A recent World Economic Forum article summarizes key insights from the May 2018 McKinsey Global Institute report on key skills gaps for work in the year 2030.

The report "predicts a dramatic increase in demand for more employee hours across" three skills sets: higher cognitive, social and emotional, and technological.

Of course we must pay attention to these gaps and ensure that school is preparing kids for the world to come, not the one that has already passed.

At the same time, reports like these don't account for what won't change.

Consider this insight from Jeff Bezos:

I very frequently get the question: "What's going to change in the next 10 years?" And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: "What's not going to change in the next 10 years?" And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two. [...] When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.

How might we form learners by balancing the imperatives of the future with the timeless questions of human existence?

This is not a fanciful question. This is a matter of learning design.

Is there any curriculum question that is more important?

***

Thank you for reading this post from Basecamp's blog, Ed:Future. Do you know someone who would find the Ed:Future blog worthwhile reading? Please let them know that they can subscribe here.