With Learners at the Center, What Role Do Adults Play?

From the Vision

ADULTS IN THE SYSTEM HOLD DIVERSIFIED AND SPECIALIZED ROLES to facilitate and guide learning in formal and informal learning environments, virtually, at home, and in the community. These reimagined roles for professional educators, in particular, take advantage of the emerging science around effective instructional practice, ensuring that educators are themselves equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to guide, instruct, encourage, and support learners. Deep expertise in pedagogy and child development is valued, as well as expertise in a particular discipline, body of knowledge, or skill set. Educators, both individually and collectively, are empowered to take leadership responsibilities along with other key stakeholders (e.g. families, communities, employers, social service agencies), while opportunities for professional development continue to support them in their own growth. The institutions that prepare, support, and elevate professional educators are transformed to serve them in their reimagined roles.

Furthermore, the reimagined roles for adults in the system offer families, businesses, social service agencies, community groups and members, and other interested parties the opportunity to play meaningful roles in the system. Creating coordinated and net-worked teams, which include all of these varied roles, provides learners with the supports necessary to ensure that they achieve competency and mastery in agreed domains.

From our friends at KnowledgeWorks

This graphic illustrates possibilities for future educator roles as forecast in “Exploring the Future Education Workforce: New Roles for an Expanding Learning Ecosystem” (link). These illustrate ways in which educator roles could diversify as learning ecosystems become more diverse and personalized.

KnowledgeWorks