Camilo José Cela University (UCJC) and Virtual Educa brought together experts, institutions, academics and students to discuss the future of education in the Educate to Transform International Forum: Building Futures, which took place at the Castellana Campus of UCJC itself.
Nieves Segovia, president of SEK Education Group – to which the Camilo José Cela University belongs -, stated at the opening of the day that “education is only possible if we are able to connect ecosystems and people who want to learn together and share knowledge.”
Jorge Antón, managing director of Virtual Educa, added that “we are at a turning point in the history of education, in times of artificial intelligence, and certainly this disruption is a crucial path for teachers, who are the architects of education, and for the students.”
The forum included presentations and panel discussions in which experts from the world of education took part, where topics were discussed such as the construction of a future of opportunities for students, education with a purpose, the transformation of education through of Design Thinking, new educational proposals for learning, the Playfulness methodology, culture and the impact of well-being on young people, socio-emotional skills for the 21st century, educational projects with social impact, microcredentials, social entrepreneurship and experiences learning by creating courses based on artificial intelligence.
Alfonso González, president of the Higher Education Spaces Association, explained that “nomadic learning means that learning is where the student is. The learning space is society itself”, while Francisco López Rupérez, director of the Chair of Educational Policies of UCJC and former president of the State School Council, highlighted the need for “the public sector, the private sector and the educational institutions to have a deep conviction that education is the strategic factor of change, construction of the future and preparation of the future par excellence.” López Rupérez added that the purpose of education is “to learn to know, to learn to know how to do, to learn to be and to learn to live together.”
For her part, Mercedes Mateo, Director of Education at the Inter-American Development Bank, warned that “without quality education it is almost impossible to achieve equity in societies where other assets are unequally distributed.” Carmen Sánchez, dean of the School of Education at UCJC, stated that “in addition to autonomously managing their time, learning or interests, we must train students with autonomy of thought.”
“We are not talking about transforming education, we are talking about educating to transform. First we have to consider what we want to transform and, from there, we can begin to transform education. When we think about what kind of future we want to build, we also think about what kind of education we need to achieve it,” highlighted David Martín Díaz, director of Skills and Social Innovation at SEK Education Group.
Ruth Castillo, an expert in Educational Psychology at SEK Education Group, and Marian de la Morena, head of the BeWell Center at Camilo José Cela University, advocated for taking care of the mental health of students, and teaching them to manage their own mental well-being to help them obtain full mental and intellectual development. “There is no health without mental health. Making students the focal point also means thinking about their mental health and helping them understand and manage their emotions. Being good to yourself will help you be more creative,” they argued.
In addition, during the event, innovative perspectives on the future of education were explored and how educational institutions, such as universities and schools, should collaborate to prepare students for an ever-evolving world.
