Co‑constructing Visions for the Future of Teaching

7. Six expert perspectives on the future of teaching

Abstract

This chapter introduces the perspectives of six experts from different fields and locations around the world who were invited to envision the future of teaching – each from their unique standpoint. The experts we chose for this exercise all lead work in the areas that stakeholders in the future studies particularly cared about: systemic school transformations and new teacher identities, teacher well-being, professional growth and career diversity, AI and technology, and innovation.

Visions for the future of teaching

What do you think the teaching profession might look like in 20 years? What do you hope for, and where do you see the greatest risks? What advice would you offer to transform teaching and schooling over the next decades? Those were the questions we invited experts from different fields and locations around the world to ideate with – each from their unique standpoint. The experts we chose for this exercise are all involved with significant work in the areas that stakeholders in the future studies particularly cared about – systemic school transformations and new teacher identities, teacher well-being, professional growth and career diversity, AI and technology, and innovation. Engaging in an exchange that brings together ideas from all these domains has been both informative and inspiring. The following chapter presents the work we received – essays that push the boundaries of conventional thinking and present bold propositions for a teaching profession that is healthy and resilient, dynamic, and deeply connected to society and its evolving needs.

To begin with, Linda Darling-Hammond, leading education researcher and professor emeritus at Stanford University, along with Dion Burns, a senior researcher at the Learning Policy Institute, challenge the mismatch between the outdated Fordian “factory model” of schooling and modern knowledge on learning and teaching. School structures have barely changed over the past hundred years, but the educational and societal needs of today are fundamentally different from those of the first half of the 20th century. Darling-Hammond and Burns therefore argue for a transformation from rigid, impersonal institutions toward relationship-centred schools that nurture deep learning, metacognition, and meaningful experiences.

To achieve this, they advocate for smaller learning communities, advisory systems that ensure every student is seen and supported, and interdisciplinary curricula that encourage inquiry and real-world problem-solving. A shift towards performance-based assessment and more authentic learning experiences will further drive student engagement and success. Teachers, who are at the core of driving this transformation, should not be confined to traditional instructional roles but should have the opportunity to participate in shared decision-making including staff hiring and curriculum development. By giving teachers, a greater voice in shaping their schools, education can become more responsive to the needs and well-being of both students and educators.

Expanding on the well-being of educators, Evangelia Demerouti, a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology and an expert in occupational well-being, applies the Job Demands-Resources theory (that she co-created) to teaching. She highlights how job demands – such as classroom management and emotional labour – must be counterbalanced by resources like autonomy, professional support, and leadership development.

Demerouti suggests that teachers can enhance their resilience and job satisfaction through job crafting – proactively shaping their roles in line with their strengths and professional aspirations. Schools can support this process by promoting leadership development, offering diversified career pathways, and integrating hybrid roles like teacher-researchers or teacher-mentors. They can further embed more entrepreneurial thinking into their steering – oftentimes, even small schools act rather like massive institutional dinosaurs. On a systemic level, investments in teacher well-being, such as psychological support programs, teaching assistants, and workload management strategies, can ensure that educators have space to grow. Finally – and crucially – recognising teachers as key drivers of societal progress and multiplicators of student empowerment is essential for sustaining a thriving educational system.

In our next Chapter, Carol R. Rinke, professor of Science and Mathematics Education and Assistant Provost for Student Success, envisions teaching as an interconnected network of relationships. A former teacher in New York City, Rinke transitioned into academia to study the challenges of recruiting and retaining educators in hard-to-staff classrooms. She argues that mentorship should be at the heart of the profession, fostering meaningful bonds between teachers, students, families, and local communities. This vision positions schools as hubs of professional and personal development, where teachers continuously learn from one another and grow within a supportive network.

Effective mentoring goes beyond professional advice; it involves genuine welcome, deep care, and inspiration to learn and explore. A strong web of mentorship relationships helps new teachers navigate the challenges of the profession, while (interested) experienced educators benefit from renewed perspectives and ongoing professional development. This collaborative approach creates an organic and humane learning environment where teachers - and their students - thrive.

