Ten Trends — 2020

This year we have taken a retrospective look at the trends over the last 15 years and reflected on the impact that they have - or haven’t - had on education in Aotearoa. 

We are in a new decade and the pace of change driven by new technologies and technological advancements looks set to continue, even to accelerate rapidly like no other time in history.

Many structural elements are being questioned like never before, as education systems around the world struggle to identify what sort of responses are needed to an increasingly diverse and exponentially changing social paradigm.

Culture has a direct influence on relationships and how people interact and learn, develop and grow, for everyone in the learning community - teachers, learners, parents and whānau.

The relationship between education, the workforce, and the influence this has on economic performance has worked well for some time, however more recently it has highlighted a number of complex and challenging issues.

It is becoming increasingly important that organisations examine their processes and assess whether they remain fit for purpose or need to adapt to new conditions, especially as the environment is in a constant state of change.

Central to the thinking about the Ten Trends over the years has been the way in which our life as New Zealanders and our education system has been informed and influenced by the things that are happening globally.

It is important to recognise the changes we’ve seen in education and in society over the past 15 years and to consider the current and future initiatives that will impact education in New Zealand.