Abstract:

Almost a decade ago, Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk predicted an imminent revolution in formal education. For some educators, that spark has already become a wildfire, but the majority don't even smell the smoke. However, this talk will argue that the revolution is already underway - it's just not evenly distributed.The evidence can be most clearly seen in the places that education hierarchies frequently ignore: the peer-to-peer networks, the tech start-ups and the radical experiments operating in the margins. Some of the phenomena that are about to effect tectonic shifts include:

- The exponential growth of informality;
- The death throes of standardised testing;
- The flattening of educational hierarchies;
- The reinvention of professional learning;
- The agility of networks.

Building upon some of the ideas first expressed in his best-selling book "OPEN: How We'll Work Live And Learn In The Future" David Price will outline a possible future for learning where the three pillars - pedagogy, curriculum and assessment - will be radically, and irreversibly, shifted. The change will not come from policy makers, but from the irresistible forces already building from three pressure points: professional, parental and personal.

The challenge for education professionals lies in seeing what comes next, and getting ahead of the curve of change. This talk will seek to identify what will replace some of our longest-standing learning monoliths, and to affirm and inform those already embarking upon changing their practice.

The fatal trap is to assume that the relatively low profile of the learning revolution means that radical change will not come to their door. As Bill Gates said, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction"

Keywords:

learning revolution, future of learning.