Teaching Theory for Education. June 22/24
- Sussanne Hardy
- Jun 19, 2024
- 20 min read
Updated: Jun 28, 2024
Education Trends, June 19/24
Trends in my area of Education
OCTOBER 26, 2023 •
9 MIN READING
Top Education Trends to watch in 2024
WRITTEN BY
Consultant at EHL Advisory Service
1. Tech trends in teaching and learning: gamification, blockchain, AI & more
2. Soft skills training: entrepreneurship, public speaking & leadership skills
3. Decreasing attention spans: the Nano Learning trend
4. Facilitating learning versus teaching
5. Life-long learning trends
As technology advances and the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes hold, society and the professional world are undergoing rapid transformations. These changes are significantly impacting the field of education, giving rise to a multitude of emerging trends that educators must closely monitor in 2024. To effectively engage their students, learning facilitators must stay up-to-date with the latest developments, innovative teaching techniques, and key factors that influence learning in the classroom. By understanding these trends, they can create more dynamic and impactful learning environments.
In anticipation of the latest advancements in education, teachers must equip themselves with knowledge about the most crucial education trends in 2024.
1. Tech trends in teaching and learning: gamification, blockchain, AI & more
Technology has played a major role in society over the past two decades and has naturally integrated into the education sector, and in 2024 it's more futuristic than ever. The global e-learning market size is expected to grow from $245.5 billion in 2022 to $278 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of more than 13%. By 2027, the market is projected to reach $462.6 billion, growing at a CAGR of more than 13%. Remote and online learning has been a huge victory for enabling more of the world's population to access education without the physical barriers of the past.
The growth of technological capabilities means that a variety of media and learning-support tools now exist to help students receive a high-quality education online.
This education trend presents a number of benefits and drawbacks for teachers and institutions who want to continue to offer their students the rigorous education they need to thrive.
The online platform is forcing teachers to change how they teach. They might find it challenging to change how they approach lesson plans to ensure that the students remain engaged even when they cannot see the instructor in person.
The online nature of these courses may also enhance the ability of teachers to offer accommodations for different styles of learning. Advanced students may receive additional learning resources and challenges to encourage them to go deeper into the material without interrupting the flow of the rest of the class.
Many teachers notice immediately the greater flexibility they can offer in their learning schedule. Platforms may offer opportunities for students to watch lectures live or recorded versions later. Teachers can appreciate this benefit for students.
Gamification
Fortunately, the advent of the online classroom and technology-infused instruction and gamification also offers a wealth of opportunities for instructors and their institutions. The introduction of AI, Big Data, cloud technology, IoT, mobile learning, and VR all have the potential to enrich gamified learning.
Research shows thatgamification creates dopamine in your brain, which makes learning more pleasurable and enjoyable, as well as rewarding. Through the use of points, rewards, and leaderboards students become more engaged with the lesson and more likely to want to participate in the future.
Gamification increases the chances of the practical application of educational concepts, as it promotes students using their imagination to solve problems or complete tasks. Gamified practices turn teachers into coaches who offer detailed introductions to real-world applications of the subject matter.
Blockchain
Blockchain will play a significant role in education this year. A blockchain is a distributed ledger that duplicates and distributes transactions across the computer network. The global blockchain technology market stood at a staggering $5.92 billion in 2021 and is now projected to grow at an annual rate of 85.9% from 2022 to 2030.
From accessing credentials and academic records to validating transcripts, all these confidential processes in the traditional educational model are major obstacles to its growth. They could be easily solved by blockchain-based software.
Blockchain technology is a fool-proof mechanism for recording information that makes it difficult for a system to be changed, hacked, or manipulated, which is vital for security and maintaining the credibility of certifications.
Artificial Intelligence.
The emergence of LLMs (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT and Bard in late 2022 brought bright prospects across industries, these chatbots are set to be integrated into a new more human-like conversational search engine, Artificial Intelligence is the next big thing to shake up the education industry this year. It's projected to reach $3.68 billion in 2023. AI tools and technologies can be helpful in quickly grading papers, providing personalized lessons to students, and helping them gather information quickly and effectively.
There are increasing career opportunities in the technology space due to rapid advancement, which are generally quite lucrative. For this reason, the institutions that teach students as much as possible about any facet of this industry will likely be quite successful. First of all, AI will play a key role in customizing plans to fit a particular student's learning needs. Second, robotics engineering, machine learning engineering, and data science careers are in extremely high demand!
