The document discusses the future of education and the need for reform. It argues that the current education system focuses too heavily on memorization and standardized testing, preparing students for outdated jobs. It advocates for a more adaptive, technology-enabled system that fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and lifelong learning through personalized mentoring, collaboration, and discovery-based learning. The future will require educating students for a complex, fast-changing world where critical thinking is key to survival.

1. The Future of Education:
Solving Problems By Thinking
P r o f P e t e r C o c h r a n e O B E
www.petercochrane.com
In a fast moving
tech world
adaptability is king

2. S t a t u s Q u o a n d M o r e t o C o m e
There is no going back to the old ways without a terrible penalty!
90% of the Data
in the world has
been created in
the last 2 year

3. S t a t u s Q u o a n d M o r e t o C o m e
There is no going back to the old ways without a terrible penalty!
90% of the Data
in the world has
been created in
the last 2 year
It is
time to wake
up and smell the
coffee
This
is
reality
today and not
science fiction

4. L i f e ’ s A d v e n t u r e
Eager, Interested, Inquisitive, Energetic
Budding
Engineer
Scientist
I just had a
brilliant idea
and it might
just work!

5. T h e D e at h of T h i n k i n g
Sy s t e m a t i c a l l y b e a t e n o u t d a y - o n - d a y

6. Our Abilities & Talents
We a r e a l l s o v e r y d i f f e r e n t …
U n i f o r m i t y i m p o s e d
o n a g r a n d s c a l e a t
a p o l i t i c a l l e v e l ? ? ?

7. Why
Things
Fail
How the heck did we get here?

8. Why
Things
Fail
How the heck did we get here?

9. Industry: Need for The Educated/Skilled
Re a d i n g, w r i t i n g, a r i t h m e t i c , g e o g ra p h y, s c i e n c e a re ke y
Min in g
S h i p p i n g
Prod uction
Distribution
Man ufac tur in g
S u p p l y / S u p p o r t
Need educated workers

10. So We Did This
F a c t o r i e s f o r t h e m i n d …
A l l s e e n a s ‘ u n i t s’
f o r e m p l o y m e n t !
PRocess
Process
PRocess
Process
PRocess
ProcessMEMORISE MEMORISE
MEMORISE MEMORISE
MEMORISE MEMORISE

11. Factories for The Mind
A g re y l o o k a n d t h i n k a l i ke p ro d u c t
A l l t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f m a s s
production (lines) & quality control
applied to ensure a reliable standard
o f m e d i o c r i t y !
I t w o r k e d w e l l f o r I n d u s t r y 1 . 0 b u t
t h e d e m a n d s o f I n d u s t r y 4 . 0 a re f a r
different and we need inspirational
c r e a t i v i t y a n d c o m p l e x p r o b l e m
solving skills en mass!

12. A l wa y s O n T h e B a c k F o ot
G o v e r n m e n t , t e a c h e r s / p a r e n t s o u t o f t o u c h
Standardised testing
and kpi’s are a disaster

13. A St e p i n T h e R i g h t D i r e c t i o n ?
O l d m i n d s a n d t h e u n t h i n k i n g o b j e c t t o a l l c h a n g e !
Tag/Team
Group/Online
Teaching and
Mentorship
https://www.bbc.com › news › uk-england-devon-50117519

14. Unresponsive Educat ionalists
O l d s y s t e m m a i n t a i n e d t h ro u g h I n d u s t r y 1 . 0 - 4 . 0

15. Unresponsive Educat ionalists
O l d s y s t e m m a i n t a i n e d t h ro u g h I n d u s t r y 1 . 0 - 4 . 0
Mi g rat i ng t he sam e o ld s t uff
f ro m b lackb o ar d …
…to white boa rd t o ..
…to a n i n t e r a c t i v e screen…
“ IS NOT PROGRESS - BUT IT IS CRAZY ”

16. Pr e -History
The quest for survival
I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand
A very crude and simple world
governed by belief and suppression
MOTIVATION = If you don’t ‘DO’ you die!

17. I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand
M odern Education
T h e q u e s t f o r a q u a l i f i c a t i o n
An increasingly disconnected world where
where complexity is largely overlooked
MOTIVATION = I need a JOB!

18. I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand
Pr e sent-Day
The quest for success
An increasingly connected world where
complexity has overtaken human ability
MOTIVATION = $$$$

19. F u t u r e - N e e d
The quest for the truth
I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand
An increasingly connected
world where complexity
sees a growing human
machine symbiosis
MOTIVATION = Survival!

