Navigating the Future with the OECD Learning Compass 2030

The OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 initiative was created to help education systems respond to the fast-changing world. Today’s students are growing up in a time of complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change, and they need more than academic knowledge to succeed. This initiative centres around a big question: What should students learn today to shape a better tomorrow? 

To help answer this, the OECD introduced the Learning Compass 2030, a framework that outlines the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that students need to find direction in life and take meaningful action. These four dimensions are interconnected and support deeper learning and student agency, helping young people not only navigate their futures, but actively shape them.

Here’s a closer look at the four dimensions: 

(1) Knowledge:

In today’s world, knowledge isn’t just about memorizing facts. It’s about understanding how knowledge is created and how it can be applied in real life. The OECD identifies four types of knowledge:

• Disciplinary Knowledge: These are subject-specific content and concepts that students learn at school. In Media Arts, this includes understanding design principles, elements of visual composition, or the technical functions of tools like Photoshop or Premiere Pro. These core concepts form the foundation of creative media production.

• Interdisciplinary Knowledge: This builds on that foundation by encouraging students to connect ideas across different subjects. Media Arts often intersects with English through storytelling, History through cultural or social context, and even Math when working with proportions, ratios, or timelines. Whether designing an infographic or producing a short documentary, students rely on cross-disciplinary thinking to make their work meaningful and impactful. 

• Epistemic Knowledge: This involves understanding how professionals in a discipline think and work. In Media Arts, students begin to think like designers, editors, or filmmakers. They learn to plan, make intentional creative decisions, and reflect on how their work communicates meaning.

• Procedural Knowledge: This involves knowing how to do something, like setting up lighting for a photoshoot, editing sound for a podcast, or creating visual effects in a video. The OECD emphasizes the importance of transferable procedural knowledge, so students can apply it in different contexts. In Media Arts, this includes digital literacy, project management, and visual communication. These are skills that they can carry into their future careers. 

(2) Skills:

In today’s world, knowing how to learn and how to do things is just as important as knowing what to learn. The OECD Learning Compass 2030 identifies skills as the abilities that students need to transform knowledge into action, so they can solve problems, collaborate with others, and adapt to new situations. 

The three types of skills, according to the OECD Learning Compass 20230, are:

• Cognitive and metacognitive skills: These include critical thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving, and metacognition, which is the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking and learning processes. In Media Arts, students analyze how media shapes perceptions, plan creative projects, and revise based on feedback received. Metacognition is a very important skill as they reflect on what worked and what to improve. 

• Social and emotional skills: These involve empathy, collaboration, and emotional regulation. Group projects in Media Arts provide opportunities for students to co-create with others, offer constructive peer feedback, and manage creative differences. When working on a project that addresses social issues, students also practice empathy, cultural awareness, and respect for diverse perspectives.

• Physical and practical skills: These include using tools, materials, and techniques effectively. In a Media Arts context, this may involve hands-on experience with cameras, audio equipment, editing software, or digital drawing tools. As students develop technical proficiency, they also build responsibility for ethical and safe technology use. 

(3) Attitudes:

Attitudes are students’ mindsets, beliefs, and dispositions that shape their behaviour. They include things like curiosity, persistence, openness to other people’s ideas, and responsibility. In Media Arts, students develop these attitudes as they engage with collaborative work, take creative risks, and receive feedback. For example, an open and curious attitude allows students to explore diverse visual styles. A student with a growth mindset is more likely to persevere through challenges, seek feedback, and take the necessary steps to improve.

(4) Values:

Values are the guiding principles that help students distinguish right from wrong and act with purpose. These include respect, fairness, equity, and sustainability. In Media Arts, students are often engaged in conversations about representation, identity, and power. They’re asked to reflect on whose voices are heard, whose stories are told, and how media impacts society. By creating work that is meaningful and responsible, they begin to see their creative voice as a tool for positive change.