Module 1. 21st Century Education
Module 1. 21st Century Education
ST
21 CENTURY EDUCATION
CONCEPT EXPLORATION
Education prepares students for life in this world. Amidst emerging social issues and
concerns, there is a need for students to be able to communicate, function and create change
personally, socially, economically and politically at the local, national and global levels by
participating in real-life and real-world learning projects.
Emerging technologies and resulting globalization also provide unlimited possibilities for
exciting discoveries and developments.
ILearning Outcomes
1. Define 21st Century education
2. Describe the 21st Century teacher and the needed innovative tools for learning
3. Examine the critical attributes of 21st Century education
4. Explain how 21st Century education concepts can be integrated in the classroom
5. Draw relevant life lessons and significant values from the experience in practicing 21 st
Century education
6. Analyze research abstract on 21st Century education and its implications on
teachinglearning process
7. Prepare an evaluation instrument intended for 21st Century teaching-learning
ABSTRACTION
The 21st Century Curriculum. The twenty-first century curriculum has critical attributes that
are interdisciplinary, project-based and research-driven. It is connected to local, national and global
communities, in which students may collaborate with people around the world in various projects.
The curriculum also integrates higher order thinking skills, multiple intelligences, technology and
multimedia, multiple literacies and authentic assessments, including service-learning
(http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills).
The classroom is filled with self-directed students, who work independently. The curriculum
and instruction are designed imbued with the concept of differentiation. Thus, instead of focusing on
textbook-driven or fragmented instruction, instruction turns to be more thematic, project-based and
integrated with skills and competencies purely not confined within themselves, but are explored
through research and concept application in projects and outputs
(http://edglossary.org/21stcentury-skills).
Learning is not confined through memorization of facts and figures alone but rather is
connected to previous knowledge, personal experience, interests, talents and habits.
The 21st Century Learning Environment. Typically, a 21st Century learning classroom is not
confined to a literal classroom building but a learning environment where students collaborate with
their peers, exchange insights, coach, and mentor one another and share talents and skills with
other students. Cooperative learning is also apparent, in which students work in teams because
cooperation is given more emphasis than competition, and collaborative learning more than isolated
learning. They use technologies, including Internet systems and other platforms.
Hence, in the process of creating a world-class 21st century learning environment, building
new schools and remodeling of present school facilities can be addressed toward creating
environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and ‘’green’’ schools. Inside every classroom, students
shall apply their knowledge of research in life, which is a clear indication of a relevant, rigorous, 21 st
century real-life curriculum.
An ideal learning environment also considers the kind of spaces needed by the students and
teachers in conducting investigations and projects by diverse groups for independent work. An ideal
learning environment has plenty of wall space and other areas for displaying student work that
includes a place where the parents and the community can gather to watch student performances,
as well as a place where they can meet for discussions.
Technology in the 21st Century Pedagogy. Technologies are not ends in themselves but
these are tools students use to create knowledge for personal and social change.
21st Century learning recognizes full access to technology. Therefore, a better bandwidth of
Wifi access should be available along areas of the school for the students to access their files and
supplement their learning inside the classroom. Various laboratories and learning centers are set up
in such a way that they allow a space needed for students’ simulation and manipulative works. All
classrooms should have televisions to watch broadcasts created by the school and other schools
around. Other resources in the school can also be utilized by students in creating opportunities for
their knowledge explorations (http://www.21tcenturyschools.com/Critical_Pedagogy.htm).
Understanding 21st Century Learners. Today’s students are referred to as ‘’digital natives’’,
while educators as ‘’digital immigrants’’ (Prensky, 2001). Most likely, digital natives usually react, are
random, holistic and non-linear. Their predominant senses are motion and touch. They learn
through experience and learn differently. Digital immigrants often reflect, are sequential, and linear.
Their predominant senses are hearing and seeing. They tend to intellectualize and believe that
learning is constant (Hawkins and Graham, 1994).
Students’ entire lives have been immersed in the 21st Century media culture. They take in
the world via the filter of computing devices, such as cellular phones, hand held gaming devices,
PDAs, and laptops plus the computers, TVs, and game console at home.
A survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found out that young people (ages 8-18)
spend on electronic media an average of six hours a day. In addition, many are multitasking, such as
listening to music while surfing the Web or instant-messaging friends while playing a video game.
