Albert Einstein quoted "Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think". Education is both the practices of imparting information to others and absorbing it from someone else.
Education is a planned activity with certain goals in mind, such as knowledge transmission or the development of skills and character. It provides stability in one’s life and is hard for someone to take away education within you. Education boosts chances of finding better employment possibilities and widens career options by being well-educated and obtaining a professional degree. Therefore, it is important to understand how we can train or educate the people in the current scenario. In general, trends in education refer to the teaching and learning methods available to train people. For this purpose, it is necessary to know the latest trends in education:
Online learning: Covid-19 has compelled us to adopt online learning. It is because it was not possible for the tutors and learners to conduct or attend face-to-face classes. This was the era when online learning took hold and became a new platform for learning. Though the tutors and learners were positioned distantly, but with the help of online learning they develop a sense of belongingness no matter of distance.
Blended Learning: Thanks to the technology, that has allowed us to have a blended learning method. It focuses on both face-to-face and eLearning or training methods. As per my experience this is a unique idea because the learners can study their course with onsite and online learning which gives them exposure to interact with others face to face as well to share knowledge. Overall, this method of learning experience boosts the learner's motivation.
Personalized learning: This method focuses on the student-centric approach to learning. It gives the opportunity to the learners to raise their voices and choices. In this method the learners enjoy their own pace of learning. The learners who want to have flexibility in their learning journey prefer this method. For instance, UniAthena as a higher education platform offers a self-paced learning format.
Project-based Learning (PBL): It is rightly said that "Knowledge is a consequence of experience".This method of learning emphasizes gaining knowledge based on experience. The learners are expected to go through the projects and provide the outcome of their experience. Later, learners will be able to apply this experience in real-world settings. This process helps to sharpen the skills and provide chances for a better future. For example, project-based learning might be focused to design a smart city for the year 2050.
Gamification: Yes, you are correct, this method is related to learning with fun ‘GAME’. The primary focus for this method is the young children only, the reason is that they expect games to be everywhere i.e., from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep. This method applies the mechanics and theory of games to non-game contexts. Learners are highly motivated and inspired by gamification in teaching and learning.
Social Networking Learning: Social media encourages autonomous research and decision-making, preparing pupils for life after school. These social media abilities can be led and improved to yield superior learning outcomes and critical awareness when they are reinforced in a classroom setting. Social media also gives kids more opportunity to communicate and collaborate outside of the traditional classroom, allowing them to begin experiencing a linked world long before they start working. For instance, Blogs with comment functionality to share and discuss information.
Apart from the above, there are many other trends in education such as Ground Up Diversity, Competency-Based Learning, Neuroeducation etc. All these groundbreaking advancements have transformed the education landscape globally and helped learners to upskill with greater ease and flexibility.