Some embrace technology while others are resistant to it and prefer the traditional teaching methods they've always known. But it might be worthwhile for educators to take a class or two in AI, data science, etcetera, to understand these subjects at a deeper level if they haven't already so that they can adapt their curriculums accordingly. After all, it's essential to keep up with today's trends, even though advances are taking place quickly.
2. Soft skills training: entrepreneurship, public speaking & leadership skills
In today's workplace, critical thinking, problem-solving, people management, and creativity are highly valued skills. Employers seek out emerging professionals who can confidently make tough decisions and demonstrate strong leadership qualities.
To prepare students for their future careers, schools must have the training to help students nurture and grow in these soft skills.
However, as already discussed, the simultaneous trend toward online learning does make this a challenge for many teachers. These educators will need to find a way to balance the screen time involved in their class with the importance of encouraging students to work together face-to-face to nurture soft skill development.
The institutions that uncover quality formulas for encouraging the development of these skills, perhaps through a variety of formats including Virtual Reality, will find that this trend offers them a number of opportunities for growth. Specifically, these institutions will find themselves with a competitive advantage within higher education. Their students will be more employable, which will improve their alumni success rates, creating a virtuous circle as future students look for schools with strong alumni success rates.
3. Decreasing attention spans: the Nano Learning trend
One drawback of the constant stream of games, movies, news stories, videos, and more that most of us are exposed to regularly is that it can be tough to concentrate on one task for an extended period. This is why Nano learning is gaining popularity: Complex topics are broken down into bite-sized pieces to be more easily digestible. More often than not, this helps students master the subject matter because consuming too much advanced information at once can be overwhelming and discouraging.
A study conducted by Microsoft looked at the attention spans overall between 2000, which was the dawn of the mobile revolution, and 2015. They found that attention spans decreased by an incredible 4 seconds-- from 12 seconds to 8. This drop has largely been blamed on the nature of technology and the constant stimulation it offers viewers.
The changes in attention span can also be used as an excellent way to differentiate between the different generations. Millennials, for example, who have largely grown up with this technology at their fingertips, have distinct characteristics from the Gen X and Boomers who came before them.
Most notably, Millennials report that when content is highly engaging, they have the potential to pay attention for longer periods than past generations. However, when that content does not engage them, they become among the first to tune out the speaker.
More startling, but perhaps not surprising from the Tik-Tok generation -Gen-Z- is that, according to a study carried out by Yahoo and OMD Worldwide, they have an attention span of just 1.3 seconds. The lowest of all segments.
To keep the attention of Millennials and Gen-Z, the content must have excellent visuals and dialogue along with an interesting storyline that will hold their attention. These segments care more about the narrative and the visual nature of the content that interests them than other age groups.
This change in attention trends also has a tremendous impact on how instructors adjust their classes and keep students engaged with the material. Teachers need to find ways to design classes that will catch the attention of their students, many of whom will fall into this Millennial generation, and adapt the course delivery method and pace. Their course design will need to remember the importance of a strong narrative, visuals and nano-learning principles.
However, do not forget that when students have material in front of them that is highly visual and engaging, they have excellent potential to pay attention. These modern students want to be challenged, and they value interaction. For teachers who learn how to engage with these students, they can present rewarding opportunities for classroom growth.
4. Facilitating learning versus teaching
As technology has grown, it has also changed how teachers relate to their students and their classrooms. With a wealth of information at their fingertips, students today have the tools to uncover a tremendous amount of facts and knowledge independently. In this environment, many students value less of a top-down delivery method. Instead, teachers now function more in a facilitative role. Their job has slowly evolved into a position where they help students understand how to learn, to love learning, and how to uncover and understand the information they find.
This can present some challenges for teachers, who must work on their own soft skills of leadership and problem-solving. They must learn how to foster conversations and create an environment that values teamwork.
The best teachers will be those who can help students take ownership of their learning.
As teachers become more involved in the student’s learning process, they will also find themselves in a position to receive immediate feedback on their teaching effectiveness. Their ability to nurture and facilitate these skills in their classroom will become obvious quickly as the class moves through the material.
Teachers who want to focus more on student development rather than simply knowledge delivery will find this new model to be intensely rewarding.
