Blueprint for a Teaching Society: The Future of Education and the Learning Ecosystem

Questioning the Future of Education: The Potential of Mutual Teaching

A few years ago, I was contemplating the concept of an ideal educational environment based on mutual teaching. What emerged was the possibility of a society where everyone teaches and learns from each other, transcending the fixed dichotomy of teacher and student.

At that time, I used the expression "a world without educators as a profession" to articulate this ideal. Looking back, this phrasing failed to accurately convey my original intention of expanding the richness and diversity of education. More importantly, it lacked proper respect for those engaged in education, which I now regret.

What I was truly seeking to explore was not the denial of educators' value, but rather the democratization of the educational process, where learning and teaching become everyday activities in which everyone can participate. In other words, a perspective where "teaching is not a role exclusive to certain individuals."

Through operating an AI education business and working on organizational transformation, my educational perspective has evolved. What became particularly clear was the recognition that optimal approaches differ depending on the phase and purpose of education. The high quality of adult learning seems to exist precisely because it builds upon the foundation of basic education. The role of educators in building this foundation cannot be underestimated.

In this article, I would like to explore the possibilities of education in the new era, drawing on insights from educational economics and learning science, with the concept of a culture of mutual teaching as our starting point.

The Science of Learning Effects: Educational Benefits Created by Mutual Teaching

The Relationship Between Adult Learning and a Culture of Mutual Teaching

In my years of working in the education business, I've been fascinated by the phenomenon that adult learning has a different quality than learning during student years. One perspective that substantiates this observation is the focus on role fluidity in the learning environment.

While school education typically has fixed role divisions between teachers and students, workplace environments for adults feature fluid roles. Even new employees naturally find themselves teaching seniors in areas where they possess specific knowledge. In other words, adult environments realize multidirectional knowledge transfer where the relationship of "teaching/being taught" exchanges depending on the situation.

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Educational psychology research scientifically validates the learning effect through teaching. Multiple studies have demonstrated that understanding becomes structured and deepened through the process of explaining knowledge to others¹. Cognitive scientists Newell and Simon revealed that the cognitive processes that occur when explaining information to others strengthen one's own knowledge structure.

This mechanism, known as the "protégé effect," has become an important concept explaining the learning effect on the teaching side². Even more fascinating is research showing that learning effectiveness improves just by "learning with the assumption of teaching," even without actually teaching³. The act of teaching qualitatively changes the learner's information processing and memory retention.

Context and Purpose: Diversity of Educational Approaches

When focusing on educational context and purpose, approaches naturally differ between "teaching in order to teach" and "teaching to maximize outcomes."

Professional educators primarily operate from the former position, conducting educational activities based on systematic curricula and educational methodologies. This expertise is particularly essential at the basic education stage. In contrast, workplace mutual teaching tends toward the latter, representing practical knowledge sharing tied to the clear purpose of improving team performance.

The important thing is not to view these as opposing approaches, but to consider optimal combinations according to learning stages and purposes. For example, while a systematic approach may be important at the basic education stage, context-dependent mutual teaching becomes more effective at the application stage.

Recognizing this diversity allows us to move beyond the binary debate of "which educational method is superior" and shift our perspective toward designing educational environments that are appropriate for learners' developmental stages.

Economic and Educational Value of a Mutual Teaching Culture

Investment Effects of Knowledge Sharing from Human Capital Theory

Examining the value of a mutual teaching culture from the perspective of economics, particularly human capital theory, yields new insights. Human capital refers to the stock of "knowledge, information, ideas, skills, and health accumulated in individuals"⁴, and education and training are viewed as investment activities anticipating future productivity improvements.

Of particular interest in educational economics is the concept of "educational externalities." Benefits arising from individual educational investments extend not only to the individual but also to those around them. "Horizontal educational externalities" (peer effects), which demonstrate positive influence from colleagues and fellow students, provide theoretical grounds for the value of a mutual teaching culture⁵.

