3 Education Trends You Should Know About in 2022

As our world and society continue to grow and change, so do the ways we educate. No longer do we train teachers to be the authoritarian head of the classroom, today’s teachers are focusing on soft skills training, playful learning, and technology in the classroom. Here’s what you need to know about 2022’s top three educational trends.

1. Soft Skills Training

Students who have developed important soft skills like critical thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, social skills, emotional management, and time management have a huge advantage in the 21st-century. When it comes to employment and college, these skills are what employers and professors are looking for. Students need a solid foundation of content knowledge and life skills as they prepare to enter the workforce or begin their post-secondary studies. 

A 2020 study that analyzed short-term and long-term outcomes of 150,000 students in Chicago’s public schools found that schools that focus on building social-emotional qualities saw better results for students than schools that focus solely on improving test scores. This goes to show that while test scores have their purpose, they aren’t the most important aspect of a child’s education. Students also need opportunities for social-emotional development and soft skills training. 

2. Playful Learning

The traditional education model has told us that “play” is a break from learning. It has told teachers that students need only a limited amount of time to play while the rest of the school day should be devoted to studying, testing, and independent work. Today, more and more educators are using playful learning, sometimes called play-based learning (PBL) or inquiry learning, in their classrooms. 

Games and play-based activities keep students mentally active, engaged, socially interactive (with peers or teachers), and help them build meaningful connections between learning and their lives. Schools that focus on implementing playful learning offer students an opportunity for exploration in a context designed to meet specific learning goals. When students have these opportunities, they develop creative and critical thinking skills instead of passively memorizing information. 

3. More AI in the Classroom

The future of education will be embedded with artificial intelligence (AI). Whether we realize it or not, AI is already a huge part of our lives. Our Netflix ques, Amazon carts, and favorite phone apps all use AI to design our personalized experience. Educators have long understood the importance of personalizing students’ learning experiences, so it isn’t surprising that AI offers a lot of benefits for education. 

Edtech tools help teachers track student progress, save time, and personalize lessons for individual students. Many educators struggle with the same challenge: how to give individual attention to 20 or more students at the same time. With AI like the Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), students can get the individual support they need from technology. With this kind of technology at hand, teachers have a tool that allows them to offer personalized learning support to each and every student. 

Final Thoughts

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged educators to reconsider what we thought we knew about education. As school communities work hard to recover from learning loss and social isolation, it’s crucial we look towards the future and give students the skills they need to be successful. Soft skills training, playful learning, and educational AI are promising trends and are worth your consideration.