2023
11/28
Distinguished guests and scholars,
Thank you all for being here.
How time flies! The end of the year is closer than you might think. In this time of changes, conflicts and wars, the international landscape is being altered and the wounds that wars brought to mankind is ever more visible. On the other hand, rapid iterations and breakthroughs in technology have exerted an impact on economy, culture, and life, as well as on our vision for the future.
The world is changing at an accelerated pace every day. Over the past 30 years, we have seen the world become increasingly digital and intelligent, from newspapers to wallets and from phones to cars. It is no exaggeration to say that the digital wave has reshaped our life. Chat GPT, an AI chatbot, was launched one year ago in November 2022, igniting the enthusiasm and imagination of the global public.
This is definitely a pivotal moment of the era. The technology is constantly evolving. I’m not a technologist and cannot predict the future of AI. Fortunately, I can have in-depth conversations with industry experts, scientists, and peers on this topic. As a matter of fact, the present era is very much like the early days of the Internet, that is, a new era has begun. It should be noted that the importance and groundbreaking nature of the other advances in fields such as life sciences, gene editing, space exploration, and energy revolution may not be fully recognized yet. The new technological wave is not characterized by a single point, but by multi-point integration and breakthrough.
New technologies bring about more possibilities. Paying attention to collaboration between education and industry and the emerging trends in innovation and technology is essential for us to rethink education in the 21st century and continue to push education into the future. Future-oriented education should be more forward-looking and leading. Let us stay rational with due reverence for new technologies and try to look farther into the future. In my opinion, the changes in education that have already taken place or are likely to take place include the following:
Changes in educational goals
Changes in technological paradigm have led to the revolution in educational paradigm, which is mirrored first and foremost in the goals of education.
The modern school system is a product of the industrial revolution. It has greatly improved the educational effectiveness by virtue of its large-scale and standardize characteristics. However, just as each coin has two sides, the premature competition and rounds of elimination in the system turns human into instrumental. Through technological advances, this can be solved. New technologies, such as the Internet, provide enormous opportunities and release creativity. Young people can succeed by thinking independently without having to compete in old career tracks. Some careers are disappearing, but more are emerging. We should say goodbye to the zero-sum game and embrace the incremental ecosystem which open up the space for education. It also makes it possible to build a well-governed society where every ordinary person can live a decent life and achieve happiness.
From another perspective, values have a direct bearing on human development. Technology is neutral in itself. When technology serves people, the values of technology are actually the values of people. The mission of education is to enhance our humanity, transmit the consciousness of human civilization, and make technological progress serve human progress and augment the well-being of human beings. In the future, the core tasks of education are to embody the values of civilization, guard human civilization, inherit and promote human civilization in a better way. The accountability of educators thus becomes more urgent and significant than ever before.
Changes in educational content
Due to the infinite increment of information brought about by technology, knowledge hoarding no longer makes any more sense. Hence education should return to its essence, namely conveying and creating the understanding of the world and preparing young people for lifelong self-education. The educational process is not about telling students facts, but teaching them how to think. Knowing how to think is as important as what to think. In the age of AI, it is far more important to ask the right questions than to repeat good answers.
Beyond improving the teaching method, how to make the education system more forward-looking on key social issues is where we can do something to make a difference. Such educational issues can be small but specific. For example, eating when hungry and sleeping when tired has become a very high quality goal in life. Likewise, walking without checking our phones has also turned out to be a matter of willpower. Eating well, sleeping well and building up our body well have become major universal issues nowadays. Mental health and spiritual happiness have become the dream pursued by modern people and the driving force for them to explore the universe and life.
As a matter of fact, the modern life is lived in a way that mankind has never experienced before. However, our body and brain still operate in a way that is similar to those of our ancestors in ancient times. How should a 21st century global citizen cope with information overload and clash of views? What comes to my mind is: breathing, which is the simplest and probably the closest approach to human instinct.
