There is much discussion on what 21st century learning is all about. There seems to be a perception that 21st century learning is all about digital technology. On some preliminary investigation and discussion with passionate teachers I have come up with a list of what it may be!
21st century learning is about:
- The four C’s: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication
- Sound pedagogy: a combination of Blooms Taxonomy, de Bono’s Six Hat Thinking, Hattie’s Visible Learning and so on.
- Building character: resilience, compassion, integrity
- Knowledge and subject passion: with which students build their own understanding of the world in later years
It seems that as the world becomes increasingly fractured and acts of terrorism loom large in the minds of this generation, the need for learning that is based on the whole person becomes increasingly important. There is a need for schools and teachers to be the beacon of light and hope and encourage their students to be optimistic, world changers. For example, we well may need to teach compassion rather than tolerance, and to teach our young people to ‘love their neighbor as themselves’.
Ultimately, 21st century education is about good teaching. It is about teachers who place the student, the person, at the centre of their everyday classroom teaching. I have had the privilege of being taught by such teachers. As a migrant teenager, I found myself in the hands of teachers who cared and inspired me to teach! In my journey as a teacher over the past 20 years, I have met compassionate, wise teachers who exhibit all the characteristics of what we now label ‘21st century educator’.