The framework for a shift in Paradigm

We understand that the idea of a teacher based paradigm within education has not allowed for the system of education to change with the world (Slabbert, de Kock & Hattingh, 2009). Yet where can one find a new paradigm to better fit the ever changing world in which education finds itself situated.

John Dewey, for us, holds they key to the necessary changes. For Dewey the focus is on creating experiences from which learning can effectively take place. In this he recognised that as individuals, the way in which we experience is affected by the way in which we perceive the world (Slabbert et al, 2009). In this sense, the society and our situation within it, combined with genetic factors will affect the way in which we perceive and thereby experience things. in this sense it is something social in nature.

John Dewey also held that learning is not just something that takes place within the classroom, but rather, it is a continual processes that occurs wherever experience can be had. Yet he still acknowledged that not all experiences lead to genuine or equalitive education (http://www.slideshare.net/lrickes/john-dewey-powerpoint).

In this regard, it is best to quote the man himself.

 "Education is a social progress. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself." (John Dewey, 1859 - 1952)

Technology resources to use...

In the technologically driven world we live in the use of technology resources in business, teaching and everyday life is not merely unavoidable but is vital to ‘survival’ for each and every human being in terms of developing and growing. Information visualization tools are examples of technology resources that are proving to be useful to a wide spectrum of people from very different walks of life working in very different sectors (Carnegie Mellon 2012). These tools are made up of a “broad range of digital tools and resources that allow users to view, analyse, manipulate, and/or communicate complex information” (Carnegie Mellon 2012). One technology resource that outweighs all other resources in terms of quantity of information/resources would be the internet. It is accessible almost anywhere in the world by almost any person in the world. Children can benefit greatly from using the internet as a technology resource with its wide range of “educational materials, publications … and information on hobbies, games, and sports” (National Academy of Sciences 2003). There is, however, a “darker side” to the internet especially when it comes to children using it since they may be exposed to a variety of inappropriate and disturbing things if not vigilantly monitored. The question you should ask yourself before using the internet as a technology resource is: do the positives outweigh the negatives when using this resource? In our opinion (SASK Ladies), they do.

What are 21st Century Literacies?

 In light of the changes that have occurred in education, and in society at large, over the last few years, several new factors have begun to pop up in terms of what is required in order to, not only survive, but thrive in this “new” context. 21^st century literacies that have become vital in order to advance our understandings of certain concepts, situations, circumstances or subject matter include:

Basic Language Literacy                                        Visual Literacy

Spatial Literacy                                                         Historical Literacy

Cultural Literacy                                                       Information Literacy

Scientific Literacy                                                    Mathematical Literacy

Political Literacy and News Media Literacy

However, learners of the 21^st century have learned to modify and select information or knowledge that best suits them and their needs (Abilock, D. 2011). There is, and can no longer be a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education.

Abilock, D. 2011. 21^st Century Literacies. [Online]. Available: http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/. [2 March 2012]

The Purpose of Education...

What is the true purpose of education? This remains a perplexing question since there are so many different opinions ever present concerning this question. Jennifer A Vadeboncoeur (1997:15) explains that there are two main theories concerning what the purpose of education is; firstly, “to educate the individual … in a manner which supports the … [individuals] interests and needs”, and secondly, to induce “social transformation and the reconstruction of society aligned with democratic ideals”. Piagetian constructivism is said to be aligned with an emphasis “on education for individual cognitive development” while Vygotskian constructivism is said to be aligned with an emphasis “on education for social transformation” (Vadeboncoeur 1997:15). According to Khalid Baig (2011:[sp]) the purpose of education is to produce qualified citizens and leaders that will be able to function effectively in the society that we are living in. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1947:1) states that the purpose of education “is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically” and carries by saying that “education which stops with efficiency” can prove to be a huge problem. According to Luther King Jr. (1947:1) “the most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals”, which suggests that the purpose of education is not merely to educate within the four walls of a classroom but that the purpose of education is to educate the mind and spirit of any given person intensively for as long as he or she may live. In summary, I believe one could say that the purpose of education is “to bring profoundness to one's expression, broaden one's perspective and build in the individuals, a better approach of looking at life”  (Oak 2012:[sp]).

Green Education...

Environmental education, otherwise known as ‘green education’, concentrates on increasing environmental knowledge and awareness amongst people in order to evoke “informed decisions” and responsible actions towards the environment (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978). According to Keith Schillo (2000:[sp]) “in our current educational system, knowledge of the environment is not effectively linked to how we live in that environment” which results in plenty of knowledge yet no effective change or developments. The only way to obtain a genuine ‘green’ education is to actually “live a green life in an environment that promotes green policies” (Schillo 2000:[sp]). Regarding this statement, it then becomes clear that green education is not simply an education which seeks to inform us about the environment but is in fact an education that seeks to promote change; it stretches far beyond mere knowledge to critical thinking and action. A proper green education can also not be achieved without the implementation of green policies. The long term goal for green education is environmental sustainability; meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations. A helpful aid that teachers may want to consider to use in the classroom would be ‘Green Teacher’, a magazine that helps teachers “enhance environmental and global education” that includes suggestions for “rethinking education in light of environmental and global challenges” (Green Teacher 2012). Green education is definitely something that should start at school, and should continue far beyond a person’s school years; it should be continuous throughout the journey we call life.

