Learners ARE the 21st Century
We are at an interesting point in the field of education right now. In 2018, you could say we are barely into the 21st century. However, the learners that are in our classrooms will be adults for almost the entire 21st century. Let that sink in for a second. When people talk about 21st century education, they’re not just saying it’s the 21st century, so we need to teach differently than we did in the 20th century because it’s a different time. They’re saying that these students ARE this century, and it is our responsibility as educators to prepare them for this; it’s a new environment. Part of the problem, however, is that many teachers still in the profession were actually teaching during the 20th century and are having difficulty embracing this new change. I don’t blame them, and they’re not the only reason for slow progress; change is hard, and the system has been established this way. Teachers have been at the front of the room as authority figures, giving students’ knowledge, testing that knowledge, and moving on to something else. How can we get ALL teachers to facilitate and engage students in active learning that kindles the fire and teaches learners HOW to learn to create lifelong learners?
The difference between the 20th century and 21st century boils down to the roles of teacher and student. In the 20th century, students were to sit and listen to the teachers, read the textbook, memorize information, and regurgitate that information on demand. In the 21st century, students are collaborating in authentic learning environments through discovery in a curriculum that they are connected to (21stEducator, 2009). This is the difference between being a content memorizer or a critical thinker, between answering a question or asking a question, between filling the mind or building the mind. It is not just about the use of technology or developing skills for the future work place; it’s about creativity (macfound, 2010). Educators know we need to embrace change because according to Lichtman (2013), we are “preparing our students for their future, not our past.” John Dewey got it right during the progressive era, that we need to focus on the learning, but we can’t just go right back to those methods because of obstacles. Instead, we can work our way there by teaching into the unknown, helping to develop self-evolving learners, and helping to develop self-evolving organizations. Schools are not the best at innovation, but any problem one school faces another has already solved (Lichtman, 2013). As educators, we need to make our students the drivers and help everyone see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that starts with embracing the change of being in the passenger’s seat.
References
21stEducator. (2009, April 2). 21st century education vs. 20th century education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg
Lichtman, G. [TEDx Talks]. (2013, March 20). What 60 schools can tell us about teaching 21st century skills [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g
macfound. (2010, December 1). Rethinking learning: The 21st century learner [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw
