You might be tempted to dismiss the concept of the “future-ready educator” as just the latest bit of jargon or the newest passing fad in education, but before you do, dig a little deeper into the movement. You’ll find a treasure trove of resources designed to help education stakeholders increase the opportunities for digital learning for all learners.

One of the key tenets of the future-ready movement is an emphasis on increased opportunities for blended learning. For the uninitiated, blended learning refers to combining traditional educational approaches with digital tools for instruction. Although one might initially think that an all-high-tech approach would have the most appeal, it is important to know the limits of tech and its benefits. Some research has shown that tech-infused learning does not always deliver on its promise of improving learner outcomes. 

So the wise educator will not just automatically opt for the high-tech solution but will carefully assess instructional methods to select the best ones, whether that be the latest education technology or a good, old-fashioned paper-and-pencil exercise. So, the future-ready educator incorporates education technology only where it has been shown to improve learner learning.

Another key aspect of future-ready teaching is a focus on personalized instruction. One size does not fit all, and teaching to the “average” learner can often mean instruction that meets the needs of no one since no learner is perfectly average. Personalization enables the learner to maximize their use of instructional time. 

Of course, it can be hard to comprehend the amount of work required to personalize learning without ample tech tools; fortunately, today’s eduators can harness a wide variety of educational technology tools to assess, track, and instruct learners. They can perform finely-grained data analysis to target which skills require more practice for each individual learner. And, they can provide that instruction at a one-to-one level where education technology tools are available. 

Tools such as online videos allow learners to pause, review and seek more info from a presentation, things that would be impossible during a live lecture. Instructional videos micro-targeted to develop specific skills are just one of the tools that educators can use to personalize learning. The future-ready educator is an educator who can harness the power of tech to deliver targeted one-on-one instruction to all learners, at precisely the pace at which the learner moves best.