The ways in which education is delivered are constantly changing and adapting to new social conditions. These days, however, these changes are occurring much more rapidly than before, making it a challenge to capture the attention of students—especially younger ones—who are immersed in the new tools that the digital world has to offer. 

The transformation of school education is a trend that is gaining momentum every day in Brazil and around the world. One reason for this is that the traditional teaching model fails to inspire engagement or sustain our students’ attention—conditions that are necessary for learning to take place.  

With this in mind, many institutions have been exploring different alternatives to make classes more dynamic—not only through new technologies, but also through a complete transformation of every aspect of the school environment. 

Acedriana Vicente Vogel, educational director of the Positivo Education System, listed four key points to consider when it comes to school management, noting that the future of schools depends on the choices we make today. “We are undergoing structural changes—a major transformation in education,” the educator points out. Check it out! 

1. Architecture  

The first point highlighted by Acedriana is the architecture of the school environment, which, in most schools, still follows a 19th-century model. The concept of a classroom with desks arranged in rows, where each student faces the back of the next student, is outdated and urgently needs to be revised.  

The younger generations need a different kind of space—one that allows for and encourages collaborative work, a more organized space for interaction. Based on this, the idea is to have a classroom with alternative desk arrangements, according to the teacher’s lesson plan. There are times when individual work makes sense, just as there are other times when working in small or larger groups makes more sense. The focus is on expanding and enhancing interaction among students and with the teacher through more active teaching methodologies, enriched by a space that encourages participation, the opportunity to make eye contact, and the feeling of being included in the educational project.

Another issue to be addressed is the organization of classrooms—which currently consists solely of students born in the same year. What prevents us from grouping students by subject area or shared interest in a particular topic, thereby further expanding the possibilities for interaction and exchange? It is worth emphasizing here that the new high school curriculum opens up many possibilities in this regard, allowing us to experiment and see that it is possible.

2. Resume 

The second aspect that must be urgently reviewed is the curriculum. Based on various studies conducted to redesign the learning experience—in light of the gaps created by remote learning—we have identified that approximately 40% of what is planned for each year of elementary school is considered essential, indispensable for students to progress in their education. This shows that we have room to make some choices by distinguishing between what is essential and what is supplementary in our curriculum, thereby opening up space for new learning experiences. A school that will remain relevant in the future—with a curriculum that makes sense and is meaningful to students—must be dedicated to fostering critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. 

3. Technology 

To deny the value of technology in the teaching process is to deny students their own world. The greatest challenge for teachers is to strike the right balance in the use of technology so that it contributes pedagogically to the educational process and does not become yet another source of distraction for students. 

In educational practice, technology becomes more powerful through the ability to track a student’s progress, quickly and accurately identifying each student’s difficulties. Once mapped, these difficulties become valuable inputs for the teacher’s personalized instruction. There is nothing more challenging and necessary than individualized instruction within the collective space of the classroom, and in this sense, technology is of great value to the teaching process. 

Technology can also extend classroom time through virtual collaborative spaces. We learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that there are countless virtual learning opportunities that enrich and enhance in-person learning.

4. Teacher Training 

Finally, to ensure the future of schools, it is essential to pay special attention to teachers, since these professionals are irreplaceable and increasingly rare. A recent study by the Semesp Institute and MK Estatística reveals a teacher shortage in the coming years, due to young people’s lack of interest in pursuing a teaching career. This is a trend that we urgently need to reverse. Educating people depends on people! On people with a keen and professional eye, who listen actively and engage in constructive dialogue with their students. We, as human beings, learn through love or hate—never through indifference. For this reason, human connection is indispensable in the classroom, to organize educational work in such a way that everyone feels they belong and develops a passion for learning!

Do you have any questions? Talk to your academic advisor or reach out to us through our Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages. 

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