The world is changing faster than our ability to predict the nature of work for our students even a decade after graduation. It is more difficult than ever for educators to prepare students for their futures. If we do not even know what jobs our students will be doing, how do we adequately prepare them for their working lives?

 

Whereas previously it might be possible to foresee what types of jobs our students would be doing 20-30 years from now, it seems likely that the youth of today will change careers several times in their lifetimes and occupy types of jobs that have not been created yet. so that  learning which can continue their whole lives and provide them with the personal initiative, problem-solving, soft skills and resilience to manage change.

 

So how do we educate students for a future that is so unpredictable? The answer is to teach our students to be active learners who can navigate the unforeseen changes and continue learning, independently and throughout their lives.

 

Equally, an important goal of active learning is to nurture a zest for life (生きる力). Taking ownership of one’s learning is essential to increase student motivation, commitment and interest in learning.

 

This is where active earning since it builds the type of soft skills and open-ended problem solving skills which can be applied to any number of situations that may arise in the future.

 

Young people of today will need to be resilient to overcome obstacles and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. They will need to be highly collaborative and accustomed to take initiative. They will need to be creative with excellent communication skills. In a word, they need to be resourceful. This is the type of student active learning seeks to cultivate.