Giving Compass' Take:

• With the onset of technology and innovation in the classroom, social-emotional learning instruction which helps students develop critical thinking skills might get lost in the shuffle.  

• Why are soft skills still relevant for students to understand and execute for the future workforce? 

• Read about how social-emotional learning can also help address all types of student needs. 

As innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality and 3D printing continue breaking societal boundaries, today's students need to learn the necessary tools to prepare for the future workforce, according to EdSurge — and while many are quick to say those skills come from studying STEM subjects, ethics, philosophy and morality education may play an equally important role.

As these technologies could potentially transform society and change the way we function, workers will need the moral background to be able to understand and control how this equipment should be built, used and regulated — or whether it should be built at all.

Regardless of what career path a student takes when they enter the workforce — medicine, journalism, engineering, you name it — technology is seeping into nearly every possible sector. With more computers, electronic machinery and smart equipment, it's natural that educators, policymakers and other stakeholders would, in turn, stress more STEM education or bring more ed tech to classrooms to better prepare today's students for tomorrow's world.

At the same time, it's safe to say the intrinsic value of soft skills in the future isn't going anywhere. Students need to understand how to interact with others, to think critically, and to solve problems by thinking outside the box.

While there's still disagreement over which soft skills and social-emotional learning (SEL) tools should be taught in classrooms, there's general consensus that they should be there in some capacity.

Read the full article about teaching students philosophy by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive