42 EdTech
STUDENTS IN WONDERLAND! STUDENTS WILL BE LEARNING SUBJECTS OF THEIR CHOOSING, USING VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES, AND WORKING WITH TEACHERS OF THEIR CHOICE. WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? NO LESS THAN THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION AND A WONDERLAND OF LEARNING! Phil Redhead, an independent education consultant based in Dubai and the Director of Education and Innovation at Kinteract, a UKbased edtech company committed to providing hyper-personalised learning for all, takes us further down the rabbit hole, explaining: “The use of technology will aid the teaching and learning process. Learning will become more creative and practical as time goes on. Students’ criticalthinking, problem-solving abilities and soft skills will be evaluated, and their performance in real world, creative projects of their own choosing.” Schools will become exploratory places that are designed for each individual student to learn and develop. “Good teachers will still be crucial, but they’ll serve as facilitators, not content providers,” Phil says, who is himself a qualified teacher and school leader, with over 20 years experience in global education. “Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-world teaching and learning experiences will gradually transform education.” HYPER-PERSONALISED LEARNING The most significant benefits of this transformation will come in the form of a hyper-personalised education that is delivered in a customised manner. But what exactly is hyper-personalised learning? “Maslow called it self-actualization or being all one can be,” Phil says. “Csikszentmihalyi created the concept of ‘flow’ and Sir Ken Robinson framed it as ‘being in our element’. The Japanese talk about finding one’s ‘ikigai’ or purpose in life. At Kinteract, we believe that education is about far more than just the traditional basics. That’s why, as well as accelerating progress and raising achievement in the core school curriculum, our solution goes further, in supporting holistic, personalised learning and development in any field and for all ages.
PHIL REDHEAD, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND INNOVATION AT KINTERACT
“There is no way that every learner can be served by high-quality teachers in a face to face model, within a brick and mortar institution, no matter how ‘state-of-the-art’ the facilities or well-planned the curriculum.
