1

Four New Trends in Education and their Analysis

Writing Assignment: Unit 1

Masters of Education in Teaching: University of the People

EDUC 5410: Child Development

Dr. James Parker

June 27, 2024.

 2

Four New Trends in Education and their Analysis

Seifert & Sutton (2009) in their research acknowledged four new trends in education

which for me as a maths educator proves to be very significant and appropriately measured for

my practice in a rural jurisdiction. The trends accredited as novel are deemed worthy of analysis

and include as follows: i) diversity in student population; ii) using technology to support

learning; iii) accountability in education; iv) increased professionalism of teachers. For diversity

in student population, in the past the student population was more consistently similar in nature

with the majority of children possessing comparable culture, background and experiences.

However, today’s student population as a result of immigration have a broad mix of children

with different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences – posing for educators many challenges

that have forced a revolution in the teaching landscape. With my teaching practice located in a

rural part of my country, where there exist poverty, criminality, and violence – this presents an

additional complexity in educating my students. Many of the students of low socioeconomic

status (SES) attend school inconsistently, as they are committed to help their parents who are

farmers and fisherfolks with the process of earning an income for their households – resulting in

deficiencies in their learning. In the past, students had more of a regular turnout at school and

more reliable educational support as those times were less costly, possessed manageable class

sizes, had vastly reduced crime rates and there were more order in the community. The teaching

and learning methodologies were consistently delivered in a standard way, very instructor-

centric, with the absence of choices and varied instructions. Today, there is an acknowledgement

of the diverse requirements of learners from the global community and efforts made to satisfy

those demands (Brazeau, n.d.; Ellis, 2024). As a maths educator, I must be sympathetic to the

exclusive cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds of my learners – adjusting instructions to

 3

comply with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) protocols and having it available and

accessible to all students.

Regarding using technology to support learning, in the past the student submissively

consumed information from the teacher strictly from verbal instructions and blackboard written

work. Today, with the use of technology the student’s learning can be easily personalized and

teaching structured to a more student centered alignment. Technology could provide a lifeline for

at-risk students who are vulnerable to the potential educational gaps as a result of the

socioeconomic challenges. Technology facilitates distant learning, which proved very

advantageous during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Technology provides interactive access to

many applications, which I utilize in teaching maths topics through gamified software. Students

are also able to collaborate more easily with group work across geographic boundaries using

technology. Educators utilize technology to access personal development resources and to track

students’ progress in a graphical format (Kolosky, 2023; Stephens, 2024).

In relation to accountability in education, this guarantees that instructors and institutions

strive for students to attain acceptable academic performances and educational outcomes. The no

child left behind (NCLB) legislation has set out distinct parameters that educators and

institutions must accomplish or face drastic penalties (Lee, n.d.. Yeban, 2024). In the past,

seating arrangements were organized so the instructor generated a teacher-focused modality

delivering lessons to inert learners with minimum opportunities for any constructive interaction.

classrooms were often structured with the teacher as the central figure, delivering knowledge to

passive students. Today, with both teachers and institutions being appraised, teachers are

stimulated to incorporate active learning methodologies which is a student-centered approach –

influencing better student engagement, teamwork, and the development of important skill sets
 4

like critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and robust decision-making. In the past, teaching was

viewed as a stable, and delivered as a one size fits all discipline a stable profession with a distinct

set of expectations and procedures. Today, teachers must adjust to a rapidly changing educational

ecosystem, which cover new pedagogical methodologies. As a maths educator at my school this

means identifying creative ways to engage students who have missed classes due to their

household circumstances – incorporating remote learning resolves this issue as it facilitates

different schedules.

Within the context of increased professionalism of teachers, in the past, education

centered predominantly on academic growth and advancement (Mahmoudi et al., 2012; Zhu &

Li, 2019). Today, more concentration is placed more on holistic development – covering

emotional and social growth (Zhu & Li, 2019). As a maths educator, I could address this through

effective support and coaching to students – diverting them from the morbid occurrences within

their toxic environment to embrace education as a roadmap towards success. In the past, an

educator would become that single supply of knowledge for students’ intake. Today, educators

are more enablers of learning, modifying teaching approaches to align with the current cohort

needs – contextualizing lesson plans to community’s occurrences, engaging parents and

community leaders, and promoting lifelong learning among learners.

