Megatrends Shape the Future of Teaching Profession
The scarcity of new teachers entering the profession, as well as the shortage of supportive specialists which further exacerbates this, has set the Estonian schools a drastic challenge.
Firstly, what are the expectations to the school as a working environment. In today’s schools, we see five generations of teachers working side by side, and school directors need to offer a motivating working environment to all of them. Secondly, the declining birth rate has particularly hit schools in rural areas – we need new educational models because of the insufficient numbers of students and teachers. Thirdly, students have changed, as has the society – more children have been diagnosed with special needs, and yet teachers are not trained to deal with these. This means that we need to change the training for future teachers. Fourthly, the field of education has been revolutionised by technology. For example, ChatGDP forces us to redefine the skill requirements of future teachers. What should be taught in future schools in the first place? What will the future school be like?