"We're building the ship as we sail it" - a euphemism common in education that, I think, is meant to justify the embarrassing and unprofessional practice of chasing after educational fads. Educational fads are like dieting fads - everyone's so desperate for a quicky solution, they'll adopt anything idea, product, strategy or gimmick that seems promising, even if the solution is entirely unsupported by evidence or, as happens in too many cases, not even robust enough to withstand sustained logical scrutiny. (Editorial aside: If admins and teachers are serious about being taken as professionals, then perhaps sticking to data-supported best practices might be a place to start.)
I've been assembling the following list of educational trends, fads, and false starts for some time now. Alas, there hasn't been a year that hasn't contributed at least a couple of new fads to the list. Ironic that a profession dedicated to learning never seems to learn ... right?
To clarify, I'm not implying that all fads are hokum (though some of the fads on this list, in fact, have been resoundingly debunked). Often the problem isn't the idea but the implementation - the advantages of the fad are oversold, but the central idea is sound if implemented in a sensible way. What they have in common is that they're ideas that arrive, burn bright for a time, and then gradually fade away. Though, having said that, way too many of these end up being resurrected in a decade's time, under a new name, backed by some new self-styled educational pundit or well-meaning philanthropist, because memories in the field of education are (it would appear) tragically short.
(What have I missed? Let me know in the comments and I'll add them to the list!)
Structural fads
1.
Year-round schooling
2.
Privatization (aka Charter
schools)
3.
School choice (aka School vouchers)
4.
Virtual schooling
5. Performance Based Pay
6.
Block scheduling
7.
Class size
8.
Open classrooms
9.
Open campuses
Brain-based learning fads
10. Left/right brained learning
11.
Multiple intelligences
12.
Learning styles
13.
Multi-sensory education (aka Manipulatives-based learning)
14.
Mnemonics
15.
Critical thinking skills (aka
Bloom’s Taxonomy, Depth of Knowledge, Advanced Intellectual Design)
16.
Myers-Briggs learning/teaching profiles
17.
Habits of mind/mindfulness
18. Brain-based learning (aka Educational neuroscience)
19. Making thinking visible (aka Graphic
organizers, Thinking Maps)
20. Special Education
21.
Academic acceleration (aka Gifted & Talented, advanced
academics, honors, dual enrollment, compacting, credit by examination, early
entrance, grade skipping).
22.
Mastery
learning
(aka Proficiency-based learning)
Socially-driven educational fads
23.
Inclusion (aka Mainstreaming, honors for all)
24.
Bilingual Education (aka Dual
language instruction)
25.
Multiculturalism
26.
Equity (aka Culturally responsive teaching)
27.
Critical race theory
28.
No Child
Left Behind (aka Common Core)
Human-development driven educational fads (aka Humanism, child centered education, teaching the
whole child)
29.
Bridging (aka Looping, learning
communities, learning houses)
30. Blended classrooms (aka Mixed-grade classrooms)
31.
Gender based education
32.
Praise/Self-Esteem Building
33.
Personalized learning goals (aka SMART
goals)
34.
Student led learning
35.
Tracking/Detracking (aka Ability grouping)
36.
Growth mindset
Models of Learning fads (theories of teaching)
37.
Classical Education (aka Socratic instruction).
38.
Inquiry-based
teaching/student-centered learning (aka Discovery learning, experiential
learning, constructivism, authentic learning, learn by doing, hands-on
learning, cycle of inquiry, etc.)
39.
Montessori
40. Deschooling
41.
Universal design (aka Integrated
curriculum)
42.
Outcomes based education
43.
International Baccalaureate Model (also
Global Classroom)
44.
Interdisciplinary units (aka Curriculum mapping)
45.
Norwegian-style schooling
46.
Japanese-style schooling
47.
Rigor (aka Raise the standards)
48. Back to basics (aka The Three R's)
49.
Service learning (aka Community
service)
50.
Genius Hour (aka Passion Time, 20% Time)
Fads related to what we teach
51.
