Knowledge Society in the 21 st Century Adapted fromProfessor Abdullateef H. Haidar AI Hakimi, Ph.D. UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge 2nd Regional Research Seminar for Arab States on "The Impact of Globalization on Higher Education and Research in the Arab States" Rabat, Morocco25-26 May 2007

Characteristics of a Knowledge-Based Society 1- Specialized Knowledge: Knowledge is described as high-level specialized knowledge. Drucker (1994) called it 'Knowledges'. It has value only if it has practical application. 'Knowledge in Action‘: when it is applied to society, economics, or in the development of knowledge itself. People who lead knowledge-based societies Drucker calls 'Knowledge Workers'. Examples- surgeons, lawyers, accountants, engineers and teachers. Such people depend on their minds, more than anything else, to carry out their duties satisfactorily. There are many more jobs coming in these areas.

Characteristics of a Knowledge-Based Society 2- Learning Organizations: For Knowledge Workers to develop knowledge and turn it into products, they need to belong to Learning Organizations. Learning Organizations will provide most of the services that society will need in the future: -Health. -Education. -Trade. -Industry, etc.

A Learning Organization is: a group of individuals who interact with each other and the surrounding world. They work within an organization, in which they feel they belong. Such organizations provide 'Knowledge Workers‘ with opportunities to work in teams to: - Discover new knowledge - Produce it - Apply it In such organizations, they are described as being: - Motivated. - Life-long learners - Open minded.

3 - Teamwork: Knowledge Workers will face unique challenges. Therefore, they need to work in teams. It is well known that people work together as a team when faced with a task that is not within an individual person's ability or when the deadline is too short. “Our mind is better than my mind.”

4 - Inquiry: Inquiry is essential to discover new knowledge. Organizations that adopt the concept of inquiry will provide employees with opportunities to find solutions to problems they face. Inquiry is essential for professionals' achievements because it requires reflection, which is the backbone of professional growth. Inquiry also helps professionals to identify best practices and develop standards for their profession. It assists improvement.

5- Life-Long Learning: Today, knowledge is described as being in constant change and it provokes changes in other directions. If professionals are not ready to be up-to-date regarding new developments in the field, they will not be suitable for the profession. This shows the importance of life-long learning for professionals, especially teachers.

6- Use of information communication technologies ICT): Nowadays, most professions depend heavily on the use of ICT. Distances among nations and individuals have disappeared. Businesses work 24 / 7. Companies need employees who are skillful in using ICT to do their tasks faster and better … anytime, anywhere.

7- Globalization Today, countries do not have the choice of closing their borders or even selecting countries which they would like to deal with. Companies work on an international basis. Some businesses have left their home country and established their businesses abroad. T h e r e are multinational companies. Business is becoming more and more international.

Nature of Tasks carried out by Knowledge Workers 1 Comprehending deep knowledge and understanding. 2 Acquiring high-level thinking skills, such as: - Ability to deal with non-traditional problems. - Use of expert thinking, complex communication. - Use of argument, negotiation and mediation. 3 Using ICT in-depth to be able to: - Deal with a large amounts of knowledge. - Work in real and virtual worlds.

Nature of Tasks carried out by Knowledge Worker 4 Being proactive : - Get actively involved in a task - not just follow Instructions. - Be in control of the task. - Be creative and free-minded. 5 Work in teams. - Cope with change: - Acquire life-long learning skills. - Capable of working in a changing environment

New Roles for Schools 1-Revise Missions: Schools revise their missions -Provide high-level specialized knowledge. -Provide training/schooling for current needs 2- Become Learning Organizations: Current learning institutions in the Arab Region follow an industrial 'factory-type' model: -Students are raw materials. -Teachers are labor force -Administrators are supervisors to ensure instructions are followed and certification produced. In Learning Organizations, hierarchy is not so important as everyone is a learner focused on improvement

New Roles for Schools 3- Revise Learning and Assessment Methods: Current learning and assessment methods in MENA are traditional and could be described as: -Do not help students to "learn how to learn" -Do not help students "develop upper-level thinking skills" -Do not “support inquiry", and -Do not "develop reflection" in student thinking.

New Roles for Schools 4 Use of ICT: Technology could help to solve many current problems of learning such as passive learning and shortage of resources. Enrich the learning process to make learning meaningful. 5 Respond to Globalization: No country has the choice of not participating in globalization. Learning Organizations need to respond to globalization and even have an influence on it, especailly in local responses.

New Roles for Schools 6- Quality Assurance Efforts: In this competitive world, Arab Learning Organizations will need to adopt suitable systems of quality assurance (QA) to help graduates acquire and use knowledge and skills that will make them highly competitive in world markets. 7- Get involved in Administration: As the world becomes more complex, its problems are getting more complex, too. Professionals need the freedom of quick decision- making to solve problems as soon as they are faced with them. They need to be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills to do that and to have the freedom to adapt and change. To respond to these requirements, Learning Organizations need to shift to decentralization of administration. Teachers are leaders and can demonstrate that leadership every day in many ways.