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SO, What’s THE Change For Teachers In 21st Century Education!?
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This is a general overview only to explain in simple words:
I get asked very often and get also a lot of discussions with people and also teachers about what’s THE real CHANGE in 21st Century Education and especially for teachers, even that MOST people tell me that “THE CHANGE” is very difficult to understand! BUT it’s actually very easy to understand, BUT it needs to get accepted from the teachers! This is my point of view, let me explain, please:.
What really changed for teachers is the way they will teach the students, THEY are NOT anymore “THE BOSS” in the classroom, ===> THEY are NOW a coach! <=== Someone who is guiding the students (learners) in THEIR way of learning and showing THEM how to learn and to deal with the BIG DATA on the Internet! It is NOT anymore a classroom of silence, it is a classroom where learners sit together in groups to solve problems in a team, solving the problems and learning together with the skills THEY acquired through previous teaching lessons.
It’s NOW ===> Us and THEM <===, WE try to work as a team for getting BEST results, it is NOW learner-centered! WE as teaching persons are NOT anymore THE most important one, BUT WE change THE way how WE are TEACHING and WE focus on what OUR mission is: giving OUR learners (students) the BEST Education to face the REAL WORLD outside of the “School-Cocoon“, thus meaning: WE need to know what the skills are that the REAL WORLD needs!
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Image source: Prepare Learners for the Global Workforce
The teacher is NOT anymore in front of the class, BUT s(he) is together with the learners in the classroom. WHERE the term CLASSROOM needs to get redefined!
=> THE CLASSROOM is not anymore inside the schools, ===> NO “School-Cocoon” anymore! <=
===> THE WALLS are broken and Teaching and Learning takes part everywhere, outside the “OLD definition of CLASSROOM”! <===
It is ALSO the WE as WE are looking for a win-win situation between OUR learners and us as teachers, WE try to get out the BEST “Team-Work” as it is that skills are needed in the REAL WORLD from the employers! Students (Learners) should know about “Team-Work” as they will face it once out of school and being employed!
The biggest mistake teachers actually make is thinking that by using the newest educational ICT tools and technical devices will make them a 21st Century teacher, NO ===> NOT AT ALL!
[Start Text from: Don’t Confuse Technology With Teaching] Educators are coaches, personal trainers in intellectual fitness. The value we add to the media extravaganza is like the value the trainer adds to the gym or the coach adds to the equipment. We provide individualized instruction in how to evaluate and make use of information and ideas, teaching people how to think for themselves. [End Text from: Don’t Confuse Technology With Teaching]
THIS ALL needs a serious up-to-date of Professional Development! Check below for more information about PD, please:
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Image credit ===> http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=A+Simple+%28Not+Easy%29+Pedagogy+Assessment
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Learn more:
- What is Education3.0?
- Creativity
- Critical Thinking
- Proactive Thinking
- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Best-Practices
- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=The+Connected+Learners
- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Toilet+Paper+and+%28Instructional%29+Toleran
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Check out ALSO these SlideShare examples, great stuff:
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Check out this Infographic, please, which explains BEST for understanding:
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Infographic credits: http://edudemic.com/2013/04/27-tips-for-becoming-a-digital-teacher/
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Important to know: The Difference Between Contemporary And Traditional Learning
Check the infographic below who explains very well, please:
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Click image to enlarge! Image credits: http://edudemic.com/2013/03/contemporary-and-traditional-learning-difference/
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How to know which skills the market needs!?
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That is also something I get very often asked: WE don’t know about the future jobs as every day NEW ones getting created emerged by the ICT and especially because of “Social Media“, so how to know about what to teach!?
That is certainly a well founded question and needs to get answered a bit differently by applying Howard GARDNER‘s view in his book “5 Minds For The Future“, see screenshot below, please.
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By reading the above, I think the question is answered very well and with your pedagogical background you will know how to adapt your courses to it! OR??? Perhaps ALSO revising what you learned before you got your diploma, a little refresh of knowledge helps also…
Check out also my multilingual book selection (EN, FR, DE):
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It’s about the learning, not the tools
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Lots of teachers have misunderstood what a 21st Century teacher should be and are doing nothing else as using the new educational tools, which is NOT the right way, sorry! The tools ONLY help making the courses more engaging and also more fun for the learners when well applied. They are necessary, BUT it is STILL the updated pedagogical knowledge of the teacher who is more important!
