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UNIT 1: The Changing Teaching Profession

Department of Education, University of the People

EDUC 5410-01: Child Development

15, November 2022

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The Changing Teaching Profession

The world is changing every day with new and fast innovations and knowledge at every

corner, educators, educational systems, and administrations must be able to adapt to be able to

fulfill the purpose of learning. Modern classrooms require modern solutions and challenges as the

diverse population is composed of students from different socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities,

cultures, abilities, etc. These have influenced education in all aspects and have demanded change in

the etching professions. In today’s paper, I will be examining four new trends in education and the

comparison between today’s classroom from the past, and also the integration of technology in

student learning.

The Four Latest Trends in education

In a book by Seifert & Sutton, (2009) it was discussed that teaching now is vastly different

from the past and signi cant changes can be seen in classrooms. Seifert & Sutton, (2009) discuss

the four new trends in education and how they have changed teaching. The trends are Increased

diversity, Increased instructional technology, Greater accountability in education, and Increased

professionalism of teachers (p. 10). 

The increase in diversity in recent years has been undeniable. There are more differences in

the student population in today’s age and it implies differences not just in learning abilities and

culture but also in gender, personality, and student style. Seifert & Sutton, (2009) states, “Now more

than ever, teachers are likely to serve students from diverse language backgrounds, to serve more

individuals with special educational needs” (p. 11). The diversi ed student population now is not

limited to language, culture, and special needs, it also applies to the age range of the students and

their maturity. An increase in diversi cation requires teachers to be more capable of handling a

diverse student population which brings us to the second trend in education that can aid educators. 

Increased use of instructional technology is a trend that we are currently and constantly

experiencing. In today’s age, the use of technology in education is bene cial to both the student and

the teacher. Due to its ever-changing nature technology has given students and teachers new ways to

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learn. Seifert & Sutton, (2009) points out that with technology teachers can focus on helping and

developing ways to teach and assist students with special needs. This aids in the challenge of

diversi ed students and their different needs, technology creates a way for teachers to become more

effective in the classroom (p. 13). 

Greater accountability in education is the increase in expectations from teachers and

students to be accountable for their work. Simply put, schools are responsible for creating effective

curricula and goals and students are responsible for their learning (Seifert & Sutton, 2009. p. 14). It

is further discussed how the trend towards accountability increased the standards in remaining a

certi ed teacher and also the stakes in testing for students. We can see in today’s age how the results

of high-stakes tests re ect on a school’s standing and how good the quality is of their

education. Seifert & Sutton, (2009) state, “high-stakes tests are sometimes also used to evaluate the

performance of teachers, schools, or school districts, ensuring students’ success on them becomes

an obvious concern for teachers—one that affects instructional decisions daily” (p. 14).

Increased professionalism of teachers is an effect of the trends discussed as teachers are

then expected to be quali ed in their occupation. Certi cation and licensing have become important

and will be part of some quali cations in education. Seifert & Sutton, (2009) discusses that “Greater

professionalism has also been encouraged by initiatives from educators themselves to study and

improve their practice” (p. 14). Even now teachers are continuously learning and honing their

methods and approaches to be able to teach a diversi ed student population effectively. 

Today’s classroom from the past

Changes in education especially in today’s learning climate have increased exponentially,

Comparing the approach to learning from my experience, I can immediately identify many ways

how today’s classroom has changed compared to the past. The first change I will discuss is the

change in the learning approach. In the past, the teacher becomes the center of the class and is the

giver of knowledge while the students are the receiver. Today classroom approaches are geared to

be more student-centered with the encouragement of active learning. Active learning is an approach
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that is highly effective in creating a student-centered environment which is one of the focuses in

today’s modern classrooms. Brame (n.d.) defines active learning as “activities that students do to

construct knowledge and understanding” (p. 1). This changes the role of the teacher in today’s

classroom. In a video by Edutopia (2012), Professor Lee Sing Kong states, “…the role of the

teachers today is facilitation, to facilitate students where they could get the right knowledge and

how they could synthesize them, and how they could discern the information that they get.”

Compared to my educational experience in the past this is a big change as to how learning is

approached.

Integration of technology in student learning.

Curriculum and technology are very relevant discussions in today’s learning climate. As

the threat of the ongoing pandemic, schools are mandated to revise their curriculum and transition

to online learning. This phenomenon caused a demand for high-quality technology, social platforms,

apps, etc, employed for learning. In 1997, Jan Hawkins wrote a piece that states, “technology brings

the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them.” Years later, her words

are more relevant and true in today’s situation. There are indeed a lot of benefits in integrating

technology into the educational environment, but there are also challenges and negative effects on

learning.

The three main disadvantages and possible challenges teachers and students will face in

integrating technology into education are: It causes students to be distracted and even over-reliance,

the tendency of the teacher to rely too much on technology, and the high cost of gadgets and

resources that is not economical specifically for lower-income schools. Due to the excitement and

innovative aspect of technology, today’s generation is heavily distracted by it. In her article, Thuy

Lien Nguyen (2019) writes, “students gradually disconnect from human interaction in their real life,

and they might even be afraid of communicating verbally.” It is a constant reminder to me, and my

fellow educators to only utilize technology if needed, to lessen distractions and possible reliance on

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it. Teachers also tend to rely on its uses in teaching at times. Research is indeed instant, and

technology makes the teaching workload lighter but educators need to remember the employment of

human interaction and experience. Another factor to consider is the high cost of technology. When it

comes to education, technology has both pros and cons and educators and administrators must work

together to bridge the gap between the two. Although the advantages of its integration into learning

outweigh the disadvantages, we must always strive to reflect and assess the methods that work.

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References

Brame, C. J. (n.d.). Active learning. Vanderbilt University. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/

uploads/sites/59/Active-Learning.pdf

Edutopia. (2012). Singapore’s 21st century teaching strategies [video]. YouTube.

Hawkins, J. (1997). The World at your Fingertips: Education Technology opens doors. https://

www.edutopia.org/world-your-fingertips

Nguyen, T. L. (2019). 3 Pros and 3 Cons of Integrating Technology into The Curriculum. Retrieved

from https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/pros-and-cons-of-integrating-technology-into-

the-curriculum-30333ab1c72a

Seifert, K., & Sutton, R. (2009). Educational psychology. The Saylor Foundation. https://

www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Educational-Psychology.pdf licensed

under CC 3.0.