The Educational Evolutionaries (2035-2045)

World Creators: Cenet, Anabel Ranga and Yi

Education

Secondary Education

Although the older generations may still recognize the elementary education system, the same cannot be entirely said about secondary education. Secondary education between the years 2035 - 2045 in Toronto has become much more technologically advanced and personalized.

Following the return to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic, educators noticed an extreme lack of motivation amongst secondary students. At the same time, students were often heard voicing their frustration in having to learn concepts and subjects which they felt were not relevant to their future goals and endeavours. After years of trying to resolve these issues with teaching strategies such as culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, the shift was finally made to a stronger focus on personalized education.

Students are still required to take English (4 credits) and French (1 credit). As well, with technology being an integral part of life and society, students are also required to take a mandatory technology basics course (1 credit). However, aside from these mandatory courses, students are able to choose their courses from Grade 9 all the way through Grade 12, according to their desired path. Students still have the option of choosing to follow the old structure and system of courses if they are unsure of which career path they would like to pursue, however, in order to maximize students' motivation and interest in what they are learning, the choice is completely up to them. Therefore, it can be said that the role of schooling has shifted from a more generalized education to a personalized education.

In terms of the structure, formal schooling institutions have persisted. However, due to the success of online education during the pandemic years (2020 - 2022) and technological advancements, the secondary education system now consists of many more e-learning and blended courses. While in the past there was a teacher physically present teaching each and every course, that is no longer the case. Courses which the government deemed to be content heavy, such as English and history, have been completely transformed into e-learning courses. With this, students have the choice of attending their class from home or coming to school and attending their course(s) in one of the designated e-learning hubs (please see image to right).

E-learning hubs located within each school

Contrarily, courses which the government deemed to be hands-on are taught by teachers on-site. These courses include: STEM subjects, physical education, art and other technical subjects. Regardless of the course format, all courses include elements of virtual reality, augmented reality and simulations in order to create a more immersive learning experience that is both interactive and engaging. With the cutting edge technology, students are able to learn complex concepts like never before!

In addition to this, not only has technology impacted the structure of schooling, but has also impacted assessments in secondary education. Back in 2022, when ChatGPT first began gaining popularity, educators across Toronto were puzzled as to how to assess student learning, as countless students were using artificial intelligence to complete many of their assignments. To this end, the Ontario curriculum changed the assessment and evaluation system by drastically reducing the importance and weight of the knowledge/understanding category and instead focusing more so on thinking/inquiry, application and of course, communication. The thought behind this was that with technology being so advanced and readily available, students no longer need to be able to regurgitate basic facts as they can find this information with a few clicks. Instead, the focus is now on being able to critically think, applying knowledge in real world scenarios and effectively communicating one's thoughts and ideas.

With regards to the Ontario curriculum, not only has assessment changed, but another major shift has been seen in Indigenous education. In the early 2020’s, there was more of a focus on the incorporation of Indigenous pedagogies and educators were taking the beginning steps to learn about how to respectfully and effectively incorporate and engage with these pedagogies. Although it took time to learn and establish relationships, Indigenous pedagogies are now part of every course and continue to expand. Not only has this significantly increased equity, inclusion and decolonization, but has also aided in increasing student motivation and interest as they are excited to learn about not only Western pedagogies, but Indigenous pedagogies as well.

Finally, we cannot talk about education without acknowledging how schools are aiding in the climate crisis. Whereas years ago, single use plastics could be seen used all throughout schools, this is no longer the case. Single use plastics are completely banned in schools and now only items which are biodegradable, compostable, plant-based and/or compressed fibers can be used.