Social
Emotional Learning (aka Emotional intelligence, character education,
self-regulation, habits of mind, mindfulness)
52.
Hidden Curriculum (aka Academic
habits, administrative functioning)
53.
21st Century Skills
54.
Grit/resiliency
55.
Cultural Literacy
56.
College/career readiness (aka Transition planning, AVID)
57.
Media literacy (aka Digital
literacy, digital citizenship)
58.
STEM/STEAM (aka Design cycle,
maker learning)
59.
School-to-work (aka Vocational education,
career education)
60.
Ethics
61.
Hour of Code
Fads related to how we design instruction
62.
Concept-based instruction (aka Thematic-based instruction).
63.
Authentic
learning (aka Constructivist learning,
service learning, global classroom, experiential learning, problem-based
learning, learning by doing).
64.
Parallel curriculum
65.
Backward design (aka Teaching to the test)
66.
Spiraling
67.
Response to Intervention
68.
Teach for 100
69.
Trauma/poverty-informed instruction
Fads related to how we deliver instruction
70.
Rote learning (aka Skill drill)
71.
Cooperative Learning (aka Community-based
learning, peer tutoring, Kagan strategies)
72.
Gamification
(aka Game-based learning)
73.
Choice (aka Choice menus)
74.
Active
learning
75.
Blended
learning (aka Hybrid learning)
76.
Flipped classrooms (aka Flipped learning)
77.
Differentiation
78.
Learning centers (aka Learning labs, stations)
79.
Socratic
instruction
80.
Brain-body integration (aka Brain
Gym)
81.
Learning objectives (aka Learning outcomes)
82.
Homework
83.
Flexible seating
Fads in Classroom Management
84.
MTSS
85.
PBIS
86.
Incentives (aka External
motivators)
87.
Logic-based consequences (aka
Restorative justice, conscious discipline)
88.
Kindness-based consequences (aka Love
and logic, Caring for Kids)
89.
Zero tolerance
90.
Class Dojo
Fads in assessment
91.
Standardized testing (aka Standards based testing, criterion-referenced testing)
92.
High stakes tests (aka Norm-based
testing)
93.
Growth based assessment (aka Mastery learning, competency-based learning, continuous learning)
94.
Cumulative assessments (aka Capstone
projects, culminating projects, portfolios, demonstrations of learning)
95.
Performance-based assessments (aka Authentic assessment, project based learning, performance based learning)
96.
Data-based
assessment (aka Standards-based assessment)
97.
Grading for equity
98.
Alternatives to letter grades
Fads in technology
99.
Film/video
100.
Blogs/Wikis
101.
Podcasts
102.
Thinkquests
103.
Interactive whiteboards (aka
Smartboards)
104.
iPads/Chromebooks
105.
Student feedback systems (aka Clickers)
106.
Online education
107.
1:1
108.
Adaptive learning algorithms
109.
AI (aka Chatbot instruction)
Fads Inspired by Books
110.
Freedom Writers
111.
The Essential 55
112.
Stand and Deliver
113.
Reading for Pleasure
114.
7 Habits
115.
Teach Like a Pirate
116.
Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire
117.
Teach Like a Champion
Fads in reading
118.
Whole language (aka sight-reading,
Lucy Calkins, Fountas & Pinnel, Marie Clay)
119.
Phonics/phonemic awareness
120.
Balanced literacy
121.
Literature circles
122.
Reading/writing across the
curriculum
123. Student-selected reading
124.
Sustained silent reading
125.
Active reading (aka Close reading,
SQ3R)
Fads in writing
126.
6 Traits of Writing
127.
Journaling
128.
Writer's workshops (aka Peer
editing)
129.
5 paragraph essay
130.
Writing across the curriculum
131.
Invented spelling
Fads in math
132.
New Math
133.
Fuzzy math
134.
Touch math
135. Constructivist mathematics
Fads in science
132. Phenomena-based instruction
