Recent Trends in K-12 Education

Recent Trends in K-12 Education

The computer and the internet's evolution these past few years have been staggeringly fast. A computer that used to fill an entire building in 1965 has about the same computing power as a modern-day cellphone. Most of the popular forms of media like TV, radio, and print are slowly being nudged from their pedestal by the internet. Everything seems to have changed drastically these couple of years, and this includes the K-12 education system.

Some say that this change has been a long time coming. There is an analogy that uses fairy tale character Rip van Winkle to describe this; Rip van Winkle has just woken up from his hundred year slumber and stares in amazement about how much everything has changed in the time that he was asleep, he almost did not recognize anything, until he went into a classroom. Rip van Winkle recognized immediately that it was a classroom because nothing much has changed in the K-12 educational system since he fell asleep in 1906.

Thankfully, educators are starting to change with the times. The trend in K-12 education these days is that learning institutions should try their best to keep up with the recent advances in technology to better teach their students.

Here are some of the more popular trends in K-12 education today:

The Use of the Internet and Social Media as a Teaching Tool

All students these days know how to use a computer and the internet, and most of them are using social media networks to share their thoughts and to support each other. Educators these days know how to harness the power of the internet and social media to get in touch with their students, and hear their thoughts.

How the Condition of Educational Facilities Affect Performance

Basically the better the building's condition, the better the students and their teachers perform. There was a survey done with different schools in the US as subjects, they sought to find out just how much of an impact a school building's condition and facilities affect the students and teachers. Some results point out that better facilities led to less truancy, smoking, and substance abuse in the students. It was also determined that with better school buildings test scores rose up significantly. And even the behavior of the teachers and how well they instruct their students seem to increase along with improvements in the school.

Students Teaching Teachers

Students perform better when they have the opportunity to tell their teachers what things in the classroom needs improvement. Contrary to the old belief that students are too young to know what they need, K-12 education systems now give the students the opportunity to give pointers to their teachers on how they can better deliver their lessons so that the students can understand.

It was also found that giving the students the chance in contributing and even revising the classroom rules actually make the students abide to them; it gives them the feeling that they actually have a say on what goes in the classroom. Students tend to follow the class rules now since they had a role in making the rules and regulations.

Paying Close Attention to Each Students' Needs

Educators are not looking at their class as a collective; they see them as different individuals with different needs, which is why some students lag behind the others when it comes to the lectures. Educators can help these students keep up by giving them personalized attention.

These are just some of the recent trends in the K-12 education system. These are promising signs that show the educational system in the country is improving and no longer stagnant.

source: http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/