2020 may have been tumultuous but it’s now time to look forward and focus on the trends that will shape future of education,says RAHUL DESHPANDE

The Year 2020 saw disruption in the global education system like no other year. The silver lining in this disruption is that as a sector we did not adhere to the dogmas of the past. Instead, the entire education sector came together and thought anew and acted anew. Innovative approaches and distance learning solutions were thought of and implemented like never before.

As we look back at this turbulent year, it’s now time to look forward and focus on the trends that will shape the future of education. This pandemic has given the education sector a golden opportunity to pilot changes which would have otherwise taken many more years to implement.

Let’s take a look at some of the emerging trends which will shape the education in 2021.

Technology: Digital platforms came to the rescue as schools migrated to online learning as the new way of teaching-learning due to the pandemic. A combination of synchronous and asynchronous methodologies using digital platforms and video-assisted learning has made online learning fun and collaborative for learners faced with challenging times and  this trend is likely to continue ruling in 2021.

Personalised learning: Due to remote learning, students are now learning individually. This has led to increased instances of personalised learning allowing educators to customise and personalise learning basis the needs of each student.

Hybrid schooling: With countries deciding to open schools in a phased manner, the possibility of hybrid schooling seems to be an option that most schools across the globe are likely to opt for.

Hybrid schooling provides an opportunity to strike a balance between online learning and traditional classroom learning, thus making it more interesting and innovative. This fast growing trend in education seems to be in tandem with the evolving situation across the globe.

Project-based learning: For those schools who value and promote Project Based Learning (PBL), increased use of Edtech tools due to remote learning have provided the right platform for children to collaborate and work on projects in a group.  It gave an opportunity to students to stay connected with each other and helped the teachers to facilitate curriculum delivery in a meaningful manner.

Although 2021 will see schools opening physically, flipped classroom methodology will come handy in imparting PBL wherein the students work individually on a project and then brainstorm and ideate either in small groups in a classroom  or during online learning . Presenting the projects to brainstorm by using technology while working on the projects remotely, will make the entire teaching-learning process interactive and more meaningful.

Professional development of teachers: COVID-19 saw teachers stepping up their game and adapting to newer ways of imparting education by embracing technology. The learning curve has been pretty steep for teachers across the globe. They have worked creatively, coming up with solutions to ensure that learning never stops.

Although they have done a marvelous job, they will need to be supported with sound understanding of technology and it’s wide range to plug in the gaps that have been identified during the remote learning year of 2020.