Today, more than ever, education is becoming the most crucial sphere because acquiring knowledge is becoming a routine (in a good sense), a necessity on the way to successful existence. Therefore, educational technology is becoming critical through which educators convey this or that material to their listeners. Let’s see what kind of technology is used today, what its features are. But before that, let’s look at the prominent trends at research paper help that prove the need for lifelong learning.
Why learn today?
So, the following points will show you the main trends in education in modern life:
Trend 1.
As noted earlier, learning will become routine, making our intellectual lives more intense and dynamic.
Think about it yourself, technological advances are gaining momentum, new fields of activity are emerging, priorities for development are changing, many professions are dying out, new ones are emerging, and we are forced to adjust to these conditions of a rapidly changing society. You have probably noticed how, in just five years, your daily activities have become more “digital.” We invite you to think about these changes and speculate on what’s coming next.
Trend 2.
Education will become lifelong learning. Compared to the past, when most learning occurs in the age period of 6 to 25, lifelong learning will be necessary for the future. And the bad (though hopefully good for some) news: it won’t be up to your will. If you don’t nourish yourself with knowledge in a rapidly changing environment, you’ll find yourself on the sidelines of life events. So educate yourself!
Trend 3.
As new areas of knowledge emerge, so do new educational technologies. Education is moving away from the conventional lecture format to project-based and problem-based methods. It means that it is more open, and there is more interaction between teachers and students and between students. Teamwork, case studies, and the creation of whole projects to address specific issues – that is what is relevant today.
It, by the way, also changes the system of control of students. Instead of tests and quizzes, students are more often offered a project defense, a presentation with some idea of solving a problem. If you are a student, you may already practice such methods at your university.
Trend 4
The introduction of interactive methods in the educational environment is seriously changing the process of acquiring knowledge. A modern schoolchild (student, any learner) perceives visual information better using an online environment. Instead of listening to a lecturer for an hour and a half, a student prefers to watch a video on YouTube, learns almost the same amount of information in an informal and exciting environment, and explains some material without a presentation to learners engaging.
Trend 5
Globalization has penetrated absolutely all spheres, including education. Hence, the ability to perceive and accept innovations, learn languages, be mobile, and be tolerant of other cultures becomes especially important.
It also means more competition in the labor market. Remember that your competitors are not only national specialists but also foreign candidates. So keep evolving, improve your chances in the ranks of the workforce.
Let’s now look more specifically at what the teaching society offers to create a more engaging and effective environment in the classroom.
Modern educational technologies
At the moment there are a vast number of educational technologies, we will look at the most exciting and popular of them:
STEAM
This acronym stands for S-science, T-technology, E-engineering, A-art, M-mathematics (maths). A set of these fields of knowledge (science, technology, engineering, creativity, mathematics) together is the methodological basis of this technology. Its meaning is that students learn these disciplines within the framework of some practical tasks, projects, for example, robotics, programming, construction, design, etc.
The obvious question is: why them?
Everyone known company LEGO has created project LEGO education. Children are invited not simply to collect the constructor and do the whole project under SPIKE Prime (the small robot). While working on it, children learn both constructing and programming. According to the company’s research, 65% of the current students will work in these occupations, so STEAM technology is now being actively introduced into the educational process.
By the way, earlier, this acronym was called STEM without taking into account the creative criterion. However, the Art criterion was later added, showing that creativity and innovative thinking are required even in the exact sciences. Schematically, this system can be represented as follows:
In general, the STEAM educational technology is largely practice-oriented, making children and adolescents understand that the acquired knowledge should be applied immediately. The methodology also allows students to open up, express their position, communicate and work in a team, create creative and innovative products. You can read more about this educational technology here.
Fishbone
Or, more precisely, Fishbone, which means “bones of a fish,” “a skeleton of a fish,” respectively, imagine that before you lie a fish, with head and tail, in the middle goes a vertebra and the top-down from the ribs.
Where do you think this scheme came from? Yes, of course, it’s Japan! Where else do they love fish so much? And yet, this technology has managed to spread around the world. Professor Kaoru Ishikawa, Japan’s greatest management theorist, who worked on the Toyota team, created this diagram back in 1952 to schematize the process of finding cause and effect relationships and intensify the critical evaluation of events and factors related to it.
