Modern Trends In Education: 50 Different Approaches To Learning

contributed by Lisa Chesser, opencolleges.edu.au

This post has been updated, slightly revised, and republished from a previous posting

Education sprouts in many forms.

Our views of what it should look like and how it should materialize depend on our value of it and our
experience with it.

What if a class consisted of words that led to information that whirled into blended realms of creativity
set up just for students, created by students. The students then dictated what they learned instead of
reluctantly ingesting information and standards imposed upon them.

That exists here and now. In every nook and cranny, around every corner, inside every well-
engineered lesson, students might just learn what they want to learn and actually find success while
improving the world around them.

Take a tour of 50 different views of education that somehow find a similar note: Education must
change.

1. Ground Up Diversity

Sir Ken Robinson campaigns changing education through talks, writing, advising, and teaching. He
believes education must change because it’s a stale environment in which most students don’t really
learn what they should or want to learn. How that happens makes all the difference—from the ground
up. People, students, and teachers create the change, not the administrators or the executives.

2. Social Networking

With social networking growing to the point that Technorati last tracked about 70 million updated
blogs, using social networking to teach any subject and catapult students into a realm other than
stagnant learning means blending the traditional education with modern communication. Many
educators believe this is the route to engaging students in learning all the basic skills they need.

3. Talking Education

Educators believe using talking or videos to review lessons and teach concepts helps students learn
and retain more. Between TedEd and TeacherTube, education talks a lot about everything. Students
love movement, television, and film so utilizing these snippets of information transforms the meaning
of learning especially for many students who are strapped for time.

4. Underground Education

According to John Taylor Gatto, teachers should choose the real world over the classroom. Students
don’t learn to live or survive in a classroom. They learn to survive in the real world so the concept of
underground education challenges educators in any walk of life to give students the tools with which
to live and breathe in the world around them. If the lesson must be taught, then teach it thinking of
who they might become.
5. Navdanya

Dr. Vadana Shiva’s mission lives and breathes in Navdanya, an organization that promotes self-
reliance and earth democracy. The leaders of the organization are women who find strength in
women’s movements and give women a voice. Earth democracy developed from the idea of seed
saving helping local communities become self-reliant.

6. Self-Directed Learning

Read here for more on Self-Directed Learning.

7. Social Status

Even more significant to learning than being an asset, social status plays an underlying role in the
education of a small or large group of people whether it’s an entire country’s agenda or certain
sections or communities within that country. In other words, if that community puts importance on
education as a social benefit, students and people in that community will strive to achieve it in order
to raise their status in the community.

8. Lesson Study

Originating in Japan, lesson study applies to style of teaching. Conceptually, lesson study promotes
the idea that teachers constantly improve and change their style of teaching based on students’
performance and reaction to it. It sounds like what we already do but not exactly. Collaboration
between teachers is paramount and so is change. Combining these two factors with constant change
means students never stop learning.

9. Constructive Struggling

Another Japanese form of teaching is to allow students to struggle through a lesson with guidance
from their teacher. In other words, the student shouldn’t be embarrassed about failing the first time
around, not even the second or third time. The instructor should actually encourage students to learn
from that failure.

10. School in the Clouds

After experimenting with a computer in a wall where poor children basically found a way to learn
without a teacher, Sugata Mitra won the Ted Prize of $1 million in 2013. He wrote an ebook named
Beyond the Hole in the Wall offering an ideal for education based on a very real premise that students
learn no matter what social status or economic background. They simply need the tools with which to
do so.

11. Problem-Based Learning

In regards to tertiary education, problem-based learning is gaining popularity in Australia. Students

are given a real-world problem then they work together to find a solution to this. In Australia, nursing
programmes have begun to embrace this style of teaching and learning because it challenges the
students to work as if they’re dealing with real problems they’ll encounter in the workplace. Teachers
find it invaluable because students learn more with this method.
12. Learning with Technologies

Another view found around the world surrounds the use of technologies as a key to students
improving their learning and ‘marketability.’ Within the realm of technologies, teachers encourage
students to innovate, bringing them full-circle into the 21st-century where visibility and adaptability
rule.

13. Constructivist Learning

According to Dimitrios Thanasoulas of Greece with relation to philosopher Giambattista Vico, humans
only understand what they construct. This concept runs on the idea that students create their own
learning environments, actively participating in the knowledge they ingest. Creating your own learning
involves making mistakes with no preset agenda in place. Constructive learning is not stable so many
educational systems reject it.

14. International Objectives

Many countries are creating a climate conducive to international students’ interests and desires. In
2010, $7.7 billion was spent on tuition by international students in Canada. Countries that give
attention to international students find economic benefits in both education and employment.

15. MOOCs & eLearning

Free education has materialized in the form of eLearning and Massive Open Online Courses as a
direct result of students wanting to learn but not having the resources to do so whether that means
they don’t have the money or the background to achieve their learning goals.

