12 Exciting Education Trends Kickstarting in 2017

The subject of spreading knowledge is now poised to look up to these trends that will make waves until the end of 2017. Given the fact that teachers are constantly trying to reinvent themselves to offer the best possible education to their wards, here is a long list of education trends that will make teaching and learning as interesting practices. Keeping in mind the innate interests of students, education will be imparted employing the most modern techniques that will appease to both the learning and teaching sections.

So, here are the exciting trends connected to education that will become the talk of the town by the end of 2017.

Students Will Take On Center Stage

Given the technological advancements that are supporting every sphere of human life, education is another important space that is poised to register a fillip in 2017 on account of technology. With numerous advancements making their way into the lives of students, knowledge-seekers will be in a position to acquire a host of skills that will prompt them to compartmentalize information into important and insignificant data.

The year 2017 will see students wear the sash of information evaluators when they can make the most of digital literacy, civic education and media learning. This way, they can also come under intelligent creators of relevant content. They will be in a better position to evaluate information and their multiple sources. This development will make students stand in good stead by demonstrating what they know to the world at large through the creation of important content. Not only that, they can support their content with an evidence that a particular piece of information is worth learning and knowing about.

The Evolution of Seamless Learning Spaces

It is a thing of the past when education was confined to learning and memorizing within the four walls of a classroom. In the recent years, there is a paradigm shift in acquiring knowledge through multiple online sources. Emerging as a phenomenon linked to blended learning, students can bank on their smartphones to teach them about any topic under the sun.

You as a seeker of relevant information can enter into interactive online sessions as a part of educative forums conducted by subject matter experts in various fields and specializations. You can enroll yourself with an e-learning course that will help you gain knowledge alongside bestowing you with a course-completion certification. You can learn at your own pace and from the comfort of your study room with a 24/7 access to video tutorials, course material and online lectures. By the end of 2017, students will have numerous opportunities knocking on their doors promising them learning through real-world connections; the simulation-learning made possible with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).

The Omnipotent and Omnipresent VR and AR

By the end of 2017, we would be successfully becoming a part of the first generation of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality learning apps. These apps will bring in an excitement to learning through real-world simulation. These unique apps which teach students about everything and anything under the sun, will become the new buzzwords of learning.

With this trend catching up, the day is not far when more and more people connected to education will begin to bank on these technologies. These technologies aim at improving student-teacher engagement in a recreated environment which is so stimulating. And by 2017, you can expect a rush of technological innovations that will prompt more players to make an impactful entry into the arena of educational startups; employing state-of-the-art technologies.

Many More Good Alternatives to College

Not all students are cut out for college education. This is a well-known fact that is often heard in the teaching circles. In line with this ideology, the year 2017 will register a push to alternative and unconventional options that students can consider. They can sign up with a vocational school that imparts skill-based training. There are umpteen opportunities that are attracting the student fraternity in the form of on-the-job apprentice trainings. With the digital marketing industry growing by leaps and bounds, a plethora of career-progression options can unveil in the form of startups from students blessed with entrepreneurial skills.

The Unique Amalgamation of “Learn While You Play”

Alongside the popularity of AR and VR leaning apps, the year 2017 will notice a rush of learning games. You can actually get serious with your education by playing games. The world of game-based learning is expanding and thus promises you to lay hands on plenty of novel and interesting games. Promising the perfect blend of excitement and learning, 2017 will have more and more teachers treading the gaming path. This will introduce students to the fun element that can make learning a pleasurable experience for life.

Clarity Will Lead to Mastery

By the end of 2017, teachers will be employing strategic ways to include formative assessments to learning. They will begin to bring in feedback systems supported by a process of self-assessment. This will pave way for students to assimilate knowledge after gaining clarity about their learning goals. With these changes, the learning process is poised for a major overhaul coming in the form of intrinsic motivation. Grades will no longer become the only yardstick to educational excellence.

The time is ripe for students to become masters in their chosen subjects by doing away with the grading system. They will strive to gain holistic information from various sources in tune with their learning objective. Thus, it will be interesting to witness this change when grades will come more under scrutiny in 2017 than they had been in the earlier academic years.

“Compulsory Learning”Leads To “Choice Learning”

By the end of 2017, the educational curriculum of all types of students including the K-12 students will be skewed towards “choice learning’. Typically curated according to the learner’s choice, educational curriculum will register a sea change. Tag this with the emergence of debates about the advantages and limitations of choice learning in various educational contexts and you have a holistic learning model. Leading to the prominence of choice programs in schools, this learning trend will favor the student community to specialize in the subject that interests them the most.

Digital Badges – The New Age Academic Credentials

Gone are the days when teachers used to send report cards home for the scrutiny of your parents. Tagged as yardsticks to assess your academic performance in school, the new age academic credentials are currently gaining prominence. Bestowed in the form of a digital badge, this is a validated measure of the skill, quality and interest that a student has in his chosen subject. This is an academic credential that is easy to issue, earn and display across the internet. With the popularity of digital badges picking up from the beginning of 2017, the end of the year will witness a dramatic progress when these badges will become promising instruments of academic assessment.

Parents On the Pedestal

The school is indeed the second home of students. And their first home is where their parents will act as guiding light, constantly guiding them to tread the right path. The year 2017 will mark the beginning of a revolution with schools going the extra mile to engage with the families of their wards. They will make use of personalized and supportive technologies as a part of parent-inclusive techniques.

Schools will be seen taking the recommendations of parents by engaging them with parent interviews and surveys. Going one step ahead, 2017 will see great traction coming in the form of inviting parents to step in as educational contributors. Parent engagement will be the topic that will occupy the minds of schools’ administrators so that a holistic pattern of learning emerges with parent involvement and participation. The day is not far when parents work in tandem with teachers to churn out the best supportive pattern of teaching to students.

Machine Learning Will Make An Impressive Debut In Education

The concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning will seep into the educational sphere with more and more students interacting with computers. These two unique concepts will become the buzzwords of 2017 with the emergence of case studies and applications that will be facilitated by these technologies. This will pave the way for a new beginning of educational research.

Educational Conversations Facilitated by Siri and Cortana

The year 2017 will witness a host of podcasts, blog posts and educational conversations revolving around these virtual assistants tagged with the names of Siri and Cortana. It will be during this time that these virtual assistants will play a significant role in classrooms by bringing in learning experiences stemming from a new thinking process. With this, individualized and personalized learning techniques will percolate into the teaching sphere. Along with these trends, the emergence of computerized personal assistants for learners will ensure that the conversations continue and grow until the end of 2017.

The Teaching Arena Will Get a Makeover

If you are concerned about the growing rate of teacher attrition, then the year 2017 will provide a strong retort to this global predicament. Schools will invest in the direction of improving teacher experience alongside paving the way to entirely alter the identity of teachers. This will be the time in history when teacher workspaces will be built in accordance with the cultural scope of startups. Progressing towards a functional, supportive and collaborative makeover, teachers will prompt the management to bring in innovative technologies that can be used to demonstrate their importance. As an add-on to this trend, the year 2017 will register a higher traction with teachers being awarded the tag of heroes and most-valued educators.

Conclusion

Giving due importance to all the facets of education, the year 2017 will see a major change when it comes to helping students taken on project-based learning. State-of-the-art technologies will make their strong presence felt in imparting knowledge, attracting students to learn their own way so that they can enjoy a sustainable career progression. Along with technology, learning which is supported by the timely and regular intervention of parents and teachers can be seen as the most promising trend that students can make by the end of 2017.