As can be seen from the image, the fish’s head is the problem, the main issue, the event or phenomenon under study, the object of study. Further up from the “vertebra” are the causes that followed from the descending facts. That is, several related points caused specific reactions of the object, broadcasting the emergence of reasons. Accordingly, the totality of these facts with the causes leads to the final result and consequences.
Indeed, when a phenomenon is subjected to this kind of analysis, literally “dissection,” students see more clearly the workings of cause and effect relationships, learning to analyze and subject the issue under study to detailed scrutiny. It is an indisputable plus of this technique.
The Singapore method
We all got used to the idea that the fewer students in the class, the better the material is learned and memorized, because in small groups, the control from the teacher is better, and the children are less tempted to talk, fool around, and ask more students about their homework. But here’s a fact: Singapore’s students, working with about 40 students per class, are recognized as some of the strongest in the world in functional literacy (math and science). Plus, Singapore’s schools, which are not remarkably different from one another, have a young teaching staff. What’s the secret?
Of course! The technology of learning! The whole learning process consists of so-called structures, which represent the essence of this modern educational technology. Its main principles: communicativeness, team building, changing roles, changing the part of the teacher (he becomes a kind of moderator of the learning process, a guide for the algorithm’s execution), partnerships between students, their cooperation.
There are about 250 structures in Singapore, below is a list of the most famous:
- Teambuilding
- Rally Robin
- Round Robin
- Clock Buddies
- Hi-Five
- Mix Pair Share
- Corners, etc.
Note that the names of these structures are described in English. It is no coincidence because it is the language of instruction in Singapore. Also, the Singapore education experts themselves say that they took the best techniques from the
AGILE
This education technology was developed in the middle of the last century, but its heyday came with Jeff Sutherland, who became the father of Scrum technology and Agile-manifesto. Initially, the technology was more involved in the IT field; however, later, it penetrated different spheres, including education. Here we note a few principles of Agile technology:
People interaction.
People and their interactions are contrasted with tools and processes, which often receive more attention during training. For example, you’ve noticed how in school or university it was more important for teachers to fill out the logbook correctly, write the syllabus, and seat everyone in the right places rather than paying attention to the student or pupil, but these are all just tools. The real value of education comes not through establishing material and formal processes but through productive teacher-student interaction.
The real product.
With the emphasis on testing, the priority of good grades on tests, and self-study, the formally oriented approach is what Agile technology denies. Instead of constantly testing students, you can have a discussion, a conversation about a topic. During such forms of control, the teacher gets much more information about the knowledge of his students. Accordingly, it is easier for him to build a route for further learning.
Team collaboration.
How often do teachers create collaborative projects for students? In general, how often do teachers communicate about the educational process rather than about outside topics? And after all, teachers can profoundly contribute to the educational process by using each other’s resources.
Why not have a mixed lesson on geography and math? One could calculate the distance from our country to the CIS countries, build a geometric map, make a function of the distance from Moscow to other capitals, etc. At the junction of two or more areas, create quite exciting ideas. For this, you need to produce somewhat different platforms for teachers’ communication than meetings, pedagogical councils, etc.
Willingness to accept change.
Adaptability is the most important principle of Agile, allowing you to respond to all changes. Yes, of course, a strategic goal is needed, but deviations from short-term plans are okay. Strict adherence to work programs can ignore the real needs of students. If students need an extra lesson to explain Present Perfect, the teacher can deviate slightly from the plan and set up a task devoted to parsing the tense. The students will benefit from this because that’s what matters.
These principles are embedded in the Agile system. By the way, if you are interested in modern educational technologies, we offer you our program “Best Self-Education Techniques,” wherein 5 weeks you will learn the techniques and methods of more exciting and practical learning.
Bonus
Finally, I’d like to give you some examples of gadgets that can make a big difference in the learning process. Let’s look at this list:
- Free pen (capable of writing on any surface, synchronizing with your gadget where the text displayed will appear).
- Virtuali-Tee (a T-shirt that visualizes all your internal organs if you put it on and point your gadget’s camera at it).
- Arduino Coding Kit (an electronic constructor based on the Adruino board allows you to program your ideas).
These are the innovations of today’s children. Hurry up, and you master these educational technologies, which will become an everyday occurrence shortly.
Bio:
Jeanna Bray is a person who finds the right words and forms of presentation to convey the benefits students get when addressing PaperHelp experts for research and writing assistance. You can hardly name a top-ranked copywriting course – free or paid – that she hasn’t attended while pursuing a BA in Digital Communication.
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