Educational trends in 2025

Sunday 22 December 2024

In Educational trends in 2024 , I highlighted key educational trends such as Wellbeing, Nature-based learning, and Global Citizenship. Recently, Forbes published a blog outlining the educational trends we can expect to shape 2025. It’s an exciting opportunity to explore these trends and reflect on how they are currently being integrated into our schools. Let’s dive into these emerging shifts and discuss their impact on our education systems.

Focus on human-centric skills

As AI takes on more routine tasks, human skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and critical thinking will become even more essential. Educators will need to prioritize these "soft skills," equipping students to tackle real-world challenges that machines can't address. The IB’s emphasis on cultivating both skills and disciplinary knowledge is central to their approaches to learning.

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Generative AI in the classroom
AI tools like chatbots will be integrated into classrooms for tasks like grading, personalized feedback, and lesson planning. However, educators will need to teach students how to use AI responsibly and recognize when human intelligence is preferable.
A report titled Teen and Young Adult Perspectives on Generative AI (2024) explores teens' perspectives on generative AI. Half of teens surveyed have used generative AI, though only 4% use it frequently. Its most common applications are seeking information (53%) and brainstorming ideas (51%), as one participant wrote, “use it in a good way,” such as asking for help starting papers or to create an individualized learning plan. Teens appreciate its potential for creativity, often using AI for fun or innovative purposes. Among generative AI users aged 14–22, 31% use it to create images, 16% to produce music or sounds, and 15% to write code. Teens described AI as "the modern approach to learning" and emphasized that not all use it to cheat. Many noted its value in answering questions they might hesitate to ask adults or offering guidance in conversations. However, some warned about the risks, highlighting that AI can provide advice on any topic, regardless of appropriateness. Teens are highly aware of AI’s potential benefits and challenges, with 41% believing its development will bring both positive and negative effects to their lives over the next decade.
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Digital literacy

Digital literacy is the ability to understand, use, and create digital information responsibly and effectively. It includes skills to navigate the internet, manage data, communicate digitally, and understand the risks and opportunities of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Key AI risks include privacy breaches, incorrect AI-generated answers, and biases in algorithms.

With AI's rise, critical thinking is essential, not just technical skills. Understanding privacy, responsible use, and AI limitations, such as biases, is vital for ethical engagement with technology. UNESCO's AI competency framework aims to prepare students to be active, ethical participants in the AI-driven world, promoting responsible use and co-creation of AI.

Personalised learning
With AI, learning will be increasingly personalized to meet individual needs. AI tutors will track each student's progress and adapt lessons in real-time, creating a more dynamic and engaging experience that caters to learner variability.
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Focus on learning which actively engages students

Active learning refers to teaching strategies that actively involve students in the learning process, boosting their engagement and participation.

As educational institutions adopt active learning techniques like gamification, question-based learning, and project-based work, the aim is to place students at the centre of their education. This approach shifts the teacher’s role to that of a guide, supporting students in developing critical skills such as teamwork, decision-making, and critical thinking. These skills are cultivated in experiential settings where students apply their learning to real-world scenarios, making their education more relevant and motivating. The result is increased student engagement and a deeper, more practical understanding of the subject matter.

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Lifelong learning
Online platforms, modular courses, and micro-learning will become crucial for ongoing professional development. These trends are already taking shape in the IB through partnerships, such as the collaboration with Digital Promise to offer micro-credentials, micro-learning courses, and a range of nano professional development opportunities.
In this context, micro-credentials offer flexible and specific tools to certify the acquisition of specific competencies in given areas, responding to the immediate needs of both individuals and places of work.
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Navigating the shift: Supporting teachers new to the IB
15 Jan 2025
A visit to Ethiopia
6 Dec 2024

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