População e Sociedade no. 37

Diogo Ferreira (editor)

Thematic Issue
Emerging Trends in Education Systems – Opportunities and Challenges

Coordinator
Maria da Conceição Marques

The school has been not only defined, but legitimized, as a teaching place or, as some more recent theories defend, a learning place. Currently, workers are required to have important skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making, information and interpersonal communication, use of new technologies to optimize processes, teamwork, people management and creativity. Employers want to see dynamic professionals who understand how to make tough decisions, who are adaptable to change and show a sense of leadership. In an effort to prepare students for their future careers, schools must be at the forefront of scientific knowledge to teach and help them develop these skills.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which promote a new paradigm of society, based on information and knowledge, have increased the requirements for professional and academic qualification and represent an advance in distance education (e-learning and blended-learning). In schools and universities, the promotion of virtual learning environments is increasingly common, providing students with the possibility of interacting, exchanging information and experiences. Teachers are also given the opportunity to carry out group work, debates and forums, among other ways to make learning more attractive. The management of knowledge depends on the infrastructure and will of each individual.

However, new advances begin to replace human intelligence. Many educators believe that traditional teaching practices, both at school and in the academic world, will be completely reconfigured in the coming years, as technologies assume the role of resources that promote the development of communication, collaboration and creativity skills.
It is in this context that this thematic dossier was organized, with articles dealing with several of the dimensions that fall within the scope of the “Emerging Trends in Education Systems – Opportunities and Challenges”.
The Varia section presents an article on the policy followed by the United States towards Africa from World War II to the early 1960s.