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The New Trends in Education

Master of Education, University of the People

Written Assignment Unit 1

Educ 5410

Child Development

Instructor

Dr. Tonya Tate

November 16th, 2022.

Introduction

With the growth of technology and the start of the 4th I industrial revolution, the

professional world and society at large are constantly changing and evolving. This has had a

great effect on the educational realm bringing about a variety of trends in the educational world.

As educators, we must keep informed about these latest trends and major aspects affecting

learning in the classroom to properly engage our learners. We can create more effective learning

environments by understanding the changes in the system (Debétaz, 2021)

Below I will analyze four trends in education today.

Diversity and inclusion education

In an increasingly diverse and global world where the contributions of all people are

recognized, it is important to prepare learners to be civically engaged adults. This can be

achieved through teaching to engage diversity, including all the learners, and seeking equity (the

University of Delaware, Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning, n.d.). Teaching for

diversity means that the educators acknowledge a variety of differences in the classroom while

teaching for inclusion means the teacher embraces those differences. When we allow the

differences to change how we learn, think, teach and act, handling all the experiences with

justice and fairness, then we teach for equity. People differ in many ways including religious

beliefs, race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, political conviction, ability, or sexual

orientation. All these differences work in concert to give essence to how teachers, learners, and

everyone else view the world (Prodigy, 2020).

Diversity in the classroom means that the teachers acknowledge the fact that learners come

to our classroom with unique strengths, experiences, and ideas, which we in turn explore and

incorporate to improve learning in our classrooms (Prodigy, 2020). Inclusion in the classroom

means that all learners feel supported in a way that they learn and explore new ideas freely, feel

respected as individuals and members of the class and feel safe to express their opinions civilly.

When we incorporate inclusive teaching strategies, learners see themselves as members of a

learning community in the classroom (the University of Delaware, Center for Teaching and

Assessment of Learning, n.d.).

There are several approaches to instruction that can enable teachers to meet every learner

where they are, such as differentiated instruction, universal design for learning, retrofitting,
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compensatory, teaching, and backward design. The classroom environment must be focused on

the general gathering of learners rather than a single learner. This allows the teacher to plan a

classroom around the different learning styles of the learners, creating an environment where

learners' needs are thought of, considered, and regarded.

I teach the English language to learners from grade 5 to IGCSE. To ensure diversity and

inclusion in my classroom, I ensure to create a classroom environment that promotes the self-

expression of each of the learners. I ensure to create learning environments where learners can be

themselves, can reflect, and freely express themselves. Such environments are a significant

foundation for speech development, especially in foreign language classes, where learners often

experience language barriers as a result of fear of making mistakes and anxiety. Educators need

to establish positive relationships with learners to create a diverse and inclusive learning

atmosphere. Regular and constant communication with learners, icebreaker activities,

communication with parents, individual contact, appropriate teaching strategies like active

learning, personalization of content, including learners in decision making, implementing group

work, encouraging equitable participation and objectivity of evaluation: a combination of all

these aspects creates a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

Differentiated instruction

Tomlinson defines differentiated instruction as a way of adapting the curriculum, and the

classroom environment, considering the learner’s styles, and the teaching strategies to cater to

the needs of all learners (Tomlison, & McTighe, 2006). This approach puts learners at the center

of focus. The proponents of this approach believe that one teaching style cannot cater to the

needs of all learners, given that each learner has their learning style (Stanford, &Reeves, 2009).

With this approach, the teacher has the liberty to adapt the curriculum content, the learning

process, the learning outcomes, or even the learning environment to cater to the needs of every

learner (Carlson & Clevenson, 2009; Stanford, &Reeves, 2009).

Differentiating learning environments include:

 Groupings that are fluid and flexible and approximate real-life situations

 Access to various materials and resources

 An atmosphere that encourages the expression of new ideas, acceptance of diversity, and

exploring
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 Experiences reflecting learner interests and ideas

 Honoring the dignity of all learners

(Differentiating the Learning Environment, n.d.)

Growth of online and blended learning

With the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, teachers and learners were forced to turn to

online teaching and learning. As the pandemic decreased, schools began to offer options for

virtual school and in-person schools. This has led to significant growth in blended

learning (Arnett, 2021 cited in Tucker, 2022). Blended learning is an approach to education

where technology is used to support or supplement traditional in-person classes. Thus learners

take advantage of both offline and online materials. A lot of technologies are used in blended

learning, and the levels of implementation vary from school to school (What is Blended

Learning, n.d.)

Among the factors that are contributing to the blended learning increase according to

Arnett, (2021) are:

 Accommodating learners in quarantine

 Keeping class sizes lower to limit transmission of COVID.

 Dealing with staff shortages.

 Providing options for staff and learners who are immunocompromised

 Capitalizing on financial investments into devices and wifi infrastructure made during the

pandemic.

 Increasing interest in flexible, technology-enhanced instructional models.

Although one may think that blended learning aims to replace the teachers with

technologies, the truth is that instead, teachers take advantage of technology to create engaging

lessons that focus on the unique needs of individual learners. Blended learning puts the learners

at the center of their learning due to its flexibility and accessibility (What is Blended Learning,

n.d.)