The following Chapter is written by Inge Molenaar, professor of Education and AI at the Radboud University and director of the Dutch National Education Lab AI (NOLAI). She explores how AI can be integrated into educational practices, based on three different modes of teacher-AI collaboration. AI can, partially or fully (1) replace teacher work – mainly repetitive tasks such as corrective feedback or simple grading. (2) Complementing teacher work, AI can provide deeper insights into student performance through advanced analytics. One promising application is AI-powered reading assessments that analyse student speech patterns to provide precise feedback on literacy skills. More advanced implementations involving AI are (3) augmenting teachers' abilities. Here, novel tasks become possible that were not feasible or scalable in classroom settings before, such as using predictive analytics to suggest personalised learning paths or adjusting lesson plans based on real-time student data.

Molenaar also warns us of the pitfalls in human-AI collaboration. Little is known so far about hybrid human-AI systems – e.g., how can labour be divided effectively? Over-reliance on AI can also lead to diminished teacher autonomy, and there is a risk that educators may overestimate AI's capabilities and undervalue their own professional judgment. Designing AI systems that enhance pedagogical expertise and empower teachers requires a collaborative approach involving educators, researchers, and technology developers. The ultimate goal should be a co-evolution of pedagogical practices and AI, where both human and artificial intelligence reinforce each other through combined professional development and innovation.

In the following, a case study from Chile illustrates how innovation can drive systemic educational transformation. Javiera Sánchez and Martín Cáceres formerly of the Chilean Ministry of Education, along with Ana María Raad, an anthropologist and NGO founder, explore the evolving role of teachers as guardians of humanity and creators of learning experiences, engaged in lifelong learning alongside their students. They argue that schools should be about constructing shared meaning and focusing on what makes us human: exploring, questioning, creating, enjoying, and reflecting. María Francisca Elgueta and Patricio Vilches, both experienced teachers, further elaborate on the role of educators as designers of learning experiences, advocating teacher-led professional development initiatives such as Communities of Professional Learning. Through such initiatives, schools can grow as communities of practice, where every teacher is both a mentor and a learner.

Chile, like many other countries around the world, has seen a growing consensus that education needs to be transformed rather than merely improved. Traditional knowledge-based instruction is being replaced by ideas around integrated competencies, experiential learning, and project-based approaches. Teachers are encouraged to assume new roles as guides and technology integrators. Challenges remain, like resistance to change among some teachers and a sense of institutional inertia, but there is momentum for policies that empower teachers, support vulnerable schools, and create environments conducive to holistic student development.

Finally, this section features a Chapter by the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), representing the voices of teacher unions. TUAC wonders: Is it so bad that the nature of teaching has remained fairly constant? What are strengths in the profession that are worth protecting? Larry Flanagan, Martin Henry, and Sarah Jameson reinforce the core values of teaching – “sound learning and the well-being of teachers” – and envision a teaching profession rooted in democratic values, professional autonomy, and collective social well-being. Drawing on the global legacy of education unions, they argue that strong public schools must prioritise both student and teacher well-being, and position educators as leaders and co-creators of policy and pedagogy. At the heart of their vision is a belief in “intelligent professionalism,” where teachers are empowered through union-led professional learning, trusted peer networks, and genuine social dialogue. As artificial intelligence and societal shifts transform education, the authors emphasize that human connection, care, and community must remain at the core of schools. In this future, schools remain fun, vibrant community centres – and teachers, supported by strong unions, remain essential to building democratic and hopeful societies. Education continues to be the best chance we have to build a better future.

We thank again the authors of those chapters for their remarkable work. Each of these chapters paints a compelling picture of the future of teaching – one that encourages fresh thinking and breaking with old practices, prioritising relationships, well-being, innovation, inclusivity and interdisciplinarity. When zooming into pieces of the picture, we already get a taste of what could be – we stumble across insights from history, neuroscience, technology, performance research, plenty of philosophical questions, and success stories of bold initiatives. What could the future of teaching look like if we put the pieces together?