5. Life-long learning trend
Each industrial revolution has changed the nature of work and jobs in astounding ways. The current 4th Industrial Revolution may impact an incredible 50 percent of jobs as tremendous technological progress leads to changes in how people do their jobs. Professionals who want to remain competitive in their environment will need to constantly re-skill themselves. They cannot assume that the education they earned in the first half of their professional career will be all they need for the rest of their working lives.
Instead, earning a degree must be followed by ongoing learning. This requires institutions to create a self-development mindset in their students as well as their faculty and staff. Classrooms must leave opportunities for teaching self-learning skills so that students can continue to learn and engage in their chosen fields.
The schools that learn how to master these skills, however, have the chance to remain connected with their alumni throughout their careers. They can offer continual learning courses that will keep their former students engaged with the new developments in their fields, and ensure that they keep returning to the school for the support and education they need.
This offers chances for schools to grow as they create new programs and adult learning opportunities to help their alumni thrive within the changing professional space.
As technology changes society, it has dramatically impacted how people earn and prepare for their professional careers. The institutions that learn how to remain on top of these changes will position themselves for growth and success. Consider how these trends may impact education and what they mean for institutions of higher learning moving forward.
Forbes
The 4 Education Trends That Will Define 2024
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I focus on belonging, STEM, and radical collaboration.
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Feb 12, 2024,12:45pm EST
Updated Mar 8, 2024, 03:26pm ES
We identified four trends that are changing the narrative and will continue to impact education long after 2024 is over.
1. The Flexible Office Has Evaded Teachers. They Want In.
In an era when flexibility is a touchstone for most white-collar workers, and people are willing to take a pay cut for the opportunity to work remotely, teachers continue to find themselves tethered to their classrooms, needing to ask another adult to cover their classroom to pee (case in point: this viral video) and often unable to take time during the school day even for their own professional development.
Lack of flexibility for professional development during the workday is one of the keystone challenges to teacher retention, negatively impacting teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession.
One silver lining is increased attention to the need to reimagine the structure of the teaching profession to reflect the desire for flexibility among today’s workforce, with more than a dozen organizations around the country coming together to design and deliver new paradigms for the teaching role.
For teachers to have meaningful flexibility during the school day, districts will need to invest in substitutes who can step in to give teachers the space and time to leave their classrooms. As one educator told us, “Teachers need capable and competent substitutes to facilitate learning from each other, especially when educators already have too much on their plates.” Yet districts are struggling to find enough substitute teachers, pioneering “grow your own” pools of substitute teachers that are doubling as pathways into full-time teaching.
One solution that I’ve been mulling over: a cadre of substitute teachers trained to do engaging, hands-on, relevant, and grade-appropriate STEM that could create memorable, joyful learning moments for students and who can step in as needed.
2. Uncertainty Has Educators Craving Clarity.
Teachers need clarity to navigate the ever-changing landscape of post-pandemic education.
If, in the early pandemic days, the prevailing question was “when will we get back to normal?”, educators are coming to realize that “normal” is over. Spikes of absenteeism for students and teachers, intrusive directives about what teachers can and cannot talk about, high-wire drama over how to speak about the Middle East, ongoing mental-health challenges for students and teachers: Schools, teachers, and students are experiencing unprecedented instability.
In the face of uncertainty, educators are craving clarity. Research shows that “uncertainty lights up the pain centers of the brain similar to physical pain,” and that, when we can’t provide certainty, clarity is a close substitute, calming the mind and allowing us to focus. Clear guidance helps educators reserve their cognitive capacity to do what matters. One teacher told us: “If you can’t tell me what STEM is, how can we write STEM curriculum or support teachers in STEM?”
Across hundreds of interviews, educators wanted clear definitions and answers for everything they were being asked to do, from what counts as STEM, to how belonging is defined and measured, to what high-quality teacher preparation really looks like.
To be clear, clarity is not control. Within clear parameters, teachers told us they can be creative and do their best work.
3. The Shortage Un-stuck Teacher Pay, But We’re Far From Done.
Teacher pay, long a third rail of education policy, is finally having its moment. The sheer magnitude of the shortage, amplified by memes of teachers exposing unacceptable pay and working conditions and even an Abbott Elementary episode, seems to have spurred movement on teacher pay. A surge nationwide has led to salary increases in 31 states and the District of Columbia. In 2023 alone, 26 states introduced bills to raise salaries. With the support of the Teacher Salary Project, Congress introduced the American Teacher Act to incentivize $60,000 minimum teacher salaries.
