As the education landscape continues to evolve, certain trends are reshaping how learners engage with content and methods teachers use to deliver impactful lessons. Here’s a closer look at several key developments we observed in 2024, how they could track in the year ahead, and ways Westchester incorporates these concepts to help you develop learning materials that are engaging and impactful:
Oracy: empowering learners with essential communication skills
The ability to ask questions, form strong and balanced arguments, articulate ideas clearly and listen actively are all key skills for success in both school and life. With oracy being recognised alongside literacy and numeracy as critical to the development of learners, we anticipate more educators embedding it across curricula.
As publishers develop resources incorporating oracy-rich tasks such as guided discussions, they are turning to Westchester Education for content development support
AI in education: personalisation and critical thinking
Artificial intelligence continues to transform education, enabling personalised learning to tailor lessons to individual needs. Beyond automation, AI opens doors for discussions around critical thinking as learners are prompted to interrogate the authenticity and bias of AI-generated content.
Creating personalised learning resources requires deeper content than traditional textbooks can provide. Education companies rely on Westchester to develop materials that meet learners where they are in their educational journey.
Sustainability
Learners continue to hold sustainable practices close to their heart. Climate action can be woven into lessons across all levels, from Early Years through to Secondary. Linking school subjects to students’ everyday life outside the classroom can improve retention of these important lifelong concepts.
Whether you want to reimagine existing resources into more contemporary formats or create new material to include sustainable contexts, our experienced authors and editorial teams can bring these topics to life in ways students can easily relate to.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI):
Only 8% of teachers feel that educational content reflects the diversity of students’ lives – a gap that we can all help close. Publishers are continuing to conduct DEI reviews on new and existing materials to help improve representation and better align to students’ experiences.
Education publishers trust in Westchester’s rubric which received a Stationers Company warrant in 2022. Our rubric incorporates the best practices of educational, academic, and library anti-bias, and culturally responsible programmes, providing you with comprehensive feedback to help ensure your content is inclusive and authentic.
Accessibility
Technology continues to improve the accessibility of education. With the European Accessibility Act coming into force in 2025, we will see this continue to rise to work towards all learners being able to fully access education.
Making sure your materials are accessible for users of your content is an important business consideration. As a company that is a Benetech Globally Certified Accessible vendor, you can be confident that Westchester possesses the required capabilities to ensure your content will be produced to industry standards.
As you’re determining ways to develop or update your educational materials to incorporate some or all of the concepts outlined above, let us know how we can help. Contact us to schedule a convenient conversation about our customisable solutions.