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What is 21st century learning, and how do networks and technology function within it?
At TeachThought, we constantly wrestle with two big questions: How do people learn, and how can they do it better in a constantly evolving context?
In pursuit, the theme of “21st century learning” often surfaces, a popular label that, while perhaps cliche, still seems to be necessary as we iterate learning models, fold in digital media resources, and incorporate constantly changing technology to an already chaotic event (i.e., learning).
This has produced our 9 Characteristics of 21st Century Learning, a kind of overview we created in 2009, and our Inside-Out School model that is meant to be a kind of bridge between current school design and what’s possible moving forward.
An interesting graphic on some of the skills or activities relating to 21st Century learning. Not much depth in the actual article/explanation, but the six different channels provide some food for thought. It is interesting that there is a real shift to student as participant and contributor in all of the six channels. Their role is active. They can help determine the direction. They can explore some of their own interests and express themselves in different ways. What I find interesting is that you can see the pendulum moving toward the students, and I am curious as to where we are in the arc (in North America, specifically Ontario). Eventually the pendulum will shift back, toward rigour, and content, and curriculum, as well as standards.
Are we just beginning the swing toward student-centered education (as examples of standardized testing abound) or are we well on our way to reaching the end of this continuum, and we should gird ourselves for the return swing? Or, will we find a happy hybrid, a blending of a rigorous curriculum, discovered through inquiry-based learning, constructed using student and teacher collaboration, with students "driving the bus" and teachers acting as guides (and hopefully accelerating past the need to test everyone and everything)?