In 2013, education saw a number of changes and rising tendencies. As a result, students now have more access to online courses. In addition, social media finally found a place in education. Changes will not stop here. In the new 2014, a number of new trends will start to enjoy bigger popularity. Here are the main trends in education which we will see in the next one year.
Early Education
Although some educational systems, like the British one, have started to accept students at really young ages, the early education trends will further develop and evolve. This time around, however, it will not be a limited tendency. Nevertheless, the biggest adopters of early education will definitely be the North America. The U.S. already allocated tens of billions of dollars on early-age education. In addition, in some parts of Canada, full-day kindergarten is seen as a top priority. The benefits of this type of education is that students become much more successful.
Personalized Learning
Personalized learning responds to a student’s individual abilities, needs, as well as preferences. It understands that people are not one and the same and that they advance with their studies in a different way. Until recently, educators found it hard to accept this type of learning. One of the reasons is that teachers often need to dedicate their time not to a group of students, but to just one student. Nevertheless, personalized learning often leads to better school performance. In addition, it does not rely entirely on teachers, since it uses different resources. One of them, for instance, is virtual learning. In 2014, the advantages of this type of learning will finally become more obvious to both educators and students.
Technology and Education
The relationship between education and technology will become even stronger in 2014. Schools and universities will become more open to technological innovations in the classroom. As a result, some of the biggest trends in education over the next one year will have a lot to do with technology.
For example, BOYD (bring-your-own-device) will enjoy a huge popularity in 2014. The reason is that schools and colleges will finally realize that this can actually save them money. If student bring and use their own electronic devices in the classroom, education institutes will not need to purchase and maintain them themselves.
Another rising technology-related trend in education will be e-books. Again, schools and universities will find them cheaper to buy and will be more willing to invest in electronic books. That will not be only limited to the classroom, but it will be also seen in the libraries of these institutes.
Game-based learning will mature further
In 2013, educators accepted it and recognized its effectiveness. That is why in 2014, teachers will be more willing to use this technique in the classrooms.
Many institutions and companies have already moved to the cloud. Now it’s time for schools and colleges to do that. The cloud will offer many advantages to educational institutions. The biggest of them is that it will cut down costs for them, including those for applications and IT. In addition, it will offer teachers and students better access in the system.
If we have to sum up the 2014 trends in education, we would say that that students will start school earlier and have more access to personalized education. Also, the lines between education and technology will become a bit more blurry.