The economic value created by a mutual teaching culture can be explained primarily through the following three aspects:

1. Efficiency of knowledge transfer: Facilitates the transfer of not only explicit knowledge but also tacit knowledge that is typically difficult to verbalize
2. Formation of collective intelligence: Creates the foundation for new insights and innovative ideas through the exchange of diverse perspectives and specialized knowledge
3. Enhancement of organizational resilience: Reduces the risk of talent mobility by distributing knowledge throughout the organization rather than concentrating it in specific individuals

Empirical research also substantiates the effectiveness of learning involving interaction with others. A survey on the economic effects of self-development shows that people who engaged in self-development tend to see increased annual income after two years, regardless of the learning format, but the effect is highest for the "classroom" format that includes interaction with others⁶.

Positioning Mutual Teaching in the Knowledge Hierarchy

The value of a mutual teaching culture can also be deeply understood from the perspective of the DIKIW model (Data, Information, Knowledge, Intelligence, Wisdom) that I examined in "Will AI Steal Human Intelligence?".

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While traditional educational models tend to focus on the accumulation of "knowledge," the true value of a mutual teaching culture lies in the "intelligence" layer – that is, promoting the development of "the ability to apply knowledge, recognize patterns, and solve problems."

This distinction becomes critically important especially in the AI era. As generative AI like ChatGPT rapidly replaces the "knowledge" layer, humans should demonstrate their unique value in the domains of "intelligence" and "wisdom." A mutual teaching culture provides an environment that nurtures precisely these higher-order abilities that AI cannot easily substitute.

The New Image of Educators: Expanding Roles and Possibilities

Optimizing Educational Approaches According to Learning Phases

When considering the essence of education, it's important to recognize that the optimal educational approach differs according to the learning phase. By viewing education as a hierarchical process, the role and value of educators at each stage become clear.

The essential value of educators extends beyond being "mere transmitters of knowledge" to functioning as designers of learning environments and catalysts that stimulate intelligence. Particularly in the AI era, building environments that foster critical thinking and creativity becomes more important than providing data and information.

Evolution of Specialists Supporting the Mutual Teaching Ecosystem

The permeation of a mutual teaching culture doesn't eliminate the role of professional educators, but rather develops it into a higher and more creative dimension. The roles required of specialists in the future educational ecosystem include:

1. Designer of learning environments: Designing structures and spaces where mutual teaching naturally emerges
2. Manager of knowledge ecosystems: Maintaining information quality and optimizing learning processes
3. Developer of metacognition: Cultivating the ability for learners to understand and control their own learning
4. Creator of knowledge connection points: Connecting different domains and perspectives to facilitate new discoveries

These roles require more sophistication than the traditional function of "teaching content," demanding greater expertise and creativity. The focus shifts from knowledge transmission itself to designing and activating the entire learning ecosystem.

The following timeline shows the historical development and future prospects of mutual teaching culture. While it's difficult to predict the future by looking only at current education, understanding the flow from past to present helps us more clearly envision the future of education.

Specific Design of a Mutual Teaching Ecosystem

Implementing a Mutual Teaching Culture in Organizations

Implementing a mutual teaching culture within organizations requires concrete system-building, not just presenting ideals. Below are practical approaches:

1. Evaluation systems that visualize knowledge sharing
   • Incorporate the degree of contribution to others' growth into evaluation metrics
   • Explicitly include "knowledge sharing behaviors" in personnel evaluation and promotion requirements
2. Physical and virtual environments that promote mutual teaching
   • Design open spaces for natural dialogue and knowledge exchange
   • Build digital knowledge bases where questions and answers accumulate
3. Institutionalizing multidirectional mentoring
   • Creating mutual mentoring opportunities across generations and specialties
   • "Reverse mentoring": Official sessions where younger employees teach digital skills to older employees
4. Development of meta-learning skills
   • Training programs for effective explanation and questioning techniques
   • Workshops on giving and receiving feedback

There are many successful case studies from advanced companies. Google's "20% rule" encouraged self-initiated projects and sharing outcomes, cultivating a creative culture⁷. Spotify's "Guild" model forms communities where employees with interest in specific themes gather to learn together across job types and departments⁸. Additionally, Cisco's "Reverse Mentoring" program creates opportunities for young employees to teach senior staff about social media strategies and digital trends, promoting knowledge circulation throughout the organization.