Yet teachers still earn 24 percent less than comparable college graduates. Their salaries have barely risen since the 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, teacher pay increased by just $83 from 1989 to 2021, in comparison to an increase of $445 in other professions requiring a college degree.
Teacher pay has not increased to match the acute demand for teachers.
Our conversations with hundreds of STEM education leaders and our analysis of thousands of data points highlight that insufficient compensation remains a top hurdle in overcoming the teacher shortage. The laws of supply and demand (hello, Adam Smith!) predict that until salaries rise, the shortage will not disappear, leaving us unsurprised that the National Center for Education Statistics found that 86 percent of public schools reported challenges hiring teachers for the 2023 – 2024 school year.
4. Schools Are in a Double Bind. But Educators See Belonging as a Path to Academic Achievement.
When a person’s in a double bind, they’re confronted with two irreconcilable demands and feel set-up to fail. Schools are experiencing a double-bind moment: On the one hand, facing unprecedented drops in math and reading scores and lingering pandemic learning loss, they’re being hounded to double down on the basics. On the other, sensing ongoing racial and socioeconomic inequities and an acute crisis in attendance, they’re being told to focus on engagement, active learning, equity, and emotions. Teachers want both academic gains and social-emotional well-being for their students. One teacher told us, “There’s a big push for SEL [social-emotional learning] coming down the chain. We are working really hard to provide mental health on all campuses.” Yet they told us their district is prioritizing “‘teaching to the test’ and student assessment scores over effective instructional strategies, like active or inquiry-based learning, and non-tested subjects.”
Teachers see joy, belonging, and relevance as the path to academic progress.
In the face of these competing demands, we hear the early tremors of a hopeful trend: Educators are viewing joy, belonging, and relevance not in conflict with academic progress, but as the path to it. “We need to bring joy and curiosity into our classrooms,” one teacher shared, “not test prep,” to get to sustained student learning gains. Mounting evidence shows that joy-based learning leads to better academic outcomes, that there’s a positive correlation between a sense of belonging in STEM classrooms and academic performance, retention, and persistence, and SEL programs lead to improvements in academic performance and social well-being for all students and particularly for students of color.
While the truism that change is the only constant has never felt more applicable, these four trends are already transforming the education landscape and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
May 23, 2023
Contact: ASH Media
202-205-0143
Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy Urges Action to Ensure Social Media Environments are Healthy and Safe, as Previously-Advised National Youth Mental Health Crisis Continues
Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health - PDF. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”
With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. The Surgeon General’s Advisory is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ongoing efforts to support President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health care for all Americans.
“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids’. The answer is that we don't have enough evidence to say it's safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends. We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.”
Usage of social media can become harmful depending on the amount of time children spend on the platforms, the type of content they consume or are otherwise exposed to, and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health like sleep and physical activity. Importantly, different children are affected by social media in different ways, including based on cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors. Among the benefits, adolescents report that social media helps them feel more accepted (58%), like they have people who can support them through tough times (67%), like they have a place to show their creative side (71%), and more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives (80%).
However, social media use can be excessive and problematic for some children. Recent research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety; yet one 2021 survey of teenagers found that, on average, they spend 3.5 hours a day on social media. Social media may also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls. One-third or more of girls aged 11-15 say they feel “addicted” to certain social media platforms and over half of teenagers report that it would be hard to give up social media. When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse, 40% said it makes them feel neither better nor worse, and only 14% said it makes them feel better. Additionally, 64% of adolescents are “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hate-based content through social media. Studies have also shown a relationship between social media use and poor sleep quality, reduced sleep duration, sleep difficulties, and depression among youth.
While more research is needed to determine the full impact social media use has on nearly every teenager across the country, children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s effects. The Surgeon General’s Advisory offers recommendations stakeholders can take to help ensure children and their families have the information and tools necessary to make social media safer for children:
Policymakers can take steps to strengthen safety standards and limit access in ways that make social media safer for children of all ages, better protect children’s privacy, support digital and media literacy, and fund additional research.
Technology companies can better and more transparently assess the impact of their products on children, share data with independent researchers to increase our collective understanding of the impacts, make design and development decisions that prioritize safety and health – including protecting children’s privacy and better adhering to age minimums – and improve systems to provide effective and timely responses to complaints.
