Microsoft Ireland, together with the Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, marked World Teachers Day by launching the Education Suite – a dedicated space within Microsoft’s new campus for teachers to learn, train and create new exciting ways of teaching and delivering digital skills in the classroom so students of today are prepared for the world of work tomorrow.
New research on the class of 2030 revealed that students are both clear and bold in their vision for the future of education. They want greater choice and control over how they learn, so they can solve social and global challenges not yet imagined and be ready to thrive in their personal and professional lives.
The research undertaken by Microsoft in collaboration with McKinsey & Company’s Education Practice gathered insights from students, teachers and thought leaders across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Singapore. The research looked into the key skills pre-school students will need when they graduate, how we prepare them on that educational journey and the role technology plays in that.
By 2030 the fastest-growing occupations will require higher-level cognitive skills in areas such as collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. To help all students build these crucial cognitive, social and emotional skills, educators will need training, technologies, and time.
While transformation in learning environments is taking place, it needs to happen at a quicker pace to ensure students are ready for the future workforce. The findings show that:
- Only 58% of employers believe new graduates are not adequately prepared for the workforce
- 30-40% of jobs of the future require soft skills like collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity
– And 50% of students ranked them as their top priorities - To help all students build these crucial cognitive and social and emotional skills, educators will need training, technologies, and time
– Students who receive personalised instruction perform 98% better than traditionally taught students
– 70% of teachers say time is a barrier to delivering personalized learning experiences - Technology allows for teachers to get up to 30% of time back in the classroom for more time with students and personalised learning
The unveiling of the Education Suite comes in the wake of the opening of DreamSpace, Microsoft’s dedicated innovation and education space delivering bespoke experiences to primary and secondary school students designed to open their minds to technology and digital skills.
Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland states that “We are delighted to welcome so many educators from across Europe and around Ireland to One Microsoft Place today to celebrate World Teachers’ Day. Through our newly launched Education Suite and DreamSpace, we hope to inspire teachers to learn new ways of delivering classroom experiences. It is exciting to see teachers visit our Education Suite and discover the opportunities it offers in helping to forge the class of 2030. While the research found that the fastest-growing occupations will require higher-level cognitive skills, sometimes called Emotional Intelligence in areas such as collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, we feel it is our duty to equip teachers with skills to deliver new curricula and help evolve the future of education.”
The education suite is a space that Microsoft is making available to all and, working with third level partners in UCD and DCU, will be used to provide skills training to next generation of teachers.