20. T h e I l l u s i o n o f E d u c a t i o n
Complete focus on the simple & known
At school, college and
university we are all
spoilt rotten by: a
diet of problems
w i t h s o l u t i o n s ;
the rational, and
the logical; things
prone to simple
analytic processes
and explanation…
in short - the world
of the linear !
OUR EDUCATION
The Universe of Linearity
and all the stuff we know and
fully understand !
The Non-Linear bit
where we know and
understand virtually
nothing!

21. T h e I l l u s i o n o f E d u c a t i o n
Complete focus on the simple & known
At school, college and
university we are all
spoilt rotten by: a
diet of problems
w i t h s o l u t i o n s ;
the rational, and
the logical; things
prone to simple
analytic processes
and explanation…
in short - the world
of the linear !
OUR EDUCATION
The Universe of Linearity
and all the stuff we know and
fully understand !
The Non-Linear bit
where we know and
understand virtually
nothing!
Where we are
educated and all
the stuff we know
and understand !
The Non-Linear Universe
where we know and
understand virtually nothing!
This is the challenge
before us - a sea
of undiscovered
knowledge that
might just see
us survive and
prosper as a
species provided
we can change
and adapt at a
fast enough rate
…and it starts with
E D U C A T I O N

22. PhotocourtesyofBodyWorldsRX
Whoops: We Are At Near Stasis
W e w i l l n e v e r h a v e t h e m e n t a l c a p a c i t y t o c o p e !
- Biological change far too slow
- Mother nature does not optimise
- Evolution never ‘backtracks’
- Humans are in an ‘evo cul-de-sac’
- Human Brain Encephalisation has
‘more or less’ run its course
- Further/artificial enhancements are
minimal compared to tech advances

23. Sequa Out: Systems
Actualities, challenges, opportunities +
Digital
Analogue
Hybrid Analogue//Digital
Our knowledge base
Our understanding
Made by mankind
Made by machine
Our species survival
Our planets survival
Machine intelligence
Symbiosis necessary
Challenges to be addressed
dominant technology
remains a vital tech core
ubiquitous and growing
advancing and accelerating
limited by our brain & technologies
vital to our survival and prosperity
vital to our survival and prosperity
depends upon good systems *****
depends upon good stewardship/tech
overtaking us in many areas
man-machine partnership underway *****
formidable but interesting and vital *****

24. General Observations
Man-made systems share similar frameworks
Ergo: Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Civil Engineering & Physics share the
same/very similar equations sets…’know one and you know the other’

25. Differences: Chemistry, Life, Biology, Sociology, Information, Network Systems/
Engineering tends to observe through a different lens but share some similarities
General Observations
All natural systems share similar frameworks
Biggest : All natural systems are fundamentally Quantum on nature !

26. AI Designed/Operated
We are in a realm where we have little clue!
AI + AL derived AL evolution
Impossible (?) to understand
Seeded from the bottom up
Accurate spec impossible
Outcome unpredictable
Beyond (?) modelling
Very easy to realise
No human control
Autonomous code
‘Always’ non-linear
Only modest compute power
Good network connectivity
Maths nears irrelevancy
Now ‘breeding’ malware

27. Natures Systems - All Complex
We have reached the limits to digital computing and soon AI…..
Cells
Splitting

28. Natures Systems - All Complex
We have reached the limits to digital computing and soon AI…..

29. Natures Systems - All Complex
We have reached the limits to digital computing and soon AI…..
Chemical
Reaction

30. Evolutionary Networks
Beyond our mathematics & modelling
•AI Analysis
•War Gaming
•Visualisation

31. Natures Systems - All Complex
We have reached the limits to digital computing and soon AI…..
Brains/Neural Nets

32. All Are Quantum Processes
We will never fully understand without Quantum Computers
QCs hold ‘the’
keys to Natures
many Kingdoms
Life
Biology
Physics
Sociology
Anatomy
Chemistry
Neurology
Physiology
Intelligence
The power to analyse and model:
Intelligence
Behaviours
Cosmology
Seismology
Psychology
Neurology
Climate
Conflict
+++++
THAT
WE
MIGHT
UNDERSTAND
FOR
THE FIRST
TIME

33. S e q u a B a c k : M e n t o r s
Was Star Wars way off beam or right on the button ?
Almost certainly right wrt sensory
systems albeit via the wrong channel !