16. Competency-Based Education

Competency-based education says that regardless of the length of time it takes for a student to
complete a course, the student completes it based on what they know already. The only factor in
determining how or when the student completes the course is the mastery of knowledge within the
subject.

17. The Bologna Process

More an agreement than a concept, the Bologna Process is an agenda bent on responding to the
changing landscape of education. Higher education systems in European countries organize
themselves to create a more modern, advanced system of higher education for the incoming
students.

18. Degree Qualifications

The Lumina Foundation argues that degree programs need to set benchmarks for students that
prepare them for an ever-changing workplace. These degrees then aren’t simply meant for study but
give students goals and skills that will help them find and maintain jobs once they enter the workforce.

19. Herbert Stein’s Law

Herbert Stein’s Law states, “If something can’t go on forever, it will stop.” Many within and outside of
the field of education have latched onto this law as a wake-up call to educators. It shows its presence
with the advent of so many changes actively taking place and being embraced throughout every
educational environment.

20. Disrupting Innovation

Some see online education as a disruptive process in the clean line that traditional education has
managed to stronghold, which links to Herbert Stein’s law in the sense that online education is putting
an end to this stronghold. Americans see this as a crisis because of the unemployment rate and the
competition from China and India. In response, disruptive innovation means the expense and elitism
of education is changing to provide an affordable alternative.

21. Open Innovation

Open innovation promotes the idea of competition. In the business world this means opening up
platforms for companies in the form of contests. In higher education, this means bringing together
various institutions for competitions locally and globally. It means not confining it to only a select few
but opening up to as many contestants as possible.

22. High-Quality Teachers

Another view and criticism of education puts the success or the blame on the teachers’ low salary.
Respect for the teaching profession is crucial to the process of growing high-quality teachers. Finnish
educator Pasi Sahlberg believes that educators should be paid more and for good reason. In Finland,
receiving placement in a master’s programme for teachers is harder than getting a law or medical
degree.

23. Finnish Education

Instead of focusing on meeting standards and racing to the top, Finland focuses on providing quality
education to everyone. Contrary to many of the other views in this list, Finland doesn’t believe in
competition or even giving grades until fifth grade. The system also doesn’t believe in punitive
measures but encourages trust and equality.

24. Social Support Strategy

Organizations such as The Adolescent Girls’ Advocacy and Leadership Initiative (AGALI) use social
support strategy to ensure young women learn about themselves beyond social norms. Realizing that
the institutionalization of education can only go so far, these organizations provide education in other,
far-reaching ways that give people a sense of confidence and self-worth necessary to finding success
in life.

25. Change Agents

Elevating the teacher as the key to changing the groaning educational system, change agents are
teachers who not only embrace the notion of change but simply make change happen. They don’t
wait for a law to pass or a standard to take effect, they just take the initiative to ensure students learn
no matter what the circumstances or limitations.

26. Common Core Change

In the United States, the implementation of common core standards is meant to support higher
education, which has reported a lower standard in educational abilities than in years before. It’s also
meant to challenge students more by forcing education to enter the 21st century with more student-
driven learning.

27. Start-up Education

Start-ups and education are slowly finding each other and attempting to link up with one another. The
only problem is that bureaucracy in education creates slow change. But, when that change does
occur, fast change and innovation give students and educators an ecosystem in which to thrive and
learn. LearnLaunchX showcased startups’ products to educators creating enthusiasm in hopes of
changing educational sloth.

28. Mobile Education

We move as a global society so that where ever we go, we carry our smartphones with us. Between
conversations, we look down and tap away at whatever our minds fancy necessary or entertaining.
So education, at least in the most cognizant facets, says it will be there too. It will walk with us on our
journeys, our whims, our detours, and our desires. If we take our laptops around the world, education
will walk with us according to mobile educational theories.

29. Invisible Structures

On that same note, why place a student in a box? If a student prefers to learn while traveling the
world, then so be it. Breaking down the walls of education doesn’t simply mean creating online
classrooms but encouraging students to meet in open spaces and learn outside the confines of the
institution. Teaching outside the classroom should be a source of inspiration, not a strange
phenomenon.

30. Economic Empowerment

Giving students the ability to control their economic status through teaching them skills and economic
value systems around the world helps them become leaders and innovators but also helps them find
a basis for earning an income in a fluctuating economy.

31. Vocational Training

Whether students are seeking a specialized higher education or a specific skill in order to further a
career path, vocational training has become a more popular avenue and view of education in general.
Often used by governments to train displaced workers, it can be a valuable source of study for
anyone wanting to specialize in areas such as various types of medical technicians or even graphic
arts.

32. Gamification

The concept of gamification basically means introducing the gaming experience to environments
where gaming would normally be unacceptable: Education. The word gamification was actually
coined by an English programmer, Nick Pelling, in 2004. Adding gaming to education means simply
enough that the user completes certain tasks for rewards just like in a video game.
33. Smart Capital

Smart capital involves placing funds exactly where they should be. Instead of handing funds over to
an entire community or country based on need, the money flows into the hands of those that need it
but will also use it effectively then share their ideas and funds with others so that we eliminate
mediocre use or even no use of technology and funds.

