2014 Teaching Trends

As schools continue to fail to make the mark on statewide assessments, teaching trends will continue to change. A new year is upon us, which brings with it new ideas and strategies that will be introduced to classrooms throughout the United States. Below is a sneak peek into two major new styles of learning that will be popular this coming year. Be on the lookout for more information on differentiated instruction and performance learning systems.

Differentiated Instruction

 

This style of teaching suggests that there are ways that educators can reach every student in their class -- regardless of the learning style or ability -- by giving kids flexibility in how they present what they learned. Educators must realize, however, that this style of teaching and learning can't be implemented overnight; it should be slowly introduced to the classroom. 

One way to start the process is to offer students the opportunity to make choices in their reading and writing assignments. For example, if one is teaching persuasive writing, they shouldn't demand that students write a speech. Give them the opportunity to choose how they want to demonstrate their understanding of persuasion. Students can opt to draw a comic strip, create a commercial, or argue a point. These choices set all students up for success, since they can decide how they want to present their knowledge of the concept. 

With differentiated instruction, teachers can also use the thumbs up/thumbs down to check for understanding, or graphic organizers like the ever-popular KWL chart to assess progress. More and more strategies will become available as people experiment with this style of teaching.

Performance Based Learning

 

This style of learning is new and exciting because it involves taking new skills and applying them to real-world situations. Many educational theorists believe that students don't fully understand something until they can apply it. Once students can see it functioning in the real world, the idea or concept is given relevancy. 

Traditional teaching was more fact and skill based, and students were often left wondering "when am I going to need to know this?" With performance based learning, students are shown why the information is important. Since these real-life interaction isn't always possible (daily field trips just aren't a reality), there are performance learning systems available that replicate many experiences. When children are able to interact with these systems, meaning is given to lessons.

As an educator, be prepared to hear more about these exciting learning trends.