34. S e q u a B a c k : M e n t o r s
Was Star Wars way off beam or right on the button ?
our ally is all our
untapped And new
technologies
Almost certainly right wrt sensory
systems albeit via the wrong channel !
Could we engineer
individual mentors
for everyone

35. A Step At
A Time !
M e n t o r s f o r a l l
A l re a d y p o s s i b l e w i t h
humans on-line, but AI
is maturing fast in this
c o n t e x t … a n d t h e
r o b o t m a n i f e s t a t i o n
will be a while yet!

36. Student Surpasses Master
An ‘education/apprenticeship’ for the select few
Caravaggio 1571 - 1610 rapidly
overtook his master
Simone Peterzano
The Sacrifice of Isaac,
1602 - Caravaggio
Individual
Mentorshipis
a
vital
tosuccess

37. Generation Alpha: Born To The Screen
Pe r s o n a l d e v i c e s a n d t e c h n o l o g i e s t h e n o r m f ro m D a y 1

38. Back to The Joy of Finding Out ?
S o l v i n g p r o b l e m s b y t h i n k i n g / d i s c o v e r y / e n q u i r y
Eager
Engaged
Creative
Interested
Inquisitive
Energetic

39. Back to The Joy of Finding Out ?
S o l v i n g p r o b l e m s b y t h i n k i n g / d i s c o v e r y / e n q u i r y
Education
systems
Need
to
engender
more
of
th
is
a
s
th
e
norm
Eager
Engaged
Creative
Interested
Inquisitive
Energetic
The
likelihood
is
that
they
w
on’t
and
change
w
ill
surround
them

40. Regimentation: Kills Creativity
No to centralised computing and control/constrain

41. Regimentation: Kills Creativity
No to centralised computing and control/constrain
Boredom on a screen
is no better than
boredom on paper
OR a blackboard
A PC is personal and
not corporate or
school or college
computing

42. A Screen is Not For Text
Putting paper documents on screens is crazy!
If a picture is worth ~1k words
Animation is worth ~1M words
Interaction is worth ~1G words
Collaboration is worth ~1T words
And networking is priceless!
Now add to this JIT training
and personalised education
on demand + AI tutoring!

43. N e t wo r ke d A b i l i t i e s
Te a m / G r o u p l e a r n i n g / d i s c o v e r y
A p r e c u r s o r t o a f u t u r e
l i f e o f m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y
w o r k i n g / p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m

44. N e t wo r ke d A b i l i t i e s
Te a m / G r o u p l e a r n i n g / d i s c o v e r y
A p r e c u r s o r t o a f u t u r e
l i f e o f m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y
w o r k i n g / p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m
A
very
naturaland
widely
acceptedmode
inindustry
Ifthereis
a
problem
hereit
is
The
old
mindsets
andvalues

45. Spaces and Virtual Spaces
Students online, distributed and connected?

46. isolation and controlled
envIrons HAVE to be
DISplaced to bring people
and artificial minds
together
Spaces and Virtual Spaces
Students online, distributed and connected?

47. Technology Today & Tomorrow
From Simple to Massively Complex - Static to Dynamic

48. Technology: New Partnerships
B e y o n d n e w m o d e s a n d n e w t e a m s - n e w t e c h !
“A n e d u c a t i o n s a n s t e c h n o l o g y
i s n o t a n e d u c a t i o n - i t i s a c o m f o r t a b l e m i r a g e o f
i g n o r a n c e a n d a l i f e o f d a n g e r o u s d e c i s i o n s t o c o m e ”
M a c h i n e s a n d N e t s t o
a m p l i f y o u r l i m i t i n g
a b i l i t i e s

49. VR & AR: In 1990
P r o o f o f p r i n c i p l e t e s t s
• H o t
• H e a v y
• N o v e l
• G e e k y
• E y e S t r a i n
• H e a d a c h e s
• L a t e n c y
• P o o r A u d i o
• Te c h n o p h o b i a
• L o w B a n d w i d t h
• L o w R e s o l u t i o n
• U s e r Te c h n o p h o b i a
• R e s i s t a n c e t o C h a n g e
Bandw
idth
AND Latency
A
Problem

50. Augmented Reality JIT Training
P r o b l e m s o l v i n g a n d s o l u t i o n d e l i v e r y r e a l t i m e
W
iFi 4 and 5G
solve the
problem

