As education evolves, so do our students. We must empower our students to embrace change and technology change in learning styles and learning environments. As we challenge the norms created in 20th-century education, we must break free from the monotony of retelling information and allow our students to discover their knowledge (21stEducator, 2009). The 21st century of education is dedicated to challenging our students to embrace discovery as a part of their learning process. John Brown said, “If I aint learning, it aint fun”, this holds for our students throughout their lives (Macfound, 2010). Learning is all around us, and our students learn every day. We must harness what they enjoy learning about, bring it into the classroom, and actively link these together (Macfound, 2010). To best reach our students, we need to facilitate learning by giving students the expectations, guidelines, and standards and then allowing them to explore. In contrast to traditional education, 21st-century learning kindles the fire of curiosity rather than just filling the vessel of knowledge.
Dewey cautioned against teaching today's students as we taught yesterday's, for it deprives them of tomorrow. A century ago, he urged us to prioritize learning over mere instruction. Thinking about this while looking at the current state of education takes time and effort. We are often stuck in a rut of teaching our students how we learned, which holds them back when we should push them forward. Taking on innovative ideas that foster learning environments that allow students to discover ideas propels us into the future. We need to look to other schools that have taken on this challenge of changing our education system and implementing these ideas (TEDx Talks, 2013). Creating an environment that promotes adaptive thinking and problem-solving prepares students to thrive in a dynamic world.
References:
21stEducator. (2009, April 2). 21st Century Education vs. 20th Century Education [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg
Macfound. (2010, December 1). Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner | MacArthur Foundation [Video].YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw
TEDx Talks. (2013, March 21). What 60 Schools Can Tell us About Teaching 21st-century skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g
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