SWOT Resources

The State of Teaching and Learning in K-12 Education

Six key trends

1. High-quality teaching is essential to have high-quality learning. Students need to have access to immersive and experiential learning experiences given by teachers who feel prepared because they’ve had the right professional development.

2. Student engagement is always an issue and finding the best ways to focus on building student engagement and providing personalized starting for students are key.

3. Look at the frequency and impact of assessments, especially standardized testing which is high-stakes assessment. These place burdens on students and teachers. So much testing happens at the end of the year which can deplete student engagement and motivation.

4. Hybrid and digital learning are here to stay and I think that’s a good thing. Being able to offer options for students depending on challenges experienced in the world, changes in our school system, or when students just may not be able to be in the class due to events happening in their lives or due to illness for example. But because we know that we will still need to have the hybrid and digital options available, teachers need to be prepared and we have to make sure that there are ways that we can stay connected.

5. Equity must always be a focus. I believe this is something that should be higher on the list. There have been improvements in access to devices and being able to use the tools and resources at home. This must remain a priority for all schools especially when it comes to funding for resources and devices for students and teachers to use and also making sure that families can access these resources at home, to truly support the home to school community.

6. Tech is here to stay. ”Technology is no longer a nice to have, it is essential to k-12 pedagogy.” I believe this one absolutely because of what technology has enabled us to do over the past two years. As we’ve struggled to shift between in-person, hybrid and virtual learning environments, technology is not the only answer. However, it can facilitate methods and create communities that enable us to build relationships when we are unable to do so in the physical space.