Preparing Students Today for the Careers of Tomorrow

July 29, 2019
Written by:
Guest Author
College Prep, Homeschool High School, Homeschooling Curriculum

 

We have seen enormous advances in technology, industry, and science during the last century, and that pace of change is not expected to slow down anytime soon. The latest report from the World Economic Forum predicts that across all industries, an 11% increase is expected by 2022 in new and emerging professions. How can parents guide their children today so they are successful in the careers of tomorrow?

Help students understand how they learn

Like a skeleton key, this simple piece of advice unlocks countless doors for children. When students understand how their brains work, they have the ability to improve and change the way they take in and synthesize information. For instance, when students review their class notes a day or two after writing them, that action stimulates new growth of neural networks in the brain, which makes the information in those class notes easier to remember later. This is just one example of how students can improve their ability to learn and retain information if they know more about brain function.

Emphasize communication, collaboration, and tolerance

We may not have a crystal ball that shows a detailed image of the future, but we do know that workers of the future will interact with people from many cultures and backgrounds—and that jobs will require the ability to find common ground with colleagues in order to achieve shared goals. Today’s students will be successful in their future work if they are able to effectively communicate and collaborate with others to figure out creative solutions to new problems.  In order to do that, today’s students need to learn how to have open and comfortable discussions with people who have different belief systems and cultural traditions.

Learn how to assess the accuracy of new information

One thing is certain about the future: today’s children will face streams of new information that increase exponentially over time in the careers of tomorrow. In addition, facts that seem important to memorize today may no longer be relevant in the future. Therefore, one of the most important skills that today’s students can learn is how to evaluate the reliability of new information. This skill requires students to have strong critical thinking skills, the ability to research the credibility of information sources, and the insight to understand their own individual potential for risks such as confirmation bias.

Students in an online school environment have enhanced access to building mastery in all three of these abilities. An emphasis on learning style awareness helps students understand and feel ownership for how they learn. Our students and teachers live all over the world, enabling children to experience a global virtual classroom environment.



 

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