Model for new age of education revealed

A global survey involving 4,636 educators from more than 20 countries and regions has identified a five-dimensional competence model for teachers in the age of artificial intelligence, while revealing significant differences across regions, disciplines, generations and professional roles.

The findings were released on Friday in Beijing at the 2026 Global English Education China Assembly.

The report, produced by the Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network, asked teachers to select the five most essential competences from a list of 15.

Drawing from their responses, the survey converged on a model with learning competence at 62.5 percent, pedagogical competence at 57.4 percent, empathic competence at 53.3 percent, innovative competence at 45.8 percent and facilitation competence at 40.1 percent.

The report describes learning competence as the meta-competence that enables teachers to keep pace with rapid change. Pedagogical and facilitation competences form the two wings of classroom practice, while empathic competence is the heart that builds trust and unlocks students' potential. Innovative competence serves as the driving force that advances education.

The survey also revealed notable differences among teacher groups.

While both Chinese and overseas teachers highly value learning and empathic competence, 59.5 percent of Chinese teachers place greater emphasis on pedagogical competence, with innovative competence at 48.1 percent and facilitation competence at 45.5 percent, reflecting alignment with national priorities for innovation-driven development and holistic moral education.

By contrast, 50.3 percent of overseas teachers emphasized digital intelligence literacy with well-being competence at 36.9 percent, highlighting a dual focus on technological and emotional dimensions.

Differences also emerged across disciplines. STEM teachers place significantly greater emphasis on innovative competence at 53.1 percent, nearly 10 percentage points higher than teachers in other fields.

Arts and physical education teachers attach greater importance to aesthetic competence at 23.6 percent and collaborative competence at 33.2 percent, although neither ranks among their top five competences overall.

Generational differences are equally evident. Generation Z teachers, generally born from the mid-to-late 1990s onward, place the greatest emphasis on the "foundational triangle" of learning, pedagogical and empathic competences, possibly reflecting a desire to strengthen core teaching skills amid technological uncertainty.

Teachers born before 1964 show a distinct preference for facilitation competence at 48.9 percent and communication competence at 40.4 percent, likely reflecting their extensive teaching experience. Generation X teachers, born in the 1960s and 1970s, assign nearly equal importance to digital intelligence literacy at 35.3 percent and facilitation competence at 35.6 percent, suggesting that technology literacy is close to entering their top five priorities.

The survey also identified major barriers to competence development. Nearly three-quarters of respondents — 74.8 percent — cited heavy teaching workloads that leave little time for systematic learning, making it the most immediate challenge. Other major obstacles identified include traditional evaluation and promotion systems at 57.9 percent and a lack of systematic training and institutional support at 53.3 percent.

The findings suggest that teacher development is fundamentally an ecological rather than an individual issue.

More than 66 percent of respondents expressed their strongest demand for high-quality, systematic training programs, 66.1 percent for greater pedagogical autonomy and flexibility and 58.8 percent for reforms to evaluation and incentive mechanisms.

Established in 2023 under the initiative of China Daily, the Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network now brings together more than 80 language teacher associations, higher education institutions and cultural organizations from over 50 countries and regions across five continents.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn