5 of the biggest education trends in 2024

1. artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence (ai) has been on the rise throughout 2023 as generative ai platforms like ChatGPT have become widely accessible. In 2024, ai will become even more frequent in the education space, driving changes in school policies and encouraging educators to find new ways to embrace this rapidly developing technology.

As students become more familiar with generative ai, teachers will need to explore various ways to adopt this technology in the classroom. Encouraging the use of ai to support tutoring efforts, act as a creative aid, and assist in research and planning will be crucial to helping students learn to use technology in a way that is both productive and ethical.

Additionally, 2024 will be the year that schools and educators formally integrate ai as an educational tool, leading to ai professional development and the creation of school ai policies. Schools will need to incorporate ai language and policies into their school codes and practices to discourage cheating and unethical use of these technologies. Professional development will act as valuable support for teachers as they navigate ai tools and ethics in the classroom. With comprehensive professional development, teachers can learn how to use ai to alleviate their own workload while becoming familiar with ai technologies to support students' ethical use.

2. Support teachers

Recognizing the critical role educators play in shaping the future, educational institutions are increasingly prioritizing teacher well-being to address the widespread issue of teacher burnout. In 2024, schools will make a concerted effort to retain talented educators by fostering environments that support their mental health and elevate them professionally. Educators play a critical role in shaping the future, so prioritizing teacher well-being is a critical issue that not only impacts individual educators but will also help improve the quality of education students receive.

This year, schools and districts will invest in comprehensive strategies to alleviate the factors that contribute to teacher burnout. This includes initiatives such as professional development programs, reducing administrative burdens and improving work-life balance. Educational institutions must make systemic changes to address the experience of teacher burnout, which can be achieved by listening to educators and creating responsive policies that prioritize teacher well-being.

With this in mind, educational leaders are also redesigning school spaces to create environments that better meet the needs of teachers. Enhanced educator spaces foster collaboration, creativity and a sense of community. Furthermore, these spaces offer a place for teachers to relax and recharge energy, providing a better work environment and improving the well-being of teachers.

3. Vibrant and engaging learning spaces

Moving away from traditional classroom design, schools are moving away from neutral color schemes in learning spaces. The trend now leans towards vibrant and colorful environments full of patterns and textures. These animated spaces have a profound impact on student mood and behaviorpromoting motivation and well-being.

In 2024, schools will use more vibrant design ideas to cultivate an environment where creativity thrives and students feel engaged and energized. He Pantone Color of the Year 2024, Peach Fuzz, is a step in this direction, bridging the gap between neutral and vibrant colors. As the year progresses and we prepare to enter the second half of the decade, we are sure to see warmer, brighter, more energetic colors like Peach Fuzz in the design of classrooms and other learning spaces.

With all the changes that have occurred in education since the pandemic, it is essential that schools focus on creating new learning environments. Through vibrant design, schools can revive the perception of learning spaces and create spaces that make students and educators feel comfortable, invoke inspiration, promote collaboration, and energize learning. Additionally, learning spaces that are more visually stimulating offer benefits to students who have different sensory needs, helping them stay interested and happy in the classroom.

4. Accessibility and equity

While equity has been at the forefront of educational trends for many years, the year 2024 will focus on advancing equity through improved accessibility. By recognizing the diversity of student needs, schools will take more proactive steps to create more inclusive learning environments. To achieve this, educational institutions are prioritizing the removal of a variety of educational barriers to ensure equitable opportunities for all students. This trend reflects a commitment to recognizing and valuing student diversity, ensuring that every student, regardless of her or his circumstances, has the same opportunities to thrive academically and personally.

To improve equity and promote accessibility, schools are implementing new technologies and innovative teaching methods to serve diverse learning styles and skills. 2024 will bring a new mindset toward equity and accessibility, as institutions and educational leaders recognize that accessibility is not only a legal requirement but also a fundamental aspect of providing quality education. From adaptive educational technology to inclusive learning space designs, the focus is on adapting to the unique needs of each student. Additionally, educators are receiving specialized training to better understand and address the challenges faced by diverse students, fostering an atmosphere of understanding and support.

5. Non-traditional learning models: microschools, microlearning, game-based learning and more.

Several non-traditional learning models have emerged in recent years, but we predict that 2024 will see a significant shift as more students than ever engage with these unconventional learning approaches. Students and teachers alike are looking for alternatives to the traditional lecture-and-test-based approach that has been predominantly used in schools for decades. Instead, new educational methods focus on innovation, collaboration, and the use of technology to engage students and improve learning outcomes. From micro schools and online learning to ai-dominated-world/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>microlearning and gamification, 2024 will be the year of non-traditional learning models.

In our trend forecast for 2023, we noted that both game-based learning (gamification) and microlearning would be big trends for the year. These learning approaches gained a lot of momentum in 2023 and in 2024 they will continue to expand through the use of improved technologies and methods. As game-based learning has grown, so has student interest in the extracurricular opportunities of esports. In response to this, schools will continue to invest in creating electronic sports programs and spaces to empower your students to be successful in this extracurricular activity. Additionally, we hope that schools will design more multipurpose spaces in media centers act as spaces for creating and viewing digital and video content, such as short-form content used to microlearning.

In combination with online and blended learning, micro schools They have established themselves in the alternative education space and we expect 2024 to be a big year of expansion for this approach to learning. With these learning centers, families can send their children to an adapted learning environment that combines various personalized educational approaches, from homeschooling, online schools, private schools, and charter schools, along with innovative learning space design. learning in small spaces. These schools offer a wide range of opportunities to support student learning, encouraging self-directed, blended, active and personalized forms of learning that go beyond traditional public or private school approaches. Because microschools are still so new, we hope that 2024 will usher in significant advances in the frameworks for these schools and the policies that guide them.

We look forward to seeing new trends develop in 2024, revolutionizing education and transforming learning spaces.