Emerging Trends and Technological Innovations in 21st Century Primary Education

Dear parents, are your kids going to preschools or primary sections? Do you also believe that the aura of education has drastically transformed in the last two decades?  Well, in this changing era, how best you raise your child will be your immediate concern. Let us help you explore the emerging trends and latest innovations in primary education.
Early childhood education is growing steadily.
These trends and innovations in primary education will help you engage your child with a better education and proper upbringing.

Interactive learning

Gone are the days when tutors used to teach their students in a closed classroom in front of whiteboard / blackboard. With the advent of spick-and-span technologies being infused in school curricula, educators and institutions have begun rethinking all aspects of classroom elements.
Bloom’s taxonomy is getting popular where a set of three hierarchical models are used to categorise educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. These are the days of project-based, team-oriented, interactive and approach-based learning because of early literacy drift.
For primary education, the interactive learning is a great way of education for rising stars (age 5-12  years). The interactive learning styles comprise of mind mapping, flipped learning and remote learning.
(a) Mind-maps being graphics and visual makes learning fun and interactive. The current hyperactive generation studying in preschools and primary finds it easy to grasp and recall information. Also, it opens up imaginations in their minds since the entire mind-map is prepared using circled ideas linked together with lines, the same way a human mind functions.
(b) Flipped learning is a blended learning where students study the concepts at their home from tutorials and video lectures. Such online learning provides comfort to all – students, tutors and parents.
(c) Remote learning is kind of flipped learning where tutor provides assistance/tutoring to the students online from the remote location. Here, students can avoid going to schools or educational institutes and still can attend classes virtually.
Quick Tip: An interactive learning environment can be created using Wi-Fi enabled classroom technology and various mobile app solutions.
Undoubtedly, the future of this emerging trend is very bright.

Educational mobile apps – a boon for tutors, blessings for parents

Tutoring is one of the oldest professions across the globe. However, even a vocation like this cannot escape the rising “Uberisation” of day-to-day life. Tutors have become a part of mobile app culture. A tutor can very well engage primary students and their parents with educational mobile apps for the best outcomes.
On the other hand, parents also depend upon apps for homework assistance. These apps are as easy-to-use as WhatsApp. There are many educational apps available in the market where parents can post their query and tutor replies to it in a quick time. The quality and frequency of parents’ queries help tutors to understand what kind of learning challenges their dear kids are facing.
Mr. Choy Ban Heng, a former maths school teacher pursuing a Ph.D. in Maths education, says that interaction with parents gives him an idea of the challenges faced by the children.
In addition, on such apps, parents click pictures of assignments, classwork and homework and post them in the groups.
At this growing age, both creativity and socialisation are key for overall growth and development. Believe it or not, there are several quality educational mobile apps for that!
Quick Tip: Educational mobile apps engage students and parents, enable access to required information and improve teacher-parents’ communication.

Increased assessments of primary schoolers to minimise achievement gaps

The assessment of students is a critical component of a successful education. Such assessments also help in evaluating performances of tutors. The right assessment helps educators and tutors to identify learning needs of students and bridge the achievement vs. expectation gaps. For an accurate assessment, it is imperative to provide an environment where kids can express their feelings and release their creativity. Another advantage of assessments is to make parents aware of a child’s learning style and related requirements.
At this growing age, assessments are mostly carried out through observations, benchmarking and ratings
Assessments must be culturally, linguistically, and individually appropriate and should address all children’s development, progress, strengths, and needs.
Sharp focus on physical fitness and reinforcement of desirable behaviour
These are not technological innovations but falls under the category of emerging trends. Nowadays, high amount of attention is being given to physical fitness in the education sector. Due to the advent and intensive usage of digital books, apps and gamification, the time for outdoor activities should not be compromised. The digitalisation and modernisation of preschool and primary education have somewhat contributed to the burning issue of childhood obesity.
Some innovative preschool institutions and primary schools are rendering students with training in sports that may involve running, dancing, swimming and basic training of martial arts. By concentrating on noncompetitive and individualistic sports activities, early childhood and primary educators can help kids get a healthy start.

Closing thoughts…!

Student life is especially important for learning and self-development. One obviously can’t perform the entire duties of learning and development since each and every student is unique in their own ways. And hence, from what all has been elicited, it is pretty obvious that integration of online technologies into the learning environment is one of the most emerging trends in primary education. Of course, institutional based education still exists. However, more focus than ever is emphasised on learning at home using the Internet.
Source: IAMWIRE
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