34. Catalytic Role

Many foundations or organizations play a catalytic role in advancements in education such as the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation. They help innovators change the dynamics of education by providing
monetary and other resources as support through college-ready education and post-secondary
success. The main idea is to strengthen the relationship between teacher and student so that the
learning process progresses to the point at which students not only learn but apply what they learn.

35. Blended Learning

Blending learning and technology gives students an advantage over others. It’s one thing to move
along at one’s own pace. It’s another to learn at one’s own pace. Linking the two makes a difference
worth noting. Teachers don’t have to be breathing over the neck of the student. Guiding the student is
often quite enough.

36. Collective Education

The individual takes the back seat when it comes to the idea of collectivist education. Students learn
in groups and more importantly with each other better and more effectively than alone. This doesn’t
mean that we disregard the individual online learner, but it means that the online learner will learn
better when exposed to a group of learners with similar interests who can offer insight and
questioning into the process of learning any particular subject.

37. Personalized Education

Ironically enough, personalized education holds even more value than ever. The difference is that
personalized education doesn’t mean there isn’t collective education. It just means that the education
is given importance to personalized needs and desires, that the individual should mean something
within the collective forum.

38. Flexible Learning

With the personalized education, the value of flexible learning needs to be addressed. Flexible
learning offers students choices, convenience, and a personal approach to learning any given
subject. Because we are individuals, learning and teaching should entail some form of flexibility within
the realm of standardization.

39. Flipped Learning

As bluntly put as possible, a “flipped classroom” means turning learning on its head. Take the
learning environment and flip it around so that students do the nitty-gritty of learning with their
teachers or professors as opposed to studying for exams alone in a dark room with only a bright lamp
to guide them. The fun part happens at home with a link to a short article or a video. The tough part
happens in school where the teachers can help students fill in the blanks.

40. Classical Education

The classical education of any group of students rewind to a time lost to them if delivered in a lecture
format. Students can experience the beauty of Shakespeare at any age because they see it like it
was and is, in a theater, no matter how small or large. Students at Oxford, in an online class, or
students at a small school experience classical education because it’s handed to them by teachers
who deliver it in motion.

41. Free Post-Secondary Education

Countries all over the world offer free post-secondary education giving students in those countries an
obvious advantage over other students who may or may not receive any education at all. Students
might be able to pay for their education if they work while they’re putting themselves through school
and if they’re lucky enough maybe they have a resource providing them with funds for their education,
but free resources guarantee an education that adds value to whatever they want to become.

42. Religious Education

Religious education exists because communities and cultures give it an importance beyond
knowledge. Linking them together with time and presence, students learn the nature of who their
families and communities believe they are as well as how to deal with a changing world full of
disappointments and violence.

43. Moral Education

Moral education involves many religions and many insights into the way humans interact with one
another. How we manage our way through difficulties is just as important as how we maneuver
through technological advances, at least to our ancestors and their views of right and wrong.

44. Character Education

Within the realm of creating morality, there’s character standing right next to it. Character may even
be a stronger element of education than morality. With students so quickly exposed to violence and
sexism throughout the Internet, character development takes effort and awareness. At every level of
education, students should be exposed to it and given a chance to exercise their understanding of it.

45. Readiness Testing

Readiness Testing points educator and students in the right direction according to the people who
view it as necessary. It allows educational systems to decide whether students can perform various
tasks at a particular level therefore giving everyone insight into where and how students should move
forward.

46. Sharing Voices

In New Zealand, students are encouraged to use online tools in order to tell their own stories and
have their voices heard throughout their own communities and their country. In fact, the Ministry of
Education’s goal is to have students express themselves and take responsibility of their own learning.

47. Expeditionary Learning

Expeditionary learning brings the learning out into the world expediting the need to learn more than
what’s confined inside the classroom walls but even more so using the world to learn. Students feel
engaged in learning while achieving goals and accomplishing character development when exposed
to learning outside.

48. Sharing Voices

In New Zealand, students are encouraged to use online tools in order to tell their own stories and
have their voices heard throughout their own communities and their country. In fact, the Ministry of
Education’s goal is to have students express themselves and take responsibility of their own learning.

49. Expeditionary Learning

Expeditionary learning brings the learning out into the world expediting the need to learn more than
what’s confined inside the classroom walls but even more so using the world to learn. Students feel
engaged in learning while achieving goals and accomplishing character development when exposed
to learning outside.

50. Global View

According to renowned educator Yong Zhoa, high-stakes testing creates more problems than
provides answers and it doesn’t match success in the world today. Educating creative,
entrepreneurial students should be the focus of education with what he calls world-class learners in
his latest book. Zhoa believes there needs to be a paradigm shift in education that builds on students’
strengths and gives them a format where their talents flourish and take shape instead of education
shaping them.