Tech Challenges, Effective Teaching Measures, & Alignment with Pedagogical Philosophy

Integrating technology in education, specifically within the context of a rural community

in my country contributes challenges and openings for creative breakthroughs. The prevailing

constraints that are associated with resources become more evident in the rural areas, when

evaluating technology challenges. Inadequate ICT infrastructure to manage the hilly and

mountainous terrain of the community proves very challenging to overcome as to mitigate these
 5

concerns the costs are prohibitive. Other technology challenges include insufficient training on

devices and software platforms for educators, and the absence of meaningful and timely

technical support (Bećirović, 2023; Johnson et al., 2016). Internal hindrances can also inhibit

technology integration, which cover educators’ attitudes and convictions, resistance to

transformation, and deficiency of documentation or competencies to apply technology effectively

(Atabek, 2019).

Effective teaching measures that can reap the rewards of using technology comprise: i)

Engaging educators through continuous improvement initiatives to upgrade technology literacy

and integration proficiencies (Drexel University, n.d.).; ii) Student-Centered Learning: Applying

digitization to enable “active learning” wherever pupils link with content through critical

thinking and teamwork (Comninaki, 2024). ; iii) Applying technology to differentiated

instructions; iv) Integrating technology into real-life problems

As a maths educator aligning technology integration with the outlined pedagogical

philosophy could involve: i) Linking math instructions with local community contexts, such as

farming and fishing – making learning more relevant; ii) Integrating technology to offer

adjustable learning encounters for students who have missed several classes; iii) Applying

adaptive technologies to children with disabilities and using technology to enhance weak learners

efforts.

Integrating technology such that it closely associates with my pedagogical philosophy

means acknowledging the exclusive challenges of my student population, their experiences, and

the surrounding community. Technology for me serves both as a tool for learning and as a

medium to address broader social issues – creating a bridge of hope and resistance for at-risk

students within the community atmosphere of poverty, criminality, and violence.

 6

References

Atabek, O. (2019). Challenges in integrating technology into education.

Turkish Studies - Information Technologies and Applied Sciences, 14(1), 1-19.

https://turkishstudies.net/DergiTamDetay.aspx?ID=14810

Bećirović, S. (2023, March 2). Challenges and barriers for effective integration of technologies

into teaching and learning. In: Digital pedagogy: Springerbriefs in education. Springer.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0444-0_10

Brazeau, B. (n.d.). Creating inclusive learning environments: Supporting the diverse needs of all

learners. American Consortium for Equity in Education. https://www.ace-ed.org/creating-

inclusive-learning-environments-supporting-the-diverse-needs-of-all-learners/

Drexel University. (n.d.). How to use technology in the classroom: Benefits & effects.

https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/how-to-use-technology-in-the-

classroom/

Ellis, P. (2024, March 19). Cultivating inclusion: Strategies for embracing diverse learners.

Cambridge University. https://www.cambridge.org/partnership/cultivating-inclusion-

strategies-for-embracing-diverse-learners

Johnson, A. M., Jacovina, M. E., Russell, D. E., & Soto, C. M. (2016). Challenges and solutions

when using technologies in the classroom. In Crossley, S. A. & McNamara, D. S. (Eds.),

Adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction. Taylor & Francis.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577147.pdf

Kolosky, C. (2023, December 8). Strategies for tracking student progress. Knack.

https://www.knack.com/blog/how-to-track-student-progress/

Lee, (n.d.). A. M. I. (n.d.). What is no child left behind (nclb)? Understood.

 7

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/no-child-left-behind-nclb-what-you-need-to-know

Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, H. A., & Liaghatdar, M. J. (2012, May 9). Holistic

education: An approach for 21 century. International Education Studies, 5(2), 178-186.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1066819.pdf

Seifert, K., & Sutton, R. (2009). Educational psychology. The Saylor Foundation.

https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Educational-Psychology.pdf

Stephens, D. (2024, January 11). How to monitor student progress with real-time formative

assessment data. Nearpod. https://nearpod.com/blog/monitoring-student-progress-

formative-assessment/

Yeban, J. (2024). No child left behind act of 2001: Provisions. FindLaw.

https://www.findlaw.com/education/curriculum-standards-school-funding/no-child-left-

behind-act-of-2001-provisions.html

Zhu, X., & Li, J. (2019, June 29). Being a teacher of holistic profession: A perspective of

transformative learning. Brill. https://brill.com/view/journals/bire/1/2-3/article-

p472_472.xml