Top Trends in Education
Heraclitus once said, “The only thing that’s constant in life is change.” This saying also applies to education. With the ever-changing educational landscape, teachers should always be up-to-date with practices that help them to become more effective inside and outside the classroom by carefully vetting the latest trends to choose only those appropriate.
Innovative technologies, professional development for teachers, and new philosophies – all of these can contribute positively to attain better outcomes for students with sound and solid classroom instruction.
TOP TRENDS IN EDUCATION
Blended Learning
With the help of technology, educators can create virtual learning environments (VLEs) that enable students to augment what they learn in face-to-face instruction with high-quality learning materials found online. This kind of combined instruction is called blended learning.
Many free apps allow teachers to develop opportunities for students to learn online while they keep track of grading, attendance, and assessment. These provide safe environments and facilitates easy sharing of materials with students. These virtual learning environments include Google Classroom, Wikispaces, eduClipper, PBWorks, and Edublogs.
Participatory Learning for Teachers
Teachers will be empowered to customize professional growth based on interests and learning goals. Digital badging and micro-credentialing will take center stage, and dedicated professional development will become accessible to all.
Professional development for teachers will become more engaging, actionable, and reliable. Teachers will be invited to use design planning to map out their goals and the pathways they want to take to get there.
Mobile Learning
As devices become more technologically advanced, mobile learning for students will support anytime, anywhere access to learning opportunities. Mobile learning is fast becoming a trend not just in the United States, but globally as well.
Learning is more modular, contextual, and bite-sized to provide flexibility before moving to the next level. Powerful tools enable learners to connect, communicate, and collaborate effectively in a mobile setting.
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
The growth mindset originated from the work of Carol Dweck (psychologist from Stanford University), wherein teachers transform students’ thinking from a fixed mindset – in which students believe that their intelligence and talents are inborn, to a growth mindset – in which students believe that talents and skills can be developed. Buzzwords used in schools like grit and rigor came from research on the growth mindset.
“Teacher Delight”
Now more than ever, schools and administrators will be looking at “teacher delight” to improve teacher experience and reinvent teacher identity. The workspaces of teachers will become more functional, collaborative, and supportive.
They are encouraged to share opinions and perspectives during faculty meetings. Innovative technologies will be used to connect teachers, and opportunities for discussion and reflection will be prioritized. Educational leadership will gain traction and communities will recognize the importance of teachers in shaping society.
Flipped Learning
Flipped learning means telling students to listen to online lectures at home so they can prepare for upcoming lessons. The students then implement their new knowledge through discussions and activities.
Before, flipped instruction was limited to recorded lectures that students watched at their own pace. Now, flipped instruction includes interactive videos made using free apps and tools such as Blendspace, EDpuzzle, and TouchCast.
Parents as Partners
Schools will find ways to engage families through personalized and supportive practices. Schools will concentrate on building connections for learning, and they include parents as partners through interviews, surveys, and invitations to join as valued contributors.
Technologies will support parent engagement via visual workflow applications while learning management systems will be developed further to promote parent participation. Teachers will consider parents as partners as they work together to support students.
CONCLUSION
Current trends in education provide opportunities to improve learning and outcomes for students. Through new technologies and professional development for teachers, educators can have a positive impact on the quality of instruction.
