The Future of Teaching

This is potentially a time of profound change in education as systems evolve and transform to respond to major changes in climate, society, politics and the economy. As part of this transformation the very purpose and practice of education are being reevaluated in countries around the world.

The nature of teaching and the role of the teacher is one of the areas of education at the leading edge of this transformation. This program focused on three critical factors in the wider future of teaching discussions that will influence education over the next decade.

Date

Dec 08 - Dec 13, 2024

Session no.

S821-01

Location

Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria

Contact

Valeriia Chernysh

Program Manager, Education

Corinna Nawatzky

Program Manager, Education

Content overview

About BKMC Forum Participants Program Staff Partners

About

Overview

This program focused on three critical factors in the wider future of teaching discussions that will influence education over the next decade:

In many parts of the world it is proving harder than ever to recruit new teachers at the same time that existing teachers are leaving the profession in large numbers. The program looked at how expectations about the role of a teacher are evolving and where systems are innovating to meet these challenges.
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education but is also seen as a threat to the profession. There are already exciting examples of teachers using AI in innovative ways, especially to free up more time for teaching. This program looked to learn from these and saw how and where they can be replicated or adapted.
The United Nation’s global Transforming Education initiative has already helped catalyse some powerful policy shifts in countries around the world. To date 143 UN members states have shared national statements of commitment. The national statements help make visible interesting trends in how systems are evolving and give a good indication of what policymakers are prioritizing. However, in many cases it is unclear how involved the teaching profession has been in developing the national statements. This program looked at the voice of the profession in the Transformation process and exploreed avenues that enable teachers to connect directly with policymakers.

Key Questions

In what ways have expectations about teachers’ roles changed in the last few years?
How are systems responding to chronic teacher shortages?
How is AI impacting on teaching?
What examples exist to show how teachers and AI can collaborate?
How should this program connect with parallel endeavors such as the International Summit on the Teaching Profession, New Professionalism & The Future of Teaching (OECD / CERI) or the UN high level panel on the Teaching Profession? 
How is the teaching profession involved with and responding to the global movement around Transforming Education?

Program Goals

The goal of this program was to provide participants with a supportive space to exchange experiences and adaptable practices, share lessons learned, be mutually inspired to work together to shape the future of teaching.

The in-person program was envisioned to produce tangible outputs, including a Salzburg Statement or Manifesto that will contribute significantly to the expanding body of literature on the future of teaching. Participants also had the opportunity to contribute to an essay collection, providing a diverse range of insights on the program's central themes. The specific nature of additional outcomes is still being decided collectively by the program participants.

Photos

View full set on Flickr

All images are available for download. Please credit Salzburg Global Seminar/Christian Streili. Unwatermarked images are available on request.

Lecture

During the program, Salzburg Global Fellow and co-founder of Kizazi, Romana Shaikh delivered the 2024 Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation Lecture.

BKMC Forum

International Forum on Education and Climate

Friday, December 13, 9am - 2pm CET

Right after the Future of Teaching program, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN in Vienna and Salzburg Global Seminar hosted the International Forum on Education and Climate on December 13 at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.

This in-person event brought together global leaders, educators, and climate experts to discuss the critical intersection of education and climate action.The forum explored key strategies for integrating climate education into formal curricula, empowering educators, and engaging communities in driving meaningful change.

Event Highlights:

Keynote Address by H.E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations & Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens
Panel Discussions on empowering educators, integrating climate education, and community engagement
Networking Opportunities with international experts and youth leaders
Call to Action summarizing key takeaways and actionable next steps

Watch the highlights of the International Forum on Global Citizenship Education below: