Knowledge
Becoming a 21st Century Teacher!!!
How do you teach? Should today’s students learn the same way their teachers did?
Step back and look at the days gone by… your own days. What were the skills we needed to survive 20 years ago?
How do you teach? Should today’s students learn the same way their teachers did?
If we teach today as we were taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.
John Dewey
What are the 21st-century skills every student needs to survive and succeed in today’s world?
What abilities and traits will serve them in a time that’s changing and developing so rapidly?
Let us think about how our world has changed in education.
Twenty-two years ago, when I was in school, all I remember are my teachers. Not the content, not the pedagogy, not the methodology. Not even the tests they gave or the marks I scored. My fondest memories as a school-going child are those of my friends and teachers. The bonds we forged, the memories we made, the connections we built, and the impact created. ‘Marks are but numbers’ is what I have learned over the years as a student-turned-teacher. What matters most now are skills, demeanour, resilience, and the zeal to do something. The ignited passion and the kindled flame go a longer way than report cards. We hear a lot about how important it is for today’s students to develop their 21st-century skills, in addition to what is often referred to as the basics. These are the skills, dispositions, and attitudes that our students will need to thrive in their future lives of work and play and will have global acceptance at the same time.
But all of this does not come on its own. A lot of it depends on the teachers. Since times immemorial we have witnessed the teacher creating an indelible impression on the learner’s mind, not through the content knowledge but through the connection with the child. Gone are the days when education depended on textbooks, green board & chalk, and report cards. Marks matter but more importantly the attitude towards learning and the desire to create, innovate and collaborate mark the 21st Century traits of a teacher and a learner. Earlier, teachers taught the subject but a 21st-century teacher needs to teach the student.
CHARACTERISTICS OF 21ST CENTURY TEACHER
- Learner-Centered Classroom and Personalized Instructions
- Committed to students and their learning
- Project-Based Learning
- Learn New Technologies
- Collaborate & Connect
- Innovate & Keep Learning
- Think Globally & are tech savvy
- Develop sensitivity towards cross-cultural differences and diversity
- Build partnerships and alliances beyond classrooms
- No child left behind (NCLB)
Learners should be conditioned by their learning to be:
- Inquirers
- Inquisitors
- Communicators
- Appreciative of diversity
- Compassionate
- Courageous
- Risk-takers
- Tenacious
- Reflective
- Responsible
A good teacher can inspire, hope, ignite the imagination and instill a love of learning.
Brand Henry
How do we teach these skills?
- Make it relevant
- Teach through the disciplines
- Develop lower & higher order thinking skills
- Encourage transfer of learning
- Teach students to learn to learn
- Address misunderstandings directly
- Promote teamwork
- Exploit technology
- Foster creativity
- Provide opportunities
- Build trust & connect
The 21st Century teacher is the adapter, communicator, learner, visionary, leader, mentor, model, caregiver, collaborator, and risk taker.
Obviously, teaching in the 21st Century is a different phenomenon altogether, especially with the kind of exposure and technological advancement. When thinking about education in the last 25 years, a lot has changed. From textbooks to tablets, from chalk & duster to padlet, from green board to smartboard, from taboos and stigmas to open discussions, from being intimidated and apprehensive to being confident and inquisitive, from being the sage on the stage to the guide by the side, from teacher talk and monologues to active learning & flipped classroom; a lot has evolved.
However, the 21st Century teacher knows that the learner is the most important stakeholder and center of focus and for as long as education revolves around students and their holistic growth, it will never fade out or weaken its value.
About the author:
A passionate educator & an enthusiastic public speaker, Dr. Pooja Jain is currently the Head of the English Department at The Assam Valley School, Assam.