Giving Compass' Take:

• Tom Vander Ark, writing for Getting Smart, discusses why flexible learning spaces are the top education trend of 2018, and how competency frameworks will become the trend for 2019. 

• How will education competency frameworks elevate learning in the next year?  

• Read about three ongoing trends in education data. 

The top learning trend in K-12 learning in 2018 was active learning spaces–from double classrooms in old buildings from California’s Central Valley to the west tip of Texas in El Paso and multiage pods in new spaces from Redwood City to Charlottesville.

The flexible spaces facilitate project-based learning and competency-based progressions. Students move from project teams to skill groups to activity centers building skills and developing agency and self-management.

Flexible seating is a big part of this trend. Not everyone can afford to remodel or build new facilities, but many schools added new seating options this year giving students choice in how and where they work. Options often include a mix of high and low top, hard and soft.

A year from now people will be talking about competency frameworks–how learners progress as they demonstrate mastery.

The shift from marking time to measuring learning will be generational in length, but our landscape analysis suggests several interesting signs of progress that will be evident in 2019:

  • In the most interesting merger of the year, LRNG, the leading youth badging platform, joined forces with SNHU, the leading online university.
  • More schools, like Purdue Polytech, will embrace project-based learning and competency-based progressions with support from XQ, NGLC funds, and NewSchools Venture Fund.
  • More platform partnerships where districts/networks are working in development cycles with platform providers
  • More artificial intelligence is showing up in learning platforms improving personalization, formative feedback, and student scheduling.
  • More demand for interoperability will be evident as a result of efforts like Project Unicorn.

Read the full article about education trends in 2018 and 2019 by Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart