize it and evaluate it. They can also watch pictures, animations and films. This means that more senses are addressed, which is particularly beneficial for those students who do not absorb information so well by listening - and this will be more and more children and adolescents, as the Internet and social media favor visual perception. In addition, there is empirical evidence that people learn better when information is presented in multimedia form - i.e. on different channels.

In addition, laptops and tablets will be used more in the future, as interactive learning programs allow for a greater consideration of a student's learning level and thus for individualized learning opportunities, and as the Internet allows access to vast amounts of information. This would also make it clear to some students that computers and smartphones can be used for more than just games - namely also for virtual learning. States and municipalities must ensure that all schools have modern information technology and up-to-date software, and that teachers are regularly trained in how to use them.

The Internet also allows learning groups out of students from different countries to come together in virtual space – this way, also foreign language skills can be practiced. All students should learn to use computers for word processing, programming, presentations, calculations, composing, creating graphics and painting pictures, for example, but also for implementing their own ideas - e.g. with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). Digital cameras and smartphones could be used to make short films or record interviews. Students should often have the opportunity to see multimedia presentations and be trained in how to use the respective software. All children should learn to type at an early stage in school.

As already mentioned, there are now educational computer games that simulate very complex processes such as decision-making in companies. Students have to take on different roles, complete practical tasks and solve problems in collaboration with others - with creativity, imagination, strategic thinking as well as learning through experimentation and trial and error playing a major role. In virtual worlds, students can create their own environments, for example by selecting landscapes, climate zones or buildings from different eras of human history. On the one hand, students have to acquire the necessary knowledge from subjects such as geography, architecture, history and biology themselves, and on the other hand, they learn how to use the tools required. Moreover, specialist knowledge that is traditionally taught in different school subjects is not only linked together, but it is also applied in practice - which not only shows the relevance of this knowledge for the student, but should also further the learning process.

A higher quality of school education might be achieved if experienced teachers and media designers would prepare part of the curriculum content in a multimedia and interactive way and put it on the Internet. These films, programs and learning games can either be used by the teachers during their lessons or they are used by the students themselves (e.g. during individual or partner study time, in the afternoon during homework time, as part of projects or when classes are cancelled). Since several experts have worked on the respective teaching element, it can be ensured that it is of high quality.

New Assessment Procedures

Educational standards and same exams for all class levels introduced in recent years in some countries have led to a fairer assessment of student performance at different schools. Teachers also receive feedback on the quality of their teaching. Central final exams guarantee comparable knowledge among students who have attended different schools and are therefore a better basis for decision-making for universities and employers when selecting applicants or trainees.

However, these final exams focus on cognitive skills and on the performance of the individual student - the same applies to almost all class tests and oral examinations carried out in schools. Thus the other areas of competence that are so important for the future are not taken into account and the performance in work groups is not assessed, although in business, science and administration only teamwork produces the desired results. In addition, frequent poor grades demotivate the student; enthusiasm for learning and motivation to achieve decrease. However, when the work of a team is assessed, even poor students can derive self-esteem and self-confidence from cooperative action and the goal achieved together.

Therefore, assessment procedures should be used more frequently in the future which focus on feedback (i.e. not on grading), which take all areas of competence into account, which allow for self-assessment of one's performance, or which can be used to measure the joint results of two or more students. These include

learning journals in which students write down what they have learned at the end of each lesson,
reflection sheets that allow students to evaluate their own learning progress or achievement at certain intervals,
learning development reports in which individual learning progress is described and ways are shown how possible learning deficits can be remedied,
video recordings with which students can be made aware of certain behaviors,
portfolios in which work products are collected that reflect individual learning successes and acquired skills,
assessment scales used by the teacher or individual student to assess strengths and weaknesses in various development areas so that competency profiles are created,
catalogs of learning objectives that relate to a longer period of time (e.g. a school semester) - with predetermined criteria on the basis of which the student's cognitive, social and personal development can be assessed by the student himself or by the teacher,
report cards that do not contain grades but a description of learning processes and results,
partner assessment, in which classmates award points for the performance of a student (like a report or presentation) or fill out a feedback form,
group journals or project logbooks in which study groups reflect on their learning progress, and
assessment of the quality of the contribution of an individual student to a common result by the other members of the study group, sometimes in conjunction with self-assessment (e.g. using questionnaires).

Papers and presentations prepared at home are likely to become less important because they can be created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). Since it is difficult for teachers to verify this, fair grading can no longer be guaranteed.

In individual cases, psychological tests could also be used, for example to diagnose special talents or learning disorders. However, they should only be applied by specialists such as school psychologists.

Supporting Disadvantaged Students

The fewer children there are, the more important it is that the potential of all children is developed in the school system. This is the only way to counteract a shortage of skilled workers. In addition, the lower the funds for social benefits in the future, the more urgently disadvantaged children and young people must be supported so that as adults they do not have to rely on residential care, social assistance, unemployment benefits, drug rehabilitation, resocialization measures and the like.

