Now that I have made some headway in trying to identify which 21st-century learning skills I want to focus on, I know have begun to undertake the labyrinthine task of finding ways to implement them into my classroom and assess whether or not the students have learned these skills. It’s very clear that “…despite widespread agreement among parents, educators, employers and policymakers worldwide that students need skills like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and creativity, these skills are stubbornly difficult to teach and learn” (Opfer & Saavedra, 2012).
Therefore, I tried to find some practical and theoretical examples of successful teaching and learning of 21st century learning skills. Looking through a variety of sources, one of the more obvious ideas came up in my search, which is that “…digital integration is also fundamental to a thorough 21st century education, [although] it is not enough to simply add technology to existing teaching methods. Technology must be used strategically to benefit students” (Driscoll, 2021). It is fortunate in my case that I spent a lot of focused development time on computer-based technologies as a kid, and this is something that I am able to use easily in my classroom. Another interesting one that the same article brought up was the idea of introducing an international element to the classroom, which can be done through “… travel opportunities, exchange programs, school partnerships, international school leadership, and online communication” (Driscoll, 2021). While I think this is a great idea (I know from my own experience the learning benefits that travel can provide), I think that it limits access to the students who are typically deprived of 21st century skills – students whose parents have the money to send their child abroad to learn likely have the resources to instill 21st century learning into their learning. Another article states that an effective strategy might be one where “…teachers explicitly model the target learning strategy that the student should acquire, pointing out key processes (modeling)” (Peters-Burton & Stehle, 2019). This prompts me to go back to the question I posed in the first blog entry I submitted, which is essentially do the teachers of today have a thorough enough understanding of how these skills work to model them effectively for their students? As I continue to explore the ideas and skills behind 21st century learning, I am starting to realize my own limited understanding of what these skills really look like in practice. I think that to effectively model them, it is essential that teachers have an understanding of all the little intricacies and embellishments behind those skill. WORKS CITED Driscoll, M. (2021, January 14). EDUCATION in the 21st century. Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://thinkstrategicforschools.com/education-21st-century/ Peters-Burton, E.E. & Stehle, S.M. (2019). Developing student 21st Century skills in selected exemplary inclusive STEM high schools. IJ STEM Ed 6 (39). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-019-0192-1 Saavedra, A., & Opfer, V. (2012, October 19). Nine lessons on how to Teach 21st century skills and knowledge. Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.rand.org/blog/2012/10/nine-lessons-on-how-to-teach-21st-century-skills-and.html
4 Comments
Lindsay Spence
2/4/2021 12:37:35 pm
Hey Tim!
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Tim Raposo
2/25/2021 09:08:26 am
Hi Lindsay,
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Suzanne Gordon
2/7/2021 06:48:55 pm
Hi Tim,
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Tim Raposo
2/25/2021 09:10:44 am
Suzanne,
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AuthorTim Raposo is a teacher of grades 3 & 4 at Cawston Primary School in BC. With a firm grasp of burgeoning technologies. he seeks to introduce students to new ideas and skills to produce a passion for 21st century learning as early as possible in their educational careers. ArchivesCategories |