[Start Text from EDUDEMIC] However, if teachers change their approach to focus on transferable technology skills (i.e. the NETS-S) it will make the integration of technology more meaningful and prepare our students with skills they can take with them in the future.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a set of “standards for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital age that are widely recognized and adopted worldwide.” Those standards, known as the National Education Technology Standards (NETS), have several benefits including:
- Improving higher-order thinking skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity
- Preparing students for their future in a competitive global job market
- Designing student-centered, project-based, and online learning environments
- Guiding systemic change in our schools to create digital places of learning
- Inspiring digital age professional models for working, collaborating, and decision making.
[End Text from EDUDEMIC]
Read the complete article here, please:
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And as I was talking ALSO about the “updated pedagogical knowledge“, known also as “Professional Development“, check here, please, to find out if YOUR PD is up-to-date:
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Another BIG mistake is to focus ONLY on Apple devices and Apple resources in schools, such as iPad and iPhone Apps and more… Teachers like to play with them and students certainly also, BUT:
- There are more employers who use Windows machines than Apple machines worldwide and the students need first the knowledge and the skills to work with that “Operating System” (OS)!
- Once out of school and applying for a job, these “Windows Skills” are a ===> MUST to get a job!!! <===
- NOT every employer allows a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) strategy inside its company for different reasons, mostly for Cyber-Security reasons!
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Check also these articles, please:
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Social Media As Well Is NOW Included For Teaching And Learning
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First of all, let us take a look about what “Social Media” is, watch the video below, please:
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Why Social Media Should be Taught in Our School Systems
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Social Media (Twitter, Facebook and…) is part already of commercial strategies in most companies worldwide and if not yet it will be as companies must follow this trend to stay competitive! SO, the students (learners) need to have these “Social Media” skills as well to be able to use them later in their future working place(s)!
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I think the BEST way to explain it is to check my curation of professional articles, read them, please:
- http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-and-its-influence/?tag=Social+Media+Should+be+Taught+in+Schools
- http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-and-its-influence
- What is “Curation“? Check below, please:
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What are the trends in 21st Century Education?
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As a good introduction, I think it would be good to watch first this video:
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What are the learning futures? Check below:
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BUT How Could I Follow With My Professional Development!?
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First of all check out what is offered from your Education Ministry and then you might check my blog to find out what is needed to complete your PD:
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If you are a self-learner, an autodidact, I suggest to you to use Twitter together with Curation and trying to build up a “Personal Learning Network” (PLN) and to participate on Twitter-Chats.
A very good practice would be ALSO to invite teachers who are NOT YET ready for the 21st Century Education in a classroom as an observer for learning together with an experienced teacher and giving him ALSO the right to teach, the moment s(he) wants to say something when the experienced teacher is giving the course(s)! This needs to get briefed before the course(s) start… This would made him (her) feeling part of it and encourage also…
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Watch the video below to listen what the experts say:
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Find the explications here:
- What YOU should know about Twitter-Chat’s
- How-To use Twitter with success for Education and more…
- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=PLN
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What are the barriers to overcome for that THE CHANGE happens?
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Without a lot of talking myself, I invite you to read the following articles which explain at its BEST:
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Quote from [https://twitter.com/kimgarst] “If you don’t leave your past in the past, it WILL destroy your future. Live 4 what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away.
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Final Word
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This is what I see as THE CHANGE with my actual knowledge, but if YOU dear reader have some more information, feel free to leave constructive comments, suggestions and even constructive critics…
Of course there are ALSO the Parent-Teachers meetings and other changes, BUt I wanted to show ONLY the changes for the teachers who are THE CHANGE for the mind… Once accepted these changes in the mind, it will take some time to adapt…
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Stay tuned for next posts 😉
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EDU: Digital CitiZENship, CyberSecurity, eSkills, Modern EDU by Gust MEES 