Education Special Section
the aspects of choosing a classroom that is right for a young
learner. Parents are playing a larger role in shaping their early
learners with the choice of play-based learning programs
versus academic learning programs. Play-based or child-
centered programs focus on the current interests of the child.
Classrooms are set up in different sections, such as a kitchen,
home, science area, reading nook, or water area, for kids to
engage in social interactions with others and learn valuable
skills based from play. Academic or didactic, teacher-directed
programs are structured with a curriculum involving planned
activities guided by teachers and designed to prepare students
for a kindergarten-type setting. Either method for learning
prepares young children for their future interactions, both
socially and educationally. Finding the learning style that best
suits your own child’s needs will set him/her up for success.
K-12 Education
It is early in education that students start to
become competent in utilizing the tools needed in
our society. Reading, writing, math and language skills are all
core competencies that need to be mastered at a young age and
are critical for a student’s success. Education is being shaped
by incorporating different styles of teaching, accessing new
technologies to enhance learning, and ensuring that students
leave high school with a sense of confidence to enter the
workforce or to continue on to higher education. A variety of
trends, disruptions and technologies are shaping the way K-12
schools face their biggest challenges.
Engage Parents and Caregivers
Parents can’t advocate for their children if they aren’t given
the tools to do so. The National Education Association states
that by monitoring, supporting, and advocating for their
students, parents and caregivers can ensure that their children
have an opportunity to be successful in school. By working
with your students to set goals, make sure they are on track
for academic success, holding them responsible for their
education, and advocating for them, their peers, and their
entire school community, you are doing a service that will have
a valuable outcome for all involved.
Data and Analytics
Relationships between K-12 teachers and college educators
used to be solely focused on college transition programs. Now,
the focus is shifting to partnerships based on formal research
studies, professional development, or joint technology and
curriculum initiatives, as EdTech Online states. Data-driven
research is being gathered and assessed by college educators
and results are being implemented in the form of metrics to
keep individual students on track to graduate. If an individual
student falls “off track,” teachers utilize that information to
determine a course of academic intervention. This form of
individualized learning is being employed across the country
with positive results.
Adaptive Learning Technology / Res