With \u2018fake news\u2019 named the word of the year for 2017, experts expect that it will remain a problem throughout the next decade, with one of the biggest trends for education predicted to be helping students identify trustworthy sources and distinguish \u2018fake news\u2019 from facts.<\/p>\n
\u2018Navigating post-truth societies\u2019 is named as one of the top ten new approaches to learning and teaching in this year\u2019s Innovating Pedagogy report from The Open University. The sixth edition of the report was produced in collaboration with the Learning In a NetworKed Society (LINKS) Israeli Center of Research Excellence<\/a> (I-CORE), which gives an international perspective on the latest methods of teaching and learning.<\/p>\n Lead author of the report, Dr Rebecca Ferguson<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in the\u00a0Institute of Educational Technology, Learning and Teaching Innovation<\/a>, said:<\/p>\n This year\u2019s innovative pedagogies have an urgency about them. They are addressing the problems of today\u2019s world, where learners are faced with fake news, pseudo-science and increasing tension between some communities. All the trends our experts have written about emphasise the importance of education in the world today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Many trends in this year\u2019s report draw attention to how learners can be empowered. They can learn faster than ever using \u2018spaced learning\u2019. They can work together as \u2018learners making science\u2019, and immerse themselves in new experiences, they can think with data as they carry out \u2018big data inquiry\u2019. They can even reshape their own resources with \u2018open textbooks\u2019.<\/p>\n Most of these advances are associated with developments in technology, but learners do not stand alone as they work with these tools \u2013 they are supported by teachers. The report highlights the crucial skills required as we educate people to become proficient learners who develop critical thinking and empathy, learn to judge narratives, and importantly, know when to seek support from experts and skilled people who can help them progress.<\/p>\n Spaced learning <\/strong><\/p>\n Based on research into brain activity and human learning, this involves teaching in short blocks with breaks between them. This fast-paced approach has been tested, showing that 90 minutes of spaced learning could have the same outcomes as months of study.<\/p>\n Learners making science <\/strong><\/p>\n Experiencing how science is made can enhance skills and develop critical thinking. Taking part in crowdsourced activities and participating in citizen science projects have the potential to change how young people think and act in relation to their surroundings.<\/p>\n Open textbooks<\/strong><\/p>\n Initially established to reduce costs (HE books can account for a quarter of a student\u2019s expenses), Open Textbooks are a form of Open Educational Resource, providing adaptable content which students can add to and edit.<\/p>\n Navigating post-truth societies<\/strong><\/p>\n New information sources diversify the information available but have created new challenges as people make daily decisions about where to get information and who to trust. Taking account of this in the curriculum helps people evaluate information, reflect on their own assumptions and seek a diversity of knowledge to cut through \u2018fake news\u2019.<\/p>\n Intergroup empathy<\/strong><\/p>\n Projects such as \u2018Humans of New York\u2019 show the value of constructive contact between people from various cultural backgrounds. New approaches use technology and gaming to develop empathy with people from different groups.<\/p>\n Immersive learning<\/strong><\/p>\n Fast-developing technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality offer learners opportunities to immerse themselves in situations that would be difficult, dangerous or impossible in everyday life. Learning in this way can be engaging, stimulating and memorable for learners.<\/p>\n Student-led analytics<\/strong><\/p>\n Moving away from teachers and institutions using analytics to help students, this trend focuses on analytics helping learners to specify their own goals and ambitions. Particularly useful for those with limited study time, this approach puts learners in control and allows them to, for example, shift their goals and priorities or request feedback.<\/p>\n Big-data inquiry<\/strong><\/p>\n In today\u2019s data-driven world, students need to learn to work and think with data from an early age so they are well prepared with the skills society needs. To do this, they need opportunities that encourage them to be active in exploring data, managing and analysing it.<\/p>\n Learning with internal values<\/strong><\/p>\n People are motivated to learn when they have important questions to answer or problems to address. When learning is linked to goals that learners value, they take ownership of their work and put in the effort needed.<\/p>\n Humanistic knowledge-building communities<\/strong><\/p>\n This unites two approaches to learning, encouraging students to be creative and open to experience as well as willing to work together to develop new ideas and knowledge.<\/p>\nAddressing today\u2019s problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n
New trends empower learners<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The ten highlighted trends in the Innovating Pedagogy 2017 report are:<\/strong><\/h2>\n