51. VR and AR Saving Lives
E x p e r i e n c e s h a r i n g a c r o s s t h e p l a n e t

52. AR Chemistry
See (feel) the attraction
AR Chemistry
See (feel) the attraction

53. AI Biology
P r o t e i n F o l d i n g

54. Robot Co-Worker
A l r e a d y i n i n d u s t r y

55. Heading to Education ?
Endless possibilities for imagination/Apps

56. AI: Increasingly Deployed
S e a r c h , F i n d , F a c t s , A n a l y s i s , M o d e l

57. 3D Printing
A l m o s t A n y t h i n g
P l a s t i c s , m e t a l s , c e r a m i c s ,
c o m p o s i t e : p r i n t e d , p u l l e d
p ro g r a m m e d t o s h a p e

58. Build Not Buy
Learn by design & doing

59. The Challenge: Beyond Blue Peter
T h i n k i n g , e x p e r i m e n t i n g , d e s i g n i n g , b u i l d i n g

60. WarGames: A necessary evil ?
Strategy, dynamic resource allocation, logics, in real time

61. WarGames: A necessary evil ?
Strategy, dynamic resource allocation, logics, in real time
A
powerfulparadigm
mindtraining
todeal
with
theunexpected
Sometimes
theonly
way
tosolvelogistic
tacticalproblems
Employedby
governments
and
industries
today

62. T H E B I G D E A L
Our machines are now learning

63. T H E B I G D E A L
Our machines are now learning

64. T H E B I G D E A L
Our machines are now learning
BIG Takeaway
Robots & AI can learn and perfect
specific abilities 100 - 1000s of
times faster than humans
Robots don’t get tired, lose their
concentration, make mistakes
Robots and AI could not do this 5
years ago, but now they do it in
just one pass…and then the get
better on every single go….

65. E d u c at i o n c h a n g e
Must get ahead, and be industry friendly
“The ability to think and solve
p ro b l e m s o u t g u n s t h e a b i l i t y t o
regurgitate”

66. A classical education involves remembering lots of stuff and many
processes pertinent to a slow moving - steady state world
S o l v i n g P r o b l e m s 1
By turning handles and very little thinking

67. “Todays world is non-linear, dynamic and complex and therefore
demands a melding/augmentation/domination by the new”
S o l v i n g P r o b l e m s 2
By thinking, iteration, and machine help

68. Thinking Out of The Box
Pain in the neck and self limiting topics
Probability Theory:
Will it fall at the alter on ’N-Dimensional Space?
In a one dimensional space we only see flashes of light
apparently of random positions, times, size and duration

69. Thinking Out of The Box
Pain in the neck and self limiting topics
Probability Theory:
Will it fall at the alter on ’N-Dimensional Space?
In a one dimensional space we only see flashes of light
apparently of random positions, times, size and duration

70. Thinking Out of The Box
Pain in the neck and self limiting topics
Probability Theory:
Will it fall at the alter on ’N-Dimensional Space?
In a two dimensional space we can see that
we are looking at bouncing balls!

71. Ax i o m 2 : B i o - M i c r o B o n d i n g
The left-right brain connect is now augmented by machines
“New forms of I/O have
a profound effect on our
conceptualisation and
perception in problem,
solving/rationalisation”
“AI systems are acting as
as intellect amplifiers”
“Sensors and precision
m e a s u r e m e n t o p e n
doors to new models”

72. BIO-TECH nano-TECH
AIRobotics
SALVATION trajectory
New materials, intelligences, technologies, methods
Multi-Disciplinary
hot spot for the 21C
New materials
New industries
New processes
New capabilities
Lower energy
Lower waste
Less friction

73. No country no matter how big or how
rich has all the people skills, facilities,
plant raw materials and infrastructure to
autonomously power it through the 21C…
Countries have no choice, they have to
share facilities, trade globally; and they
have to embrace people movement,
insourcing, outsourcing…
Globalisation is a not some unhappy
accident, it is a manifestation of the finite
resources of the planet and the limited
abilities of our species
SALVATION trajectory
Open sharing trumps closed, owning, protectionism

74. Buckminster Fuller
G e o d e t i c b u i l d i n g s t o C 1 4
T e c h n o l o g y :
“ D o i n g m o r e w i t h l e s s a n d l e s s u n t i l
y o u c a n d o e v e r y t h i n g w i t h n o t h i n g ”
S y s t e m s :
“You never change things by fighting the
existing reality. To invoke change, build
the new that makes the old obsolete”

75. What we know for sure....Do Not Be Afraid to be Different
In a uniform society all progress ceases and collapse is inevitable
A
diversityofpeople
andtechnologies
is
essentialforsurvival

76. HUMAN REACTION
Why oh why do we think we are unique ?

77. Thank You
petercochrane.com
Sentient Systems