Being the 21st Century Teacher

What makes someone a 21^st century teacher?

In my last blog, I discussed how teachers could make their students prepared for the 21^st century world. Through integrating the curriculum, teachers allow students to better see the relevance to what they are learning and apply their knowledge and skills in the real world, effectively BEcoming active and informed 21^st century citizens. However, to be able to allow our students to be informed 21^st century citizens, we as educators must also hold certain 21^st century traits.

Our textbook effectively describes the characteristics of a 21^st century educator as someone who plans a unit with curriculum outcomes and classroom assessment before choosing instructional outcomes, and someone who makes material relevant and accountable. Technology is used to enhance learning and allow for deeper understandings. They have strong beliefs grounded in a constructivist philosophy, and are conscious of the need to differentiate and personalize the curriculum. They open their classroom to the world through blogs or websites and take risks, collaborate and engage in personalized professionalized development (Drake et al. 153). Not only do 21^st century teachers KNOW their curriculum, they KNOW their students and themselves, aspiring to BE the teacher their students need and want. However, the path to becoming a 21^st century teacher may not be that transparent.

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How does one negotiate between the OLD and the NEW story of education on the path to becoming a 21^st century teacher?

Although it is easy to see how students can become 21^st century learners, it is harder for a teacher to see himself or herself as 21st century teacher. As our textbook describes, in the transition to the NEW story of education, many teachers find themselves a living contradiction, where their practice does not fit their values. To address this contradiction, teachers need to find a way to combine the opposites of the OLD and NEW stories of education (Drake et al. 151). It is only through this reconciliation that an educator can become a 21^st century teacher.

Many things about the NEW story of education can be intimidating: trying to navigate between the demands of increasing accountability and the desire to move away from assessment OF learning; trying to scaffold students, while at the same time inspiring self-discovery; the fear of technology reversing the role of the teacher in the classroom. These are all fears that many teachers face on the road towards becoming a 21^st century teacher who takes risks to make their classroom relevant and engaging. I know that as a prospective teacher I am also anxious about addressing these contradictions. However, if one’s own beliefs fit this NEW pedagogy and the desire to be an agent of change in the lives of students, then the risks become more rewarding than intimidating. It is the teacher’s ability to reflect and grow that allows them to navigate between the OLD and NEW stories of education.

Here is an example of how educators today aspire to move toward the NEW story of education:

How does my personal story fit the profile of a 21^st century teacher?

As a prospective teacher, I want to be able to engage all of my students. I want their learning to be relevant and I want to inspire change in their lives. I had a positive experience throughout my education and I want all of my students to experience the same joy I did in learning. Although the risks involved with becoming a 21^st century teacher seems to be overwhelming right now, I believe that it is possible to adapt to the NEW story of education.

Participating in Genius Hour, gave me a glimpse of this future of education. By being able to choose an idea of our own, my group and I came up with a project that thoroughly interested us and made research fun. Trying to think of a medium to present our research and articulate our ideas was also an interesting challenge, since we wanted to make sure that those who saw our project would be as interested in the topic as us. What we came up with was a blog called “Humans of Education.” You can check out our blog here. We interviewed each other and some of our friends to see what their PERSONAL story of education entailed and linked their stories with academic literature. The importance of KNOWing your students was really emphasized to us during our exploration.

Through the process of Genius Hour, I can really see how making the curriculum engaging and implementing assessment FOR and AS learning is important for the NEW story of education. Just by participating in this new culture of learning, it is easier to see that becoming a 21^st century teacher is possible and within reach. For education to be fulfilling, for both the students and the teacher, what a teacher aspires to BE must reflect what they practice. It is through this process that I hope to become an engaging 21^st century teacher. 

“Be the Change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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References:

Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.