Parents and caregivers can make plans in their households such as establishing tech-free zones that better foster in-person relationships, teach kids about responsible online behavior and model that behavior, and report problematic content and activity.
Children and adolescents can adopt healthy practices like limiting time on platforms, blocking unwanted content, being careful about sharing personal information, and reaching out if they or a friend need help or see harassment or abuse on the platforms.
Researchers can further prioritize social media and youth mental health research that can support the establishment of standards and evaluation of best practices to support children’s health.
In concert with the Surgeon General’s Advisory, leaders at six of the nation’s medical organizations have expressed their concern on social media’s effects on youth mental health:
“Social media can be a powerful tool for connection, but it can also lead to increased feelings of depression and anxiety – particularly among adolescents. Family physicians are often the first stop for parents and families concerned about the physical and emotional health of young people in their lives, and we confront the mental health crisis among youth every day. The American Academy of Family Physicians commends the Surgeon General for identifying this risk for America's youth and joins our colleagues across the health care community in equipping young people and their families with the resources necessary to live healthy, balanced lives.” – Tochi Iroku-Malize, M.D., MPH, MBA, FAAFP, President, American Academy of Family Physicians
“Today’s children and teens do not know a world without digital technology, but the digital world wasn’t built with children’s healthy mental development in mind. We need an approach to help children both on and offline that meets each child where they are while also working to make the digital spaces they inhabit safer and healthier. The Surgeon General’s Advisory calls for just that approach. The American Academy of Pediatrics looks forward to working with the Surgeon General and other federal leaders on Youth Mental Health and Social Media on this important work.” – Sandy Chung, M.D., FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
“With near universal social media use by America’s young people, these apps and sites introduce profound risk and mental health harms in ways we are only now beginning to fully understand. As physicians, we see firsthand the impact of social media, particularly during adolescence – a critical period of brain development. As we grapple with the growing, but still insufficient, research and evidence in this area, we applaud the Surgeon General for issuing this important Advisory to highlight this issue and enumerate concrete steps stakeholders can take to address concerns and protect the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.We continue to believe in the positive benefits of social media, but we also urge safeguards and additional study of the positive and negative biological, psychological, and social effects of social media.”— Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., President, American Medical Association
“The first principle of health care is to do no harm – that’s the same standard we need to start holding social media platforms to. As the Surgeon General has pointed out throughout his tenure, we all have a role to play in addressing the youth mental health crisis that we now face as a nation. We have the responsibility to ensure social media keeps young people safe. And as this Surgeon General’s Advisory makes clear, we as physicians and healers have a responsibility to be part of the effort to do so.” – Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., CEO and Medical Director, American Psychiatric Association
“The American Psychological Association applauds the Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, affirming the use of psychological science to reach clear-eyed recommendations that will help keep our youth safe online. Psychological research shows that young people mature at different rates, with some more vulnerable than others to the content and features on many social media platforms. We support the advisory's recommendations and pledge to work with the Surgeon General's Office to help build the healthy digital environment that our kids need and deserve.” – Arthur Evans, Jr., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, American Psychological Association.
“Social media use by young people is pervasive. It can help them, and all of us, live more connected lives – if, and only if, the appropriate oversight, regulation and guardrails are applied. Now is the moment for policymakers, companies and experts to come together and ensure social media is set up safety-first, to help young users grow and thrive. The Surgeon General’s Advisory about the effects of social media on youth mental health issued today lays out a roadmap for us to do so, and it’s critical that we undertake this collective effort with care and urgency to help today’s youth.” – Susan L. Polan, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director, Public Affairs and Advocacy, American Public Health Association
The National Parent Teacher Association shared the following:
“Every parent’s top priority for their child is for them to be happy, healthy and safe. We have heard from families who say they need and want information about using social media and devices. This Advisory from the Surgeon General confirms that family engagement on this topic is vital and continues to be one of the core solutions to keeping children safe online and supporting their mental health and well-being.” – Anna King, President of the National Parent Teacher Association.
In December 2021, Dr. Murthy issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health - PDF calling attention to our national crisis of youth mental health and well-being. Earlier this month, he released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation - PDF, where he outlined the profound health consequences of social disconnection and laid out six pillars to increase connection across the country, one of which being the need to reform our digital environments. The new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health - PDF is a continuation of his work to enhance the mental health and well-being of young people across the country.
The full Surgeon General’s Advisory can be read here - PDF.For more information about the Office of the Surgeon General, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.
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