Introducing Mutual Teaching Culture to Educational Institutions

There are also concrete methods for incorporating mutual teaching culture into traditional educational institutions:

1. Structured mutual education spaces
   • Introduction of collaborative learning methods like the Jigsaw technique, where students alternately experience the roles of teacher and learner
   • Cross-grade learning support systems (upper-grade students supporting lower-grade students)
2. Expansion of ability evaluation criteria
   • Include "explanation ability," "questioning ability," and "collaboration ability" as evaluation targets beyond content understanding
   • Include "contribution to others' learning" in portfolio assessment
3. Support for the transformation of teacher roles
   • Training in facilitation techniques for teachers
   • Support for mindset shift from "knowledge provider" to "learning designer"

In higher education research, the Johnson brothers' study on collaborative learning demonstrated that interdependent learning environments produce superior effects in academic performance, interpersonal skills, and psychological health compared to individual learning⁹. Practices applying these insights are spreading.

Creative Integration of AI and Mutual Teaching Culture

The emergence of AI tools has the potential to bring a new dimension to mutual teaching culture:

1. Personalization of educational content
   • AI identifies gaps in basic knowledge and suggests individualized learning paths
   • Human educators can concentrate on developing higher-order thinking skills
2. Qualitative improvement of mutual teaching
   • Analysis and improvement suggestions for explanation quality and feedback by AI
   • Analysis of compatibility between teachers and learners and suggestion of optimal pairing
3. Automation of cognitive scaffolding
   • Provision of gradual hints according to learners' comprehension levels
   • Real-time support and supplementary information for mutual teaching sessions

As I pointed out in "Optimal Learning Strategies in the AI Era", while AI tools risk reducing abilities through thought substitution, they also hold the potential to dramatically enhance educational quality when properly utilized. As research from the University of Pennsylvania indicates, utilizing AI with appropriate guardrails rather than unlimited use maximizes learning effects.

Conclusion: The Future of the Educational Ecosystem

When thinking about the future of education, what I envision is a society where everyone teaches, everyone learns, transcending the fixed dichotomy of teaching and learning. There, education is not limited to specific places, times, or people, but becomes a living ecosystem permeating the entire society.

In this educational ecosystem, the role of professional educators doesn't disappear; rather, it evolves and deepens. They transform from mere transmitters of knowledge to designers of learning environments, catalysts of thought, and managers of knowledge ecosystems. This role change doesn't diminish the value of educators but rather allows them to express their expertise and creativity at a higher level.

The important thing is not to limit the experience of "teaching" to specific professions, but to position it as an essential element of the learning process. People learn most deeply by teaching, expanding the boundaries of their knowledge. This interaction is indispensable for nurturing both individual and collective intelligence.

Precisely because we are in the AI era, such a culture of mutual teaching becomes more important. While AI makes simple knowledge transfer more efficient, humans can concentrate on building more creative and empathetic learning spaces. Ultimately, this will lead to maximizing the collective knowledge and collective intelligence of organizations and society.

The ideal I hold is the construction of a dynamic ecosystem where each individual proactively learns, teaches, and grows together. Toward realizing this ideal, I myself wish to continue efforts to convey the value of mutual teaching and nurture this culture in various settings as a practitioner.

An educational ecosystem based on mutual teaching. This is not merely an idealistic theory, but a more effective and sustainable form of learning backed by insights from economics and learning science.

References

Footnotes

1. Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving. Prentice-Hall. ↩

2. Nestojko, J. F., Bui, D. C., Kornell, N., & Bjork, E. L. (2014). Expecting to teach enhances learning and organization of knowledge in free recall of text passages. Memory & Cognition, 42(7), 1038–1048. ↩

3. Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2013). The relative benefits of learning by teaching and teaching expectancy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38(4), 281–288. ↩

4. Goldin, C. (2016). Human Capital. In Handbook of Cliometrics. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ↩

5. OECD. (2010). The High Cost of Low Educational Performance: The Long-run Economic Impact of Improving PISA Outcomes. OECD Publishing. ↩

6. Kanie, T. (2020). Does self-development increase annual income? - From "Survey on Changes in Work Styles and Lifestyles". Works Report, 3(2), 16-19. Recruit Works Institute. ↩

7. Schmidt, E., & Rosenberg, J. (2014). How Google Works. Grand Central Publishing. ↩

8. Spotify Engineering. (2014). Spotify engineering culture (part 1). ↩

9. Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An Educational Psychology Success Story: Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. ↩