Education exists between breaths. Education in the future will become as natural as breathing. Modern people need to re-adapt and re-learn how to know our body and spirit, values, and wisdom. As individuals cannot be separated from society, education involves not only individuals’ choices and efforts, but also the construction and investment in the social education system for the public. To keep up with the times, education in the future will also return to the development of human beings, including individual and collective development.
Changes in educational subjects
For a glimpse into the future, we need to look at what those future leaders are experiencing today.
In the past, we labeled the Generation Z as “Digital Natives”. Similarly, we can label the Generation Alpha and Beta as “AI Natives”. Students are likely to outpace teachers when it comes to using AI. According to a new study, more than half of students use Generative AI while over 75% of faculty seldom turn to this technology.
Education provides power for the future because it is one of the most powerful tools for change. The best way for us to develop students’ creativity and resilience is to let ourselves become their role models, in other words, educators should turn themselves into learners. Definitely, education is not only for the next generation, but also for us, for the present. Everyone should be a lifelong learner. Lifelong learning will no longer be limited to updating skills and knowledge but will become an indispensable lifestyle. Knowledge will eventually be translated into educational opportunities.
Changes in education also contain another meaning. Looking back at history, it’s not difficult for us to see that as society and economy develop apace during the transitional period of technological change, the pressure on individuals also increases dramatically. Though people nowadays are much richer, they seem to be more dissatisfied and tired. Such a gap between reality and expectation needs to be bridged by education. As learners, we will be more likely to stay humble, embrace changes, not be afraid to make mistakes and continue to improve.
Changes in educational scenarios
One hundred years ago, John Dewey, an American philosopher, said that education is life itself. This idea was deepened further by Mr. Tao Xingzhi, a Chinese educator, who insisted that life is education. Education is everywhere. Countless educational scenarios can be seen in life and the real world. These ideas have produced a profound impact on later generations and are still highly relevant today.
This is especially true when technology is changing the horizon of education. Learning is being confronted with reconstruction at both macro and micro levels. History has proven that grand narratives cannot be achieved without focus on individuals. In an era featuring technological advancement, education should pay more attention to humanities. With an open mind, we can make the world we live in a place for educational innovation and drive global change with educational awareness to influence the future in a more positive way. How to make our workplaces more conducive to our physical and mental health is actually an example of using educational awareness to drive changes in life. Protecting employees’ physical and mental health will make them feel more secure and better able to fulfill their potential at work. In this way, supporting an employee actually supports a whole family, creating a new support system for education.
It’s very difficult to predict the development of technology. We’re very confident that the progress made globally in the next 30 years may exceed what it has achieved in the previous 30 or even 100 years. Achievements in AI are certainly not the whole answer. AI is far from a panacea and will not be the last stop in the course of human civilization. Real change will still come from our perseverance and courage to create. We’d better stay altruistic, optimistic and rational to seize this great opportunity for creativity.
As education gains access to new technologies, we must do some recalibrating and clarify what needs and doesn’t need to be changed in education, which may help us find the most appropriate options to maximize the long-term value of education. Big trees grow from tiny roots. Humans move forward by accumulating long-term advantages. The fruits of civilization result from continuous hard work by generations. However, once it goes astray, all previous efforts may be lost overnight. That is why education has the responsibility to make the world a more rational, magnanimous, and tolerant place.
Just as what the forum advocates today, although we are in the digital era, the publication of traditional books and face-to-face communication and discussions between people are still irreplaceable and even more important than ever. Technology needs to be constantly innovated while education relies on persistent practice.
Thousands of years ago, Chinese sages put forth the ideal that the world is a commonwealth. We cannot help but marvel at the great wisdom that has survived the ages. What is even more gratifying is that this classic ideal is now able to be realized. The farther education goes, the more necessary it is to get back to the sources.
When education returns to the people, it will be as natural as breathing.
Dear guests, experts and scholars, even though I was only able to join virturally, I look forward to listening to your wonderful speeches and insights. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors and organizers of the activity for your hard work. In addition, I’d like to congratulate Prof. Hannele Niemi, Prof. Chen WANG, and Prof. Junjie SHANG on the publication of your educational monographs.
I wish this forum a complete success! Thank you all!
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