Andreas Schleicher on the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2021

Summary

During pandemic school closures, teachers and students took a rapid, collective crash course in digital learning that revealed both limits and opportunities. The script argues that now—beyond stopgap measures—schools should harness intelligent technology, especially AI, to make learning more adaptive, granular, and interactive. AI and analytics can reveal how students learn, tailor instruction, and reintegrate assessment with learning in real time. But technology only amplifies existing practice—good or bad—so teachers must co-design tools and receive investment and support. Ultimately, smart digital education keeps humans firmly in the loop, freeing teachers to be coaches, mentors, and leaders.

Takeaways

• 😀 The pandemic forced a rapid shift to digital education, with teachers and students adapting quickly to remote learning.
• 😀 Despite challenges like screen fatigue and lack of preparation, the transition to digital learning has accelerated educational innovation.
• 😀 Remote classrooms during the pandemic were a stop-gap measure, and now is the time to truly transform education with technology.
• 😀 Artificial intelligence (AI) in education can personalize learning, analyzing how students study to make their learning experience more adaptive and engaging.
• 😀 AI, sensors, and learning management systems can help teachers understand individual student learning patterns, interests, and struggles.
• 😀 Technology empowers students to have greater control over how, when, where, and what they learn, promoting personalized education.
• 😀 AI helps teachers, particularly novice ones, to better assess and adjust classroom dynamics, speeding up or slowing down lessons as needed.
• 😀 Learning analytics provide real-time feedback to teachers, allowing them to tailor lesson plans based on student progress and performance.
• 😀 Technology reintegrates learning and assessment, using real-time data to enhance the learning process and make assessments more relevant.
• 😀 Public policy should encourage collaboration between educators and developers to create better, more meaningful, and user-friendly educational tools.
• 😀 Technology is a powerful amplifier of educational ideas, but it must be used wisely and in collaboration with teachers to be truly effective.

Q & A

What are the key challenges faced by students and teachers during the shift to digital learning because of the pandemic?

The key challenges include screen fatigue, adaptation stress, and the difficulty faced by students who were ill-equipped or unprepared for digital learning, especially those who had to learn independently.

How has the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital learning in schools?

The pandemic forced schools to rapidly shift to digital education, which has catapulted school systems years ahead in adopting digital tools, even though the initial approach was often a stop-gap measure to maintain continuity in education.

What is the difference between remote classrooms and smart classrooms?

Remote classrooms, as used during the pandemic, were a temporary solution that replicated traditional learning methods online. In contrast, smart classrooms leverage intelligent technology to radically transform and personalize the learning experience.

How can artificial intelligence (AI) enhance the learning experience for students?

AI can analyze how students study, offering more adaptive, granular, and interactive learning experiences. It can also track where students get interested, bored, or stuck, and adjust the content accordingly to meet individual learning needs.

What role does AI play in helping teachers understand their students' needs?

AI, combined with sensors and learning management systems, provides teachers with insights into how different students learn, where they excel, and where they need more help, allowing for more personalized and effective teaching strategies.

How can technology assist novice teachers in improving their teaching methods?

Technology helps novice teachers by providing real-time data and learning analytics, enabling them to better understand student progress, adjust lesson plans, and identify students who need additional support.

What impact can AI have on assessments and exams in education?

AI can improve assessments by enabling more dynamic and hands-on evaluation methods, such as simulations or machine learning algorithms that can assess essays. This helps overcome the limitations of traditional exams, which often test narrow, rote knowledge.

What was a major mistake in how education systems approached learning and assessment in the past?

A major mistake was divorcing learning from assessment, where students would accumulate knowledge over time and then be tested on a narrow set of information in a contrived environment, often years later. This approach didn't reflect real-time learning or practical application.

What is the significance of integrating learning and assessment with real-time data?

Integrating learning and assessment with real-time data allows students to receive continuous feedback, helps teachers adjust their strategies, and ensures that educational systems are more effective by providing a more accurate and dynamic view of student progress.

How should the relationship between technology developers and teachers evolve to make digital tools more effective in education?

Technology developers should co-create tools with teachers and students to ensure they are meaningful, relevant, and easy to use. Public policy should encourage this collaboration to ensure that technology serves educational goals effectively and supports teachers in their roles.