Many education systems are socially selective: Children with uneducated parents, a migrant background or (learning) disabilities are sorted out early and often leave school without a qualification. Many of them only find low-paying jobs or are unemployed for shorter or longer periods of time. Therefore, children from educationally disadvantaged families or with a migrant background should be supported more intensively in the future. They benefit from full day schooling, because the education is more comprehensive and more time is available for (individual) support measures. They also have to do their homework under supervision and can receive help if needed. In addition, migrant children are exposed to the language of their new country for longer periods of time. Moreover, mastering another family language and culture - be it Turkish, Russian, Spanish, Arabic or Chinese - should be seen as a strength and recognized accordingly. Then students with a migrant background will also feel more emotionally accepted.

In many countries, the number of children disadvantaged by the education system includes more and more boys: On average, their school performance is one grade lower than that of girls. Boys are more likely to repeat a class, are less likely to obtain a university entrance qualification and are more likely to drop out of school. Low verbal and social skills also mean that they are ill-equipped for the future. Therefore, teachers must support male students more intensively in the future, for example by including more "boys' topics" in the lesson content, reading material and essay topics, by giving boys longer reading lessons, by consciously improving their communication skills and by counteracting their ambivalent attitude towards learning and performance. Boys also benefit from all-day schools, where they will spend as much time on homework as girls and are prevented from playing computer games and consuming media content for at least five days a week. The number of male teachers at primary schools must also be increased because female teachers – in most countries they are the majority - focus too much on "good" girls and demotivate boys by criticizing their behavior. The role model of male teachers would also counteract the "feminization of childhood" as most boys are cared for by females (in the family, in child care and in primary schools).

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, disabled children should not be excluded from the general education system. The demand for inclusion has even more far-reaching implications: It basically affects every child, who may no longer be "labeled" based on certain characteristics (e.g. as a disabled or highly gifted student, as a child with a migrant background or from an educated class), but must be recognized and valued in his/her individuality and uniqueness. Every child is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. The individualization of teaching should therefore be given even greater importance: Basically, the teacher should take into account each student’s special (learning) needs, talents and interests, his/her motivation to learn and his/her level of performance - and adapt the teaching accordingly (e.g. in differentiated lessons, in appropriately composed small study groups or through individual work with the respective student).

Better School Quality

The current education system does not prepare children and adolescents sufficiently for the future. For example, many future-oriented educational goals and learning content as mentioned before are neglected in the curricula. Even if teachers want to impart the aforementioned skills and knowledge, they usually find this difficult, as such action contradicts many of the attitudes, educational methods, teaching styles and methods of grading learned at universities and in practice. Some teachers are also aware that they are not role models for future life. So they can only provide impetus - the students have to find their own way as young adults. In addition, the faster the technological, economic and social change, the less students can be prepared for it - general skills, however, such as life-long learning motivation, creativity and flexibility will be of use to them.

It is therefore time for a new beginning in educational policy: On the one hand, spending on educational institutions must be increased significantly. On the other hand, a higher quality of educational offerings must be achieved, in particular through smaller classes, a better teacher-child ratio, measures to improve the quality of teaching, supervision, and continuous training of teachers in future-oriented education. As mentioned before, new educational content, teaching methods and assessment procedures should be introduced. Schools also need modern equipment with whiteboards, information technology and other learning materials. They should also become places where students feel comfortable (e.g. homely classrooms with carpets, pictures and plants, corridors with sofas and armchairs, beautifully designed common rooms such as canteens, places to retreat such as reading corners in the school library).

A continuous external evaluation of school quality would also be important. However, this requires that educational institutions are granted more independence, responsibility and freedom of design, as this is the only way to create competition between them and mobilize creative and innovative forces. Public funding should be linked in part to quality criteria.

Despite the future orientation of educational efforts, the child's right to the present must not be ignored. Also the current needs of students have to be taken into account. Furthermore, education should not only be viewed as preparation for a "high performance in the economy and in society", but also as an "end in itself": Education should also lead to the development of inner humanity and one's own individuality.

Collaboration with Parents and Other Institutions

On this website, education is viewed as the joint "product" of the family, daycare center and school - as well as of the children themselves. Ideally, the family provides the emotional basis and promotes personality development as well as basic skills, abilities, attitudes and values. Daycare centers and schools build on this, expand the child's skills and impart more and more knowledge (general education). Ideally, parents, educators and teachers should give equal weight to the three forms of education: self-education, co-constructive learning together with peers and adults, and teaching.

If education is a "co-production" of the family, daycare center and school, they should work closely together. Daycare centers and schools must complement families, and families must complement daycare centers and schools. Parents, educators and teachers should therefore enter into a partnership and frequently discuss how the children/students are developing and how they can best support them together. Thereby, the basic rights and the individuality of the students must always be taken into account: Ultimately, children cannot be "made" fit for the future, but must use the learning incentives and the educational opportunities in their environment to develop their skills and to acquire knowledge...