Complementing in-person and online learning leads to creating integrated classrooms

where the individual needs of learners are catered to. This allows for learner engagement, and

stimulates and motivates learners, which helps teachers to be more effective. By blended
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learning, learners of all abilities are afforded an opportunity to advance their studies at a

favorable pace, whereby struggling learners can progress at their rate and get personalized

support where they are stuck, as fast learners also advance in their learning. Gifted learners can

easily get bored and learners who need more attention can be left behind in a traditional

classroom learning environment where all learners are taught at the same level and pace.

Instruction is effective at every level because blended learning can be scaled, setting up all

learners for success and acquiring the 21st- century skills they need to succeed in an ever-

changing world (Blended Learning, n.d.).

Traditional approaches to learning do not maximize the benefits and affordances of

online learning environments (Tucker, 2022). Teachers need professional development Focused

on designing learner-centered learning experiences that blend engaged, active online learning

with engaged offline learning to optimize blended learning and online learning (Tucker, 2022)

Blended learning relies on a variety of technologies such as interactive whiteboards,

computers, Learning Management Systems, cloud-based solutions, videoconferencing, or full

online curricula. These technologies range from simple sharing of resources of lesson materials

through a cloud-based solution (What is Blended Learning, n.d.)

For example, during the pandemic, my school adopted blended learning where lessons

were conducted on teams, and assessments were posted on an LMS (Learning Management

System) where a learner must have a passcode to access their exams. Normal classroom

assignments were sent in the Google classroom given that every teacher had a Google classroom

account. Towards the end of the pandemic, some learners returned to school for in-person

learning while others remained attending their lessons online. Post-pandemic, all learners

returned to face-to-face learning, however, we still use Google Classroom to post the homework

assignment and to help in the personalization of content for the learners.

Technological trends in education

The education sector has also been affected by the explosion of technology over the

past 20 years. The internet and computers have changed how learners access both classes and

information themselves. About 6.5 million students enrolled in distance learning opportunities at

a degree-awarding institution by the autumn of 2017 (Debétaz, 2021)

Learners can now receive a high-quality education through the internet due to the growth

of technological advancements that brought about diverse media and learning support tools. This

trend in education has got a fair share of benefits and challenges for both teachers and schools

that want to continue to provide learners with the thorough education they need to succeed in the

world.

Benefits of incorporating technology

Technology gives teachers an opportunity to differentiate instruction and accommodate

varying learning styles. Gifted learners may receive additional learning materials and tasks to

encourage them to delve deeper into the materials without affecting the rest of the class.

Learning Management systems also make it easier for teachers to track how the learners are

progressing through the course. They can see the learner engagement with recorded and

broadcast classes. This tracking system is efficient given that it allows them to provide more

timely feedback and reaching if required (Debétaz, 2021). Using technology to differentiate

instruction enables the teacher to engage learners using diverse methods and vary the pace of

instruction, ability levels, and teaching approaches to challenge and engage learners (Poole,

2009). Instead of working hard, teachers work and think smarter when they use technology to

differentiate instruction science it enables the teacher to use less time to construct differentiated

content to cater to the needs of diverse learners (Stanford, 2010). Learning environments that are

technologically equipped allow all the learners to make use of and take part in specialized

groups, which can allow them to proceed to challenging tasks, and as they gain mastery of

important skills, they engage in intensive participation (Reimaging the role of technology in

education: 2017 National Education Technology plan update. 2017).

Challenges with incorporating technology in the classroom

Online platforms sometimes force teachers to change how they teach. This might be

challenging to change how they go about the lesson plan to make sure that learners keep engaged

during the learning session without seeing the teacher in person.

Learners may also not learn soft skills with the use of computers. Technology may not

have built-in opportunities for learners to engage with their peers, the way they may in the

traditional classroom. For instance, chances for leadership on group assignments won’t appear as

naturally as they did before.

Conclusion

With the advancement of technology, teachers can quickly and effectively tailor lessons to the

individual needs of the learners. Technological tools such as word processing systems that have

spell-check features motivate learners and enable them to work independently to acquire 21st-

century skills. Teachers need to exploit the power of readily available technology in the

classroom (Stanford, 2010). Of late teachers are already using technology to personalize learning

and affording learners choice on how they learn, what they learn, and the pace at which they

learn, thus directing their learning (Reimaging the role of technology in education: 2017 National

Education Technology plan update.(2017).

References

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do/blended-learning

Carlson, P.B, & Clevenson, R.B. (2009). Engaging all learners with primary sources. TPS

Quarterly, 2 (1). Library of Congress Teaching with primary sources program.

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Debétaz, E. (March 14, 2021) 5 Trends in Education that continue in 2022

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Differentiated learning environment, (n.d.). Weebly.com.

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Stanford, B., &Reeves, S. (2009). Making it happen: Using differentiated instruction, retrofit

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Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding

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Tucker, C. (June 4, 2022) 4 trends to watch in education https://catlintucker.com/2022/06/4-

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