Educational trends go viral in the online teaching community every month, but only a handful are here to stay, having proven to be effective methods of learning. We have picked out the educational trends from the last decade that deserve to follow us into the 2020s and beyond…
Technology
The past decade has seen huge developments in technology which have changed the way society operates. In 2010, the first iPad was introduced. In 2016, reality was augmented with Pokemon Go. Since then, we have seen a huge rise of driverless cars, increasing use of social media and a whole range of apps that rely on “gig culture”: Uber, AirBnb and Fiverr to name a few. Now in 2020, as technology firms its grip on every aspect of our lives, many teachers have changed the role technology plays in the classroom as well: what was one a distraction is now a valuable learning tool.
Technology can be used to teach seemingly unrelated subjects through gamification. For example, you could use the popular quiz app, Kahoot! Provided every student has access to a smartphone or laptop, the class can access the quiz live with the game PIN. Used at the end of a lesson, this can be a fun, stimulating way to consolidate the day’s learning. Classcraft is also an incredible tool to gamify students’ behaviour in a more complex, community-focused way than a simple punishment/reward system. Instead, Classcraft allows students to play in teams, gaining or losing points by abiding by or breaking classroom rules, like handing in assignments on time or late. These points allow students to level up, gaining new powers and features in the game.
Computer science and technology are also subjects that are being incorporated into the curriculum in their own right. An increasing number of schools in the UK, US and across the world are incorporating coding lessons from a young age. Students in South Korea are taught how to code from infant/elementary school. South Korea’s commitment to being a world leader in technology is evident in the fact that it has the world’s fastest internet.
Project-Based Learning
Although project-based learning has been utilised in classrooms for decades, it has been increasingly linked to solving pressing social and sustainability issues in the past few years. With the world’s knowledge on every device and the incredible impact of student-led protests, young people are increasingly inspired to pursue their own real-life solutions to current issues. This can be honed through project-based learning, a way to connect real-world situations to classroom learning.
Service and volunteering trips are a great way to incorporate project-based learning into the curriculum. Students could travel to South East Asia or rural China to volunteer with local sustainability organisations and use their experiences as research for environmental projects at home. For example, students who have volunteered with a recycling organisation – like Rehash Trash in Cambodia – could use their service week to inform a project aimed at combating littering in their home town. This is a great way to encourage your students to be forward-thinking, innovative global citizens.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Learning outside the classroom has been shown to be an incredibly beneficial educational method. Learning Away conducted a 5-year study, in which 60 schools were provided with a range of residential trips, like sports camps and school exchanges. The learning objectives of each tour depended on the school and ranged from improving exam results to developing social skills.
“After trips, “two thirds or more thinking that…they: would make better progress in their subject (72%); had a better understanding of the subject (72%); were better at problem solving (66%); and would do better in their exams/tests (66%).” ⁓ Learning Away, September 2017
Teachers and students from our own trips have reinforced Learning Away’s findings:
“This trip enabled pupils to explore China beyond their textbook learning. It was truly an eye-opener and pupils thoroughly enjoyed one of the most unforgettable and spectacular school trips!” ⁓ City of London School, July 2019
Schools have been sending their students on field trips for years, but the last decade has seen a shift towards educational travel programs: academic travel that supplements classroom learning. Rather than a week-long trip of wandering around museums, teachers are more likely to invest in programs that both reinforce existing knowledge and push their students further into more advanced areas of study. This can be achieved through lectures, in-depth subject-focused tours and immersive cultural activities. For example, A-Level business students could visit London to question successful start-ups, take part in business workshops led by experts and use everything they have learned to pitch their own business idea at the end of the program. This academic approach to learning outside the classroom enables students to take the theory they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations, which is why this trend pairs particularly well with project-based learning.
Teachers as Facilitators
The 2010s saw a trend of educators acting as facilitators rather than teachers. Rather than dictating information to students, this method asks teachers to create an environment where students take control of their own learning. This educational trend encompasses technology, project-based learning and learning outside the classroom, as these are all methods that allow students to dictate their own learning. This control allows for more personalisation – students are free to learn at their own pace and in a way that works best for them. It has become so popular leading up to 2020 due to the increasing role technology plays in education. With “Google” as a verb now in the Oxford English Dictionary, it is clear that we now rely on technology to provide us with information. Instead of competing, teachers act as facilitators in order to allow students to make the most out of the academic potential new technology offers.
