All you need to know about the changing trends in education

We need to completely refine and reimagine education. As Adam Grant would say, “It’s time to Think Again”. The unprecedented times have allowed us to reflect and come to the realization that to survive and get the better of challenging times we have to be flexible in everything we do. The same applies for trends in education. We are living in a world supported by digital technology, virtual learning is the norm, and hybrid models of education are no longer just a point of discussion, rather it is the only pragmatic approach that needs to be deployed to sustain in the long term.
Students now have to be encouraged to ‘learn how to learn’, instead of being asked to memorise facts and figures. Problem solving is no longer an additional skill to acquire, rather a basic necessity. Educational institutions across the spectrum need to develop a sustainable process to ensure they are able to prepare the leaders of tomorrow.
 
Let’s have a look at some of the trends in education that have surfaced in the last few months:

When we speak of digitisation, it is essential for us to address digital responsibility.
Effective digital responsibility requires educators to be aware and trained in ethical use of digital technologies, and for its utilisation in a safe and responsible manner. This is crucial to ensure students understand the ethos of digital citizenship and also are able to think beyond themselves and to understand their responsibilities to others and how they can improve their communities. The vision behind digital responsibility as a trend in education is to connect students as global citizens through ethical technology.
 

The age of Blended Learning

Owing to the rapid development in Information Technology, blended learning has become more acceptable. Blended learning combines the best of both worlds: an opportunity to distribute time and effort freely and to acquire knowledge limitlessly beyond the classroom, as well as the advantages of working with the teacher face to face. The modern trend is that more and more educational institutions count on an effective combination of technologies and traditional personal tutorship.
 

Changing Roles of Teachers

When we address trends in education, we cannot overlook changing trends in the way teachers are imparting knowledge to students. Students are quick to adapt to the changing dynamic, but are the teachers equipped to do the same?
Teachers will need to be comfortable working with digital tools in order to communicate ideas to their students. But beyond that, they must be capable of equipping their students with the skills they need to thrive in the near future.
 
Recommended read: Shaping the Future Generations through Career Coaching
 

Communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. It is about time that we adapt to the 4Cs model that is redefining the trends in education ever since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Effective communication is the key to being able to share ideas and opinions. With the changing dynamic, it has become all the more important to enable students to learn how to communicate well, and to be able to explain themselves.
Innovation is inspired by creativity, in order to encourage the students to be innovators of tomorrow, the education system needs to provide them with opportunities to be creative, and to be able to experiment. Problem solving is a trait that everyone needs to be working on, as we are running out of solutions to major issues around the globe, but problems are still rising exponentially. Critical thinking allows us to think out of the box and solve problems, and that is exactly the culture educational institutions are trying to build. Additionally, Teamwork and collaboration are also essential elements today.Students are being encouraged to form peer groups, so they are able to interact and communicate and share the stage with like-minded students. This is crucial to the changing trends in education.
 

The idea of gamification was conceived with the intention of making learning more fun and engaging for students of all ages by applying game design to different aptitude tasks.  With the advancement in technology, gamification is increasingly being used to augment game design and educational games in every discipline possible. Such games do contain tasks mirroring real life issues, so it requires students to use a skill-set to solve them which help them in developing different aspects of their personality. The tasks gradually move to a higher difficulty level as one progresses to the further levels. Virtual game worlds present learners with a novel opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge which helps in improving decision-making, mitigating minor hurdles or major disasters, and considering multiple perspectives. 
 

Remote Learning and MOOCs

Remote learning is a model which enables students to attend school or any institute of learning, virtually. Students can attend classes from the comfort of their homes through video and access subject matter & content online. Throughout the pandemic, remote learning was  the perfect alternative. Remote learning usually employs the use of various technologies such as class forums, discussion sites and threads, video conferencing classes, pre-recorded videos, and solution sites. Much like students, the teachers can also be made to mentor or be brought in remotely. With Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC’s) available on platforms such as Khan Academy, YouTube Edu, iTunes U, Coursera, edX, Udacity, and Udemy, the popularity of remote learning has increased by leaps and bounds. As a result, students have access to a wider scope of knowledge and in the process, it becomes customised to the needs and demands of every student.
Change has been the only constant in the years gone by, hence it is important for us to be better prepared. Even through all the turmoil education did not stop, and complemented by technology the world has witnessed a significant transformation in the way we learn. Trends in education will continue to change and prosper, we just have to adapt to them and be mindful of their importance. Inclusivity, diversity and equity are equally important trends that have been highlighted in the last few years, in light of the changing dynamic of education. Educators and related stakeholders should ensure that moving forward they have to create  a safe space for every student to learn. We can only move forward, if we move together.
 
Changing trends do call for chaos and confusion, especially with regards to careers. Mindler is there to support the students in this journey, through and through. Avail career counselling online at Mindler!