Manifesting the Future of Education: Olli-Pekka Heinonen
The world needs quality and equality in K-12 education
As the Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization, Olli-Pekka Heinonen connects human flourishing to a global commitment, placing students at the center of education. Olli-Pekka draws upon his expertise to explain how addressing gaps due to a lack of socioeconomic and technological resources requires a new definition of quality education.
Wisdom Weaver:
According to Wisdom Weaver Olli-Pekka Heineken, what does flourishing look like?
“Flourishing…on the individual level, society level, and planetary level, [is] something that should be the aim of our education systems.”
How does unequal learning progress lead to differences in job opportunities for children from less established financial backgrounds?
“[It is important to] be able to create an education system for the young generations with combined values of quality and equality. Both taking care that everybody has the possibility to enter the education system and at the same time, that what happens in those schools is of high quality…. It’s not enough to get children to school, but it’s to question how much can we ensure that the learning really happens.”
Based on data during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social inequalities continue to be a shortcoming of many school systems. How can school systems address the measurable disparities in performance and student preparedness based on social factors like wealth and socioeconomics?
“It’s not possible to tackle those challenges by the elite, only by the few people, the leaders or the scientists or the innovators or some high companies, giving us solutions. What’s typical to the challenges that we’re faced with is that they all require our public engagement.”
Breaking down barriers is a priority in improving learning worldwide. How can societies challenge the notion that only wealthy or powerful people can influence educational institutions and include students in educational transformation?
“Having learning and the pupil or student in the center, that’s what I see as the huge challenge that we’re faced with in K-12 education.”
Inspired by Olli-Pekka’s talk, Wisdom Weavers examine several ways to support quality and equality of education, including student-centered learning, coaching in schools, and enhancing skills-based training.
Resources from Olli-Pekka Heinonen’s talk, “Schools for the next generation (K-12)”
- OECD Report: Back to the Future of Education
Manifesto for the Future of Education
34 Wisdom Weavers from 15 different countries gathered to reimagine the future of education, using the lenses of coaching, pedagogy, sustainability, technology, social transformation, and collaboration. These discussions inspired us to craft a call to action — a Manifesto for the Future of Education — that establishes a vision for transforming education around the world while integrating the practice of coaching as a catalyst for positive change.
