Teachers can’t afford to fall behind the most modern classroom trends if they want to reach their students in a relevant way. While consequences for failing to stay conscious of the trends can be troublesome, teachers fortunately have free access to resources that can ensure that they don’t ever miss a beat. The following are some of the easiest and most practical ways that teachers can keep up with the times.

esource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016

Attend conferences whenever possible

Classroom trends don’t just happen in a vacuum, they’re discovered through the nexus of educators from all walks of life and academia coming together to share their discoveries. By making a point to constantly attend reputable teaching conferences, teachers can put themselves in an incredibly advantageous position of being at the forefront of emerging trending topics being discussed in the education sphere. Through networking with other teachers, new avenues and insights into trending topics on teaching from around the world can be gained on a regular basis.

Stay up to date with news on education-oriented technology

Technology development is changing the nature of education as we know it at a rapid pace, and this demands a certain degree of adaptability from all educators teaching young students growing up in a more mechanized world. There’s more reading material on the impact of technology on teaching than any individual could cover even with an entire month of paid time off, but thankfully, it’s not necessary to go exhaustive lengths just to stay in the know.

Visiting websites such as SecurEdge Networks, committed to covering emergent technological innovations, can be very easy ways for teachers to quickly get a rundown of the news on trending technological resources affecting teaching around the world. Even if the teacher’s own facility doesn’t utilize the most modern technology, researching the reasons behind their development can provide valuable insight.

Become active in social media groups made for educators

In a similar manner to conferences, specialized social media groups can be an invaluable resources for educators stay on top of the latest news by engaging with their colleagues around the globe. The online format may lack the same level of immersion as a brick and mortar conference, but on the other hand, it also facilitates great ease in establishing new contacts. The online format makes it easy to cross-reference new claims with credible sources that can either verify or debunk it. Whether or not claims are credibly founded, observing how they permeate the sphere of discussion about education is still a valuable window of insight.

Though the times may constantly change, the fundamental nature of effective teaching has remained exactly what it has always been: relevance maintains retention. Even if a teacher has world-class knowledge about the fine details of their subject, they’ve still got to be able to convey it in the class in a compelling way. The key to compelling class engagement is to make contact with the ways that students experience the world around them, and that can’t happen in an isolated bubble. By using the above resources and all others like them to stay on top of all of the latest trending topics, teachers can ensure that they’re kept current enough to keep their teaching model well-designed and effective.