The pre-schoolers easily navigate electronic multimedia resources on games, in which they
learn colors, numbers, letters, spelling, and more complex tasks, such as mixing basic colors to
create new colors, problem-solving activities, and reading.
However, as Dr. Michael Wesch points out, although today’s students understand how to
access and utilize these tools, they use them only for entertainment purposes. Thus, students should
be prepared and assisted to become media literate as they function in an online collaborative
research-based environment with the advent of researching, analysing, synthesizing, critiquing,
evaluating and creating new knowledge.
21st Century Skills Outcome and the Demands in the Job Market. The 21st Century skills are
set of abilities that students need to develop to succeed in the information age. The Partnership or
21st Century Skills lists three types, namely: (1) Learning Skills which comprise critical thinking,
creative thinking, collaborating, and communicating; (2) Literacy Skills which is composed of
information literacy, media literacy, and technology literacy; and (3) Life Skills that include flexibility,
initiative, social skills, productivity and leadership. These skills have always been important in an
information-based economy.
Likewise, skills demanded in the job market include knowing a trade, following directions,
getting along with others, working hard and being a professional, efficient, prompt, honest, and fair.
More so, to adapt to this jobs in this information age, students need to think deeply about issues,
solve problems creatively, work in teams, communicate clearly in many media, learn ever-changing
technologies and deal with the influx of information. Amidst rapid changes in the world, industry
requires students to be flexible, take the initiative, lead when necessary, and create something new
and useful.
According to Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), various industries look for employees
who can think critically, solve problems creatively, innovate, collaborate and communicate.
Therefore, for a perfect match between academe and industry demands, schools need to embed
time-tested industry-demanded work skills in the curriculum
(http://thoughtfullearning.com/resources/what-are-21st-century-skills).
The 21st Century Learning Implications. 21st Century skills are viewed relevant to all
academic areas and the skills may be taught in a wide variety of both in-=campus and community
settings.
Teachers should practice teaching cross-disciplinary skills in related courses, such as
integrating research methods in various disciplines; articulating technical scientific concepts in
verbal, written, and graphic forms; presenting laboratory reports to a pool of specialists, or use
emerging technologies, software programs and multimedia applications as an extension of an
assigned project.
Likewise, accrediting organizations and regulatory bodies may require 21 st century skills in the
curriculum. In doing so, the assessment tools should also contain these skills. They may design or
adopt learning standards that explicitly describe multi-disciplinary skills that students should acquire
and master.
Schools and teachers should use a variety of applied skills, multiple technologies, and new
ways of analysing and processing information, while also taking initiative, thinking creatively,
planning out the process, and working collaboratively in teams with other students.
More so, schools may allow students to pursue alternatives, in which students can earn
academic merits and satisfy graduation requirements by completing an internship, apprenticeship or
volunteer experience. It is in this manner that students can practice a variety of practical,
careerbased, work-related skills and values while equally completing the academic coursework and
meeting the same learning standards required of students.
In today’s world, information and knowledge are continuously increasing at a certain rate
that no one can learn everything about every subject. What may appear true today could be proven
to be false tomorrow and the jobs that students will get after they graduate may not yet exist. For
this reason, students need to be taught how to process, analyze and use information and they need
adaptable skills that they can apply in all facets of life. Thus, merely teaching them ideas and facts
without teaching them how to use them in real-life settings is no longer enough.
Schools need to adapt and develop new ways of teaching and learning reflect a changing
world. The purpose of school should be able to prepare students for success after graduation and
therefore, schools need to prioritize the knowledge and skills that will be in the greatest demand,
such as those deemed to be most important by college professors and employers. Hence, teaching
students to perform well in school or pass the test alone is no longer sufficient.
Henceforth, teachers must realize and students must understand that no one can move
toward a vision of the future unless he/she understands the socio-historical context of where they
are now, what events led them to be where they are, how this can inform development of a vison
for the future and how they want to get there, thus, a clear articulation of the purpose of education
for the 21st Century is the place to begin with. (http://thoughfullearning.com/resources/what-
are21st-century-skills).
Interdisciplinary
dramatically throughout time. There is a
paradigm shift in the way teaching and Relevant,
st Rigorous, and
learning is delivered. Therefore, the 21 Technologies and Real World
Century teacher needs to develop Multimedia