The 21st century teacher...
this is a seemingly simple phrase that in fact represents the most innovative
and complicated idea of education. These days, teaching means so much more than
pouring knowledge into students’ heads. An incredible amount of additional
skills and qualifications are imperative to making classrooms successful and
education meaningful. In addition to fulfilling curriculum expectations,
educators need to incorporate skills such as critical thinking, collaboration,
project-based learning and more (Palmer, 2015). An overarching theme of
technological advances is also included. Being a 21st century
teacher seems like an impossible task… so how can we ensure that we are
successfully navigating this journey as educators?
I love that this video describes a few of the many necessary skills that
an educator must include in a 21st century classroom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwJIhZcAd0I
Being a 21st century
teacher is not without challenges (Rotherham & Willingham, 2009). Many
adjustments need to be made to the current education system; including teacher
education and curriculum reforms, and this will take time. Currently, I think
that our university education is catering towards introducing student-centered
learning skills, however I believe that the program needs to be developed to
further implement these ideas. For example, my placement classes (8P15 and
8P17) have done a phenomenal job of introducing new methods of teaching. In
order to be a ‘cutting-edge’ representation of a 21st century
teacher, I need to incorporate all these ideas that I’ve learned into my
classroom dynamics. I wish for my classroom to positively reflect my teaching
philosophy. For instance, I think community involvement is important, and
therefore desire for my students to learn about how to be good citizens and be
of assistance in the community. Additionally, I want to create a highly
interactive learning environment, where students can be seen collaborating with
others and a love of learning is instilled in children.
It will be a difficult but
rewarding journey to becoming a 21st century teacher. This chart provides a
great example of how truly dynamic an educator must be. It takes an incredible
amount of ability to integrate ideas such as inquiry-based learning and student
community involvement into the classroom. I strive to be a role model for not
only my students but also other teachers. Expert teachers may have more
difficulty becoming a 21st century teacher because they are
accustomed to their regular teaching style that may be considered outdated. The
image below showcases just a few of the many complex ideas that are associated
with the 21st century teacher characteristics.
I have faith in this
student-centered innovative approach and some school boards have already shared
this faith as well. The Peel District School Board dedicates a page to sharing their beliefs about 21st
century teaching and the technological components. I love this because it is a
strategic way for parents and community members to be involved in schools as
well.
The 21st century
teacher ultimately will develop overtime as new knowledge is discovered and in
turn alter their teaching methods. To me, this is an expected process for the
life of a teacher. Our education should not stop when we graduate, but rather
continue throughout our career. Overall I think that the ability to adapt based
on new information is a vital skill that teachers should possess. If we expect
our students to have the initiative to learn, we should have the same
expectations for ourselves. Now is the time to establish what characteristics
of the classroom and of ourselves as teachers we have already established, and
the skills we wish to strive for. I cannot wait to see how my knowledge as a 21st
century teacher can make a difference in the world of education!
References
M MacMeekin (2013, April 3) More on being a 21st
century educator: Morphing into a 21st century teacher. Retreived from:
https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/more-on-being-a-21st-century-educator/
Ministry of Education. (2015). Vision for 21st century teaching and learning. Mississauga,
ON. Peel District School Board.
Rotherham, A. J., & Willingham, D. (2009). 21st
century skills: The challenges ahead. Educational
Leadership 67 (1), pages 16-21.
T Palmer (2015, June 6). 15 characteristics of a 21st
century teacher. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher
The notion of being a 21st century educator is an interesting concept that shows the need for teacher development to progress from a traditional role. Throughout your post, you provide evidence of some classrooms, as well as entire schools that have encompass this belief system. However, should we completely abandon all forms of traditional teaching? I believe that schools should still maintain some forms of traditional learning. This will teach students the expectations in society of respecting an authority figure and how to work in a variety of environments. Although I do believe all schools should encompass a 21st century mentality, I believe in would hinder students education to complete reject traditional methods of teaching. How may you effectively combine skills from traditional education and skills from 21st education to create the most effective learning environment?
ReplyDeleteAs always, the foundation of your blog is impeccable; the inclusion of visual aids as well as a graphic organizer is useful for explaining your point.
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life"
-Winston Churchill
I agree that you believe becoming a 21st century learner will be both a challenging and a rewarding experience. As beginning teachers it will be difficult not to just stick to the given curriculum and choose the simplest ways to teach lessons. I hope to incorporate all we have learned about 21st century learning once I am actually in my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked the picture you shared of ideas to incorporate 21st century learning. This was a very good visual to show us how all the required components of a 21st century education. Ideas that seemed very interesting to me were blogs, video conferencing, and twitter. Technology is important for the 21st century classroom and teachers need to be up to date on how to incorporate these skills in the classroom. I think it’s important that you discussed how our education should not stop after we graduate. I believe teachers should engage in reflective teaching practices in order to continually grow as educators.
Overall great work Lindsay. Fantastic use of hyperlinks and very practical resources. It was great that you found an Ontario example of a school that incorporated 21st century learning in their classrooms. Your experiences with blogs can help you incorporate 21st century learning strategies!
I think it's really important that you brought up how the role of the teacher today is so much more than what it has been in the past. To be a 21st Century Teacher, I believe the overall gist is that there are endless possibilities of how we can teach our students and that being a teacher isn't a 'one size fits all' kind of thing. We need to be ever-evolving and adapting to what our students need in the given time. Tying in that you would like to reflect your teaching philosophy is really interesting with this notion because it demonstrates that you are an individual and that you are aware of how you want to run your classroom. We can have a plan with regards to what needs to be taught through the curriculum, but being a 21st Century Teacher allows you to teach through a variety of ways. A lot of the time I feel like we may try to compare ourselves to one another, however I think because there are so many ways one can teach, it is our duty to share with one another new, cutting-edge strategies that work.
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