Key education trends to watch out for in 2019
As 2019 is expected to be an interesting year for
education in India – several trends of previous years will pan out strongly and
hopefully accelerate India’s march towards becoming a ‘knowledge economy’
The value of education in any society is uncontested—in
fact, its relevance in today’s world is possibly far greater compared to most
aspects of human life. It is probably for this reason that the World
Development Report 2018 published, in a first, focussed solely on education.
It is a very gratifying experience for anyone
associated with education to go through this report as it delves into systemic
issues that impact education and areas of future focus. In the Indian context,
the report is extremely relevant given the strides we have made as a nation in the
space of education. Yet there are issues that need to be addressed, making
education quite fundamental to our nation’s future growth agenda. Below are the
key trends to watch out for in 2019:
Growth of integrated learning
solutions: While on one hand it is fascinating to see schools, mainly
in urban centres, adopt technology with alacrity, a very large number has yet
to experience its benefits owing to connectivity and infrastructure issues, and
therefore rely on the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ model of education. India
needs bespoke education solutions that align with its
socio-economic-technological landscape. Integrated learning solutions that
seamlessly combine print books with digital learning aids appear to be a great
fit for India, and their demand is expected to surge significantly in the
coming years.
Adoption of formative assessment
solutions: The last few years have witnessed a lot of debate on the
importance of learning outcomes. As a result, there has been increased focus on
assessment as a theme. The catch however lies in choosing the right assessment
solution. The routine assessment solutions adopt a cookie cutter approach by
just testing for basic recall, that too at the end of the term. On the other
hand, formative assessment solutions are designed to analyse social and
personal competencies and test the learners’ progress alongside curriculum
delivery, and hence are more suited to ensuring that learning makes an impact.
Formative assessments are also adaptive, giving the learner a personalised feel
of outcomes.
Learning through regional
languages: Ours is a nation of varied languages, and hence rendering
anything via one language alone will be rather ineffective in terms of reach.
Learning through regional language content and/or bilingual content will only
grow as a trend in the coming year, ensuring coverage of a wider learner base.
Increased demand for teacher
professional development: It is important to familiarise teachers with
21st century competencies and skills, new teachinglearning pedagogies and
augmenting their lateral thinking abilities through professional development
programmes.
(Sivaramakrishnan Venkateswaran - Managing
Director, Oxford University Press India)
TOI 17DEC18
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