Change seems to be the only constant in this ever-evolving world. This evolution has greatly affected the educational industry as well. From education limited within the four walls of the classrooms to distance learning, the education system has come a long way. For educators to better interact with their students, these changes are essential. However, there are a few education industry trends that have worked wonders in the past and still continue to work in the span of social distancing.
- Micro-learning methodologies:
One of the major difficulties faced by the teachers is the short attention span of the students. A study found that the attention span of the students can range anywhere between 4-5 minutes to 11-18 minutes. The lectures on the other hand are scheduled for at least 50–60 minutes. To hold the attention of the students for such a long period of time is challenging.
Nano and micro-learning can be extremely beneficial in this scenario. In this technique, the teachers divide the lesson into small bite-sized portions. In addition to this, using an interactive presentation, audio and videos can act as a cherry on top. This helps the students to understand and retain the information for a long period of time.
- Teaching and learning soft-skills:
There is hardly any job in the world where one does not feel the need for soft skills in a person. Some of the most sought-after qualities in a workplace are working under a time limit, critical thinking, teamwork, management, creativity and making quick decisions. A student needs to be taught these soft skills from a young age in schools. A good thing is that the educational institutes update their syllabus from time to time and some of them have included the subject of soft skills in it.
However, these skills cannot be taught through the screen. There has to be face-to-face interaction between the tutor and the student to inculcate soft skills.
- Teach how to self-learn:
The best teachers are those that help the students take charge of their own education. With an ocean of information at our fingertips, students now have access to unlimited resources. They can and should know how to learn new skills through the internet. Easy access to the internet makes the students of this era, the most fortunate as they can unlock a tremendous amount of knowledge and facts independently. A teacher can help encourage the students to do so by providing a couple of examples and resources that will make online learning easier and provide assistance wherever necessary.
Teachers these days can teach the student to find fun in learning, explore and find new ways to learn new things.
- Skills that matter:
The technical and industrial revolution has changed the requirements of organizations these days. Organizations are no longer looking for people who can only do strenuous manual work. As everything has been taken online, one can organize a zillion files in few clicks. To increase the demand for one’s skills in the market, they might want to work on their creative and technical skills. It is only through these skills that a person can become a true asset to any institution or organization. The working professionals are constantly increasing their skill set. To make learning a habit, it is crucial to teach students from a young age the skills that are going to matter 10 years from now.
- Staying in sync with the Technological trends:
There are a lot of technologies that were made just for the benefit of students. And all they need to have access to these technologies is the “Internet”. One of the latest learning trends is Distance Learning. Students can now learn any subject or skill they want to, from their homes. This way students can have multiple sources of information. Teachers can help the students in case they need help while learning on these online platforms. Distance learning has seen a huge hike in a small amount of time and is here to stay!
There are many other trends that have proven to be helpful in education during the pandemic. These include gamification, using formative assets and more. In this blog, we have picked and explained the top 5 latest educational trends that have been the most helpful.