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Education Trends for 2018

By: Jarvis Buckman

Last year, we continued to see the education system develop and integrate technology into learning. Over the past decade, the way that students are educated has evolved in many ways and it seems as though there is no sign of such changes slowing down. As we enter the third month of 2018, experts are already predicting some trends for the end of this school year and the beginning of next. Technology continues to develop and personalized experiences become integrated into our lives. These factors will also take a toll on education systems.

EdTech

Less than ten years ago, educators were tossing around the term EdTech. Most teachers had just begun integrating technology into their teaching. It started with interactive whiteboards and now, millions of students are learning through school-provided devices such as laptops and iPads. In the coming months, aspects such as Augmented Reality will start to take shape in the classroom. This virtual learning will give students the opportunity to experience real-time scenarios with more visuals than ever before.

Standardized Assessments

Last year, the average student spent 20-25 hours per year on mandatory state or district-wide assessments. Many schools are now realizing that the amount of testing needs to cause little to no resistance to the flow of school year and curriculums. School districts are now encouraged to perform assessmentaudits. Such audits help to determine the possibility of condensing tests and rolling out new options. Should these audits provide means for less testing, it would provide teachers more time to focus on classroom learning. The testings should ideally be more consistent and less frequent. With the high valued data from these tests, teachers can structure and deliver their quality, individualized learning that each student needs to succeed.

Life Learning

It is safe to say that mathematics and language arts will likely not leave curriculums anytime soon. That being said, shifts are taking place to make room for more learning about social and emotional aspects of life. Many schools have already implemented “life-skills” classes into their student’s schedule. However, in 2018-2019, the trend will continue rising. Some of the subjects already included are; decision-making skills, networking abilities, and personal development.