There have been innumerable changes to the education industry over the last 10 years, so bringing the list down to just three is a difficult task. In saying that some things have stayed the same, the importance of excellent educators and a focus on achieving the best possible learning outcomes for students.

With these ageless pillars to help guide us there have been three major changes that pose both a challenge and an opportunity for educators to help improve their teaching environments and prepare their students for the world outside the classroom.

Here are 3 key changes to the education industry over the last 10 years:

There has been increased access to benchmarking data

Data is at the core of effective modern-day decision-making. Without data, we are relying on personal experiences, gut instincts, and subjective information to make decisions that can affect the lives of thousands of students. This is why there has been a push in recent years to make use of technology and yield improved benchmarking and data to allow educators to make better decisions about their policies, strategies, and teaching methods.

Standardized benchmarking tests are a fantastic way to measure long-term student progress, assess their cross-functional capabilities and compare them to others in their cohort. This can help individuals, schools and governments make better decisions about where the greatest improvements can be made to boost student competitiveness and performance. 

Technology has enabled vast learning potential

Technology has been around for as long as teachers have been teaching and students have been learning. From writing to blackboards to textbooks to computers, things have always been a changing landscape for pedagogues, particularly in recent years.

However, technology can be a distracting hindrance if not used correctly. Some ways that technology can be used to improve student learning include:

• Use of learning apps, online courses for better knowledge recall and student engagement, such as testing platforms or quiz apps,
• Use of tools that students will have to show proficiency in for their jobs such as writing platforms, presentation apps, analytics platforms and code literacy,
• Enablement of connectivity between students and teachers beyond the classroom for remote learning and monitoring,
• A focus on self-directed learning, where students are taught the skills that they need to find, research and apply the topics that they are most interested in.

Critical thinking has become more important than ever

Information is everywhere. In fact, the greatest challenge of the student today is to learn how to sift through the deluge of topics, opinions, and misleading information to find accurate, reliable, and applicable knowledge.

Therefore, a shift from traditional rote learning and a greater focus on research and critical thinking is vital for preparing students for effectively competing in the globalized, information-rich world of today.

Teaching students how to take a wide variety of sources, recognize their reliability, and distill useable information and insights is one of the major priorities of the modern-day teacher.

These are the 3 major changes to the education industry what others do you bring in notice do share in the comments below.

© Ruchie Verma.

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