21st-Century Learning in Action

Bust of Aristotle, Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos.

To the Greek philosopher Aristotle is attributed the quote: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits are sweet” (Brainyquote, n.d.). Becoming an educated, productive, and successful citizen was not easy in the 4th century B.C. and it remains a challenge into the 21st century. Why is this? Because it is only through a consistent application of genuine effort that any of this is attained. Yet, then as now, the effect of all of that hard work is "sweet" life, a fulfilled life.

Twenty-first century learning can be divided into three sets of skills. In the first group are learning and innovation skills such as critical thinking and creativity. In the next group are information, media, and technology skills. Finally, and often overlooked, are life and career skills such as flexibility, initiative, and responsibility (Battelle for Kids, 2019). Taken together, these skills make for well-rounded capable adults who are ready to face the challenges and change which will inevitably come.

Image by Battelle for Kids. Used under the doctrine of Fair Use.

The key factor that differentiates 21st-century learning from earlier periods is the ubiquitous nature of information available at our fingertips via the Internet (Thomas & Brown, 2011). Students are no longer limited by the knowledge of the teachers or the books to which they have access. In this way, information has been made much more democratic since the Internet has opened up nearly unlimited worlds of opportunity for those who are willing to put in the effort to master whatever skill that they desire.

Image by Unknown.
Used under the doctrine of Fair Use.

The lesson plan that I created is a reflection of my philosophy of teaching students for life in the 21st-century. The ultimate goal of any teaching is that the knowledge and skills learned would transfer to other domains of activity (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). With this in mind, I aim to teach so that the students understand the things they are studying at an increasingly deeper level. I want students to actually use the things that they are learning and to see a direct link to their real lives.

"Slide 1" by Kevin Streeter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

The topic of my lesson is arrays in C, so I want the students to eventually see the benefits and practical applications of this data structure. I start the students off with a warm-up activity where they role play being a teacher in need of a gradebook program that can calculate the average of a series of quizzes. Pointing out to students examples of times when they might use the knowledge and skills they are learning in class in their future or current life is a very common tactic of mine. While challenging to find relevant links, I believe this helps grow the skill of initiative and self-direction in the students since they see an application to the things they are learning.

"Code Analysis" by Kevin Streeter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Students learn best when they are able to discover relevant patterns on their own instead of being spoon-fed the right answers. For this reason, I chose to give students opportunities to exercise critical thinking and analyze code segments. Students are also able to play with the code and experiment to discover how things really work. The world that our students will inherit will require them to be able to figure things out by making mistakes and learning from those mistakes.

Image by mohamed hassan
is in the publc domain.

Although I see value in every one of the 21st-century skills, in my opinion, there was an important subset of skills that was omitted from the life and career skills. Emotional management and stress management receive a passing mention in the original 21st-Century skills document, but I believe this is a missed opportunity. The inner skills of grit, tenacity, and emotional intelligence are needed more than ever in a world that can feel out of control. I purposely try to build this muscle set in my students. If students do not have these skills, it can be difficult to maintain sustained effort in the other skills. As Aristotle might say, the fruits may not be as sweet.

References

Aristotle Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/aristotle_100762

Battelle for Kids. (2019). Framework for 21st century learning. http://static.battelleforkids.org/documents/p21/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf

Bransford, J. L., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded Edition). National Academy Press.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. CreateSpace.

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