Convergence of
Exponential Technologies
and Future Models of K12

Touching on a vision for the future of schools

Alex Makosz

Group Director – Curriculum, Assessment & Learning

"Designing the future of learning for the Walton K12 school line."

Explore the Future

Chiway Education Group

Founded in 1996, headquartered in Shanghai with business across over 20 Chinese provinces and cities as well as overseas markets including the US and Singapore. Directly operates over 10 schools and education institutions, accommodating more than 10,000 students and staff members.

Singularity University

The foremost global catalyst for leveraging exponential technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, digital biology, and nanotechnology, to create a more abundant world.

FEA

Catalyzes interactions between educational organizations and external communities of innovation, provides leadership training for school innovation processes and develops future ready curricula to accelerate school development.

Need to Knows

01

Change is Accelerating

Change is coming faster than you think, and legacy thinking needs challenged

02

Radical Vision Required

Radical organizational vision is appropriate and needed

03

Sustainable Value

It's time to review which value propositions will be sustainable after 5-10 years

Exponential Thinking vs. Linear Thinking

"Companies have too many experts who block innovation. True innovation comes from perpendicular thinking." - Peter Diamandis

At any given time, our expectations of change in the future are typically based on projecting our current pace of change forward in a linear way.

"In the 21st century we won't experience 100 years of progress. It will be more like 20,000 years of progress." - Ray Kurzweil

Market Disruption

Average Lifespan of a Company on the S&P 500

1958 60 years
1980 25 years
2011 18 years
2027 75% replaced
"No industry is immune… industries with regulatory barriers or large infrastructure costs will feel greater effects of shifts created by the next generation of IT breakthroughs." - Harvard Business Review, 2017

Technologies Entering Mainstream

2024-2025

At least 40% of core workforce threatened

Blockchain Personal Analytics IoT Platforms Cognitive Expert Advisors Affective Computing Virtual Personal Assistants 5G IoT

Global internet access, 4.2 Billion new people online

2026-2030

40%-80% of today's jobs threatened

4D Printers Self-driving Cars General Purpose Machine Intelligence Human Augmentation Brain-Computer Interface Neuromorphic Hardware

80% of core workforce skills threatened

Based on research from: McKinsey, PWC, World Economic Forum, Gartner, Deloitte

From Deceptive to Disruptive

Examples of technologies currently converging in education

AI for Adaptive Learning

4 Years
1,000 Local Centers
100K Daily Active Users
$200M Projected Revenue
"Our objective is to replace teachers."

Facial Recognition

Data Analytics for student engagement and attention monitoring

Wearable Sensors

IoT and Data Analytics for health and learning optimization

Blockchain

Secure, verifiable credentials and learning records

Online Merging with Offline (OMO)

"That profile contains a detailed accounting of everything that affects a student's learning process" - Kai-Fu Lee

AI-powered student profile, continuously compiling and analyzing data for deeper insights and personally tailored curriculum.

Can Legacy Systems Become Future-Ready?

Nobody Makes Robot Horses

Disruptions don't offer tech versions of what we have now, they create alternative methods to obtain the benefits we value.

What benefits does a school offer in a future with inexpensive, empathetic, AI-driven expert instructors that provide always-on, personalised curricula, verifiable and sharable proof of skills and know us better than we know ourselves?

Analysis of Sustainable Benefits in Coming Decade

Access to Information ?
Well-designed learning programs ?
Personal feedback and guidance ?
Verification of skills/knowledge/abilities ?
Socialization and behavioral norms development
Care, emotional engagement & personal relationships
Access to facilities & material resources ?
Safety and health of children during the day
Membership in communities of social/economic status ?
Signaling value ?
Connection to local community ?

Content innovation is insufficient to create sustainable value. Innovation of the whole delivery/stakeholder experience model is required.

Form Uncommon Relationships

Build more direct and open relationships with communities of innovation, employment pathways, industry & community. Become a point at which the world meets for students.

K12
Start-ups & Entrepreneurs
Higher Education
Tech Community
Industry & Business
Local Community Stakeholders

Design Thinking Methodology

Applying Design Thinking Methodology to Primary School Curriculum Innovation

External Partners

Exploring & Engaging External Partners for Innovation, e.g., piloting China's first class with Level Up Village

Professional Development

Foster Teacher Innovation & Entrepreneurial Thinking

Future Metrics

Developing Teacher Metrics, Leadership Metrics & Hiring Profiles Based on Needs of Future Models

Key Takeaways for Re-envisioning Schooling

Challenge Legacy Thinking

Linear and legacy thinking needs to be challenged to match an exponential reality – change is coming faster than you think

Develop Radical Vision

Leadership needs to develop a radical organizational vision, communicate it effectively and engage stakeholders

Analyze Value Propositions

Analyze carefully which value propositions you offer that will still be sustainable in the coming 5-10 years

Explore Partnerships

Explore innovative partnerships and new models of organizing school activities

Future-Ready Development

Develop hiring and professional development strategies for future needs

Connect with Alex Makosz

Group Director – Curriculum, Assessment & Learning