Jordan Shapiro, contributor of Forbes and expert in education and game-based learning, interviewed Gregg Behr, executive director of the Grable Foundation, which is aimed to support high quality education, educator practices and enhanced learning in public school classrooms.

With both of them being enthusiasts in improving education quality, they talked about shifts of society and how education fails to keep up with the changing world. It was interesting to read how experts see that “critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration will continue to be vital skills for the 21st century”, and that actual steps are made to create an educational network where innovative teaching and learning methods are introduced.

Remake Learning is a professional network of educators and innovators working together to shape the future of teaching and learning in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The programme’s mission is to reimagine education so that all children have the opportunity to achieve great learning.

As Shapiro excellently points out, no surprise that learning becomes boring in some ways, as today’s education is quite the same “as if we were to give kids game manuals without the games”. The practice oriented way of learning is missing from education, but it takes a community effort to change this trend and create an interactive and effective education system – not only educators, but parents, adults, children and innovators should actively participate.

Read the full interview on Forbes by clicking here.

Using technology-enhanced or game-based learning tools (for example simulations or other non-tech methods) can boost youngsters’ creative thinking to prepare for the future. We cannot know for sure what the demands are going to be for the workforce of the future, therefore we need to teach flexibility, adaptation and dynamism. When trying to give context to the academic backgrounds of a course, such a simulation can be a proper way to engage participants and give them practical academic backgrounds. Technology is not the only way to achieve engagement, but definitely a useful and effective one.