The COVID-19 pandemic has hit especially hard education. Schools have been shut all across the world, and globally over 1.2 billion children are now out of classrooms. Children and teachers have learned to adapt to remote learning and digital tools rapidly.
So, solutions with proven impact are in desperate demand. HundrED, a non-profit organisation specialising in education innovations, together with its global community of education experts, has just launched the HundrED Global Collection 2022 Report that showcases the hundred most impactful and scalable innovations tackling the biggest challenges in education right now.
The biggest trends are teacher professional training and tighter involvement of communities
Crystal Green, the Head of Research at HundrED, points out a few key trends from the collection.
“In the Global Collection, what stands out most is the importance of teachers. Strengthening teachers' professional development, resilience and adaptability have proven essential to cope with the challenges in education today. Teachers need to be prepared to make changes at the classroom level and implement innovations.”
Another huge trend is the role of home and communities outside schools and other learning environments.
“The role of parents and caregivers has been reconceptualised during the pandemic as parental engagement in children’s education has been thrust into the centre of all school activities. Parents, and communities in general, play an important role in building and managing effective learning environments. Parental engagement also leads to better learning outcomes.”
The most impactful education innovations prepare children for the uncertain future
At the same time, there has been a rise of innovations that teach children citizenship skills and encourage future generations to become active participants in society. Many innovations in the Global Collection tackle structural inequalities, such as gender equality, under the umbrella term of citizenship education. The focus is on increasing awareness among students about human rights, diversity, and the environment to contribute to a better society.
Finally, many innovations help fill the gaps in traditional curriculums by systematically addressing skills, such as collaborative learning, creativity and critical thinking. These skills are called 21st-century skills, as they prepare young people for the future.
“The focus of many innovations in this collection is on areas where there is often a lack of—or a gap—in traditional school education”, summarises education specialist Clara García Millán, HundrED.
Learn how the hundred most impactful innovations approach these vast challenges. The report with a list of 100 most impactful innovators is available now at the HundrED website: https://cdn.hundred.org/uploads/report/file/139/hundred_global_collection_2022_digital__2___1_.pdf
