The field of education is a continually-evolving one. Considering the dynamic nature of this field, the developments in this sector take place annually. Various driving forces are behind these developments, such as mandates of education departments, resources, and educators’ motivation. These factors directly influence the learning outcomes and change the perspective towards knowledge acquisition.
And although the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have taken a massive toll on our everyday lives. Nonetheless, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for these rapid changes. It has spurred heaps of innovative advancements in the education sector.
The pandemic indeed hampered traditional in-person education. However, it has also unveiled new avenues to improve the current education systems. For instance, educational institutions have adopted flexibility, offering offline and online education. Besides, the SAT exams in the US are getting all-digital and shortened, thereby making it easier for students.
Moreover, as with any other industry, technological advancements have managed to keep the education sector afloat. The megatrends of artificial intelligence, VR/AR, machine learning is something that we have heard of, but they will probably shape the future of the education sector.
Let’s explore some of the anticipated educational advancements in the year 2022 and beyond:
Investment in the educator’s professional development
With continuous technological developments, new pedagogical strategies also spring up. Given this, we might see an increase in teacher enhancement and development programs. Educators undergoing these enrichment programs will become aware of the latest industry trends and new competencies.
While such professional development programs are a great initiative, educators should also consider advanced degrees to bring qualitative changes in the classroom. In turn, this will positively impact the learning outcomes of students.
More to the point, educators should pursue a master’s in special education to ensure students with special needs receive the same education and opportunities as students without disabilities. If you still have ambiguities, delve into the Answers To Earning Your Master’s In Special Education Online and grow in your career trajectory.
Change in teaching styles
The current education system significantly requires motivated and dedicated teachers. Without them, the education sector is likely to stumble down. However, merely being passionate isn’t enough. In today’s modern realm, educators must possess exceptional technical expertise to meet the demands of students.
And they must rethink their teaching styles. That’s because conventional teaching methods will get replaced by modern teaching techniques. The fact is, teachers will likely become facilitators instead of being only content deliverers. The critical enablers behind this radical change include personalized and self-directed learning, problem-based and project-based learning, and digitized learning.
The drastic shift in the teaching practices will breed a myriad of positive results. For instance, modern teaching methods will encourage students’ deeper learning and motivate them to participate actively. And this will eventually lead to improved student behavior, making it easy to create a conducive learning environment.
Emphasis on soft skills
The pandemic has undeniably struck the contemporary job market. Today, organizations opt for resourcing instead of hiring people for in-house technical jobs. That way, they can cut back on business costs and won’t get caught up in long-term contracts.
In such circumstances, solely relying on earning degrees wouldn’t suffice. According to the Future of Jobs, creativity, people management, and critical thinking will become vital soft skills by 2025. So, the focus of job-seekers will transition to the development of soft skills, particularly skills that’ll set them up for success in the offline world.
While it may feel outdated to help students master the art of a perfect handshake, it’s imperative to prepare for real-world scenarios. These may include meetings, conflict resolution, and job interviews. Unfortunately, the increasing inclination towards online education will prove challenging for teachers to hone students’ skillset. Therefore, educators must figure out a way for students to work together to cultivate sought-after skills.
Integration of formative assessment solutions
The days when the assessment solutions only comprise tedious pen and paper exams are long gone. Such exam delivery methods create a significant burden on the administration. Not only this, these assessments lack real-time visibility and increase the likelihood of errors in data entry and reporting.
In this digital world, learning outcomes are of paramount importance. For this reason, educational institutions will likely adopt formative assessment solutions in the coming days. These assessments include projects, presentations, and other various methods to keep tabs on students’ progress. With these assessment solutions in the education sector, boring cookie-cutter approaches that have become less productive in the digital era will become a thing of the past.
That said, we can also witness profound changes in exam management. For instance, AI-based proctoring will ensure no threat of cheating in exams whatsoever.
Increasing inclination towards gamification
The excessive usage of video games has entirely changed how the juvenile population responds to entertainment. But, do they have the capability to change the way students interact with learning?
Another noteworthy advancement this year might be the propensity towards the gamification trend. Although some educational environments have introduced this EdTech trend; however, it will gain more recognition in 2022 and beyond. That’s because gamification promotes an interactive learning environment for students. Not only this, but it also incites feelings of excitement among them.
Primarily, gamification is a new education method that incorporates video games to engage and build intrinsic motivation for students. The game may encompass different appealing aspects such as trial and error opportunities, instant feedback, collaborative problem-solving, and narrative point-based systems. Integrating gamification in the curriculum assists students to stay focused, retain information, and boost their overall performance. That way, students can practice more control over their choices while playing the game’s main character.
Final Words
Education is a wide-ranging field that encompasses varying objectives and differing perspectives contingent upon the educational institutions and the type of students. And the reforms in this giant field require figuring out the underlying causes of the existing problems. We need to ponder what’s taught, i.e., curriculum. As well, reconsider the way it’s taught, i.e., pedagogy.
Today, with the emergence of metaverse trends – immersive learning with VR and an increasing inclination towards learning analytics, the classroom will now look more natural than it was ever before. Meaning students can be offline and online simultaneously, thus making the learning experience seem surreal.
And since we live in a highly volatile and turbulent era, one can never be sure which advancements will prove permanent and which will change over time. Nevertheless, all these advancements will bring about a positive change in the education sector. The utilization of these upcoming trends can help the education system cater to the needs of 21st-century students and create better leaders for tomorrow.
