Teachers need to change from being the giver of knowledge (because with the Internet, knowledge about anything can be found), but the facilitator of learning. I've mentioned this in previous posts; however, today's topic of the importance of the Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes brings this point home.
Learning to read, write, and understand math, science, and history is still at the very heart of our students' education needs; however, the way our students learn these things is changing...and changing at a very rapid pace. Teachers are still a very important key in this learning process, but it is very necessary to help facilitate the learning as opposed to giving the knowledge and just expecting them to learn. That doesn't cut it anymore!
The additional component to this area of 21st century skills framework are the 21st Century Themes. According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills:
...schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects.
Those 21st century interdisciplinary themes include:
- Global awareness
- Financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy
- Civic literacy
- Health literacy
These items may be taught in our school systems of today; however, as is pointed out in the quote from Partnership for 21st Century Skills they believe these themes should be woven into the core subjects. That means that the core subjects are taught using projects and ideas that promote the interdisciplinary themes.
For most, that is a shift from what is currently happening in the classroom. No longer is lecture followed by paper/pencil test enough. Really - it should never have been enough, but that has been the method adopted by most educators for many years now. No longer can a teacher sit back and watch the students learn. The teacher should be an active participant in guiding the students' learning - the keyword there being active. Giving a worksheet to the students while reading the newspaper at your desk will no longer cut it. That is a rather extreme example. Do I believe this is happening in most classrooms? No, but I know it does happen to some degree. There are still teachers who think that the most effective way to teach is to hand them a worksheet where they have to do 20/30 (or more in some cases) problems practicing the same concept. It doesn't work! Do you go home and do a worksheet to learn to bake a cake? NO! Why would we think our students learn this way?
Yes - I am quite passionate about this. Engaging our students in their learning is so important and the change needs to happen now. We can no longer sit back and see if this will work. It works! Engage your students. We'll all be better for it.
1 comment:
78Yes, I agree 100%!
As part of my prof devt, a course I took this summer had me in forums with other teachers. Here is what one post said: "In the district I am working in we began offering on-line courses this year. We also offer what is called "credit recovery" for those students that are failing to regain credit by taking a similar class on-line. After what we felt was a successful first semester, we noticed a little problem with schedules. We found that at least one teacher was moved to part-time because the numbers weren't high enough for her to stay full time. We, as a staff are concerned that the offering of on-line courses being taught by outside companies/universities are taking jobs from teachers in our building. I am wondering if anyone else out there is experiencing similar issues and if so what are you doing to ensure teachers don't lose jobs."
And my response: " As a new teacher in old skin and coming from the business world, I have a strong reaction to teachers who wish to maintain "STATUS QUO."
In education we teach our children the information needed but we ourselves do not keep up on the information that is HAPPENING NOW. Face it. We are in the information age. That means that we are digitally- based and therefore computers are a way of life. For this reason, being resistant to change is futile, to quote a Star Trek movie line.
If teachers are loosing their classroom jobs, then I believe that teacher needs to develop talent and skills marketable for the district they are in or move somewhere where change is less immenent. Running in fear of change is also futile. CHANGE DOES HAPPEN. IT is natural.
The fact that you, signagni, are taking an on-line course shows evidence that you are becoming more digitally skilled.
To ensure something does not happen means to be proactive before it happens.
We must learn to read the signals ahead of time and to plan accordingly.
"A tree that bends in a storm will survive and prosper, producing fruit/nuts that will also have this strength.
A tree that is stiff and rigid, unwilling to bend with the winds and storms will crack and die."
We must learn from nature what is NATURAL to accepting change."
Teaching our own teachers is a long and difficult task. Some are engrained too deep to want to change, others may never see a need and a few of us regard change as a positive force making life interesting and fun. Viva le diference!
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