Content and standardised testing should no longer be at the heart of education. In the information age the teacher his main job should be to help students develop key skills necessary for when they leave education. To be a successful lifelong learner there are 8 things to be good at:

* Formulate good questions;

* Communicate in groups and lead by influence;

* Be agile and adaptable;

* Take initiative and be entrepreneurial;

* Effective communication skills (written and oral);

* Know how to access and analyze information;

* Be creative and imaginative.

value of outliers

If higher education refuses to focus on cultivating these skills, society will no longer produce innovative people who drive job growth. Tony Wagner interviewed dozens of innovative young people. He asked them about their experiences in education. More than 35% of those he interviewed couldn’t name one teacher who had impacted them. The others named teachers, who upon further investigation, were outliers in their schools. Their teaching styles and approaches were at odds with the dominant school culture.

playful exploration

These influential teachers ran classrooms that emphasized interdisciplinary learning, real team collaboration and risk taking. They created learning as opposed to consuming knowledge, and cultivated intrinsic motivation in students. These teachers made room for playful exploration and student passions in the classroom. With this approach they helped their students to develop the purpose that drives them. When educators make space for play and passion, students develop purpose! Are you such a teacher?