The Global Classroom

The image that leaps to mind when I consider the global classroom is that of a teacher whose head is earth, teaching within a classroom which lacks any definite bounds. To better explain this concept, let me expand on the images. The world, being all our experiences both virtual and real, is our teacher. She helps provide us the means with which to facilitate our learning in the world. The classroom without boundaries is the universe and beyond. We do not know the extent to which our world (in the broad perspective including the depths of space) encompasses. Before we could see beyond the naked eye, that was the extent of the class room. The class was the end of your village. But with the advent of technology, we are now able to interact with things far beyond our physical boundaries. We have come to encounter that space is much broader, and our place within that is much smaller than we imagined. In this sense, the global classroom has no limits, apart from the limits we set within our own minds.

In essence the global classroom is what you do with the vast knowledge that is available to you. The lesson only ends when you die.

Structuring 21st Century Education

Looking at the needs in terms of skills that this new world requires, we come to understand that the educational system needs to be such that it helps develop these skills, and creates an environment in which the youth can learn. Learning is the creation of meaning, by the person in the experience, based upon the experience of the moment.

The system of education also needs to consider the changes within it's audience. In this regard we need to understand that the youth of today process auditory and visual information up to 70% faster (Slabbert, de Kock & Hattingh, 2009). Taking this into account the outcomes and means of achieving this need to change. lessons need to be of a more auditory and visual focus.

Assessments also need to start focusing on assessing higher order thinking, rather than plain knowledge recall (Koh, Tan & Ng, 2012). we need to create a generation of people who are able to reason things out, be able to effectively learn and develop.

As more advances are revealed the system will need to keep changing, always understanding that the aim of education ids to develop people through the means of authentic learning.

Description of Terms with reference to 21st Century Education

Since the advent of the 21^st century, and the changes that have come along with it – especially in the education content – certain terms that have previously been taken for granted have had to be re-addressed. This is especially important since the mind-set of people have changed – as have those of the role-players in education. We no longer think in the same way – much less understand terms in the same context. In light of this blog, a few of the new ‘definitions’ of these terms will be addressed in order to better understand the context of this blog.

School: traditionally, the ‘school’ would be considered the place where education takes place. However, the focus has shifted from WHAT knowledge is obtained, to HOW it is obtained. More often, in the school context, facilitators of learning – or “teachers” – are concerned with how the knowledge is being transmitted to learners, since this has a direct impact on whether learners are able to internalise and understand this knowledge and information (Slabbert, De Kock & Hattingh). 

Teacher: the way teachers have been perceived has transformed in recent years. A shift has taken place from “teacher” in its conventional form to “facilitator of learning”. Having said that though, seven major roles of teachers have been highlighted, and the responsibilities have begun to transcend the school environment. These roles, according to Emilia Potenza include: learning mediator; interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials; leader; scholar, researcher and lifelong learner; community, citizenship and pastoral role; assessor and learning area/subject specialist (2002).

Learner: the same way that the role of the teacher has transformed, so has the role of the learner. The learner no longer passively “takes in” information, but is an active participant in the learning process (Slabbert, De Kock & Hatting). This has become more important, especially since the way in which information becomes knowledge has an impact on how effectively that knowledge is stored, and later, applied.

Curriculum: According to 21^stcenturyschools.com, a curriculum in the 21^st century should have various critical characteristics (2012). A curriculum should be interdisciplinary, project-based, relevant, rigorous and in the context of the “real-world” (21stcenturyschools.com, 2012). Having said that though, we believe that, although a curriculum should hold these attributes, it should also only serve as a guideline, and still allow for creativity and innovation of the facilitator of learning.

21^st Century Schools. 2010. Curriculum for the21st century. [Online]. Available: http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/Curriculum_and_Instruction.htm.  2 March 2012.

Potenza, E. 2002. The seven roles of the teacher. [Online]. Available: http://ace.schoolnet.org.za/cd/ukzncore2a/documents/core2a.curriculum-matters.htm. [2 March 2012].

 

Slabbert, J.A, de Kock, D.M & Hattingh, A. 2009. The Brave ‘New’ World of Education: Creating a Unique Professionalism. Cape Town, SA: Juta and Company

Media literacy skills

Media literacy has been defined as the ability to “access, analyse, evaluate, and create” messages or rather information across a variety of contexts (Livingstone 2004:3). According to Sonia Livingston (2004:3) the idea of media literacy can no longer be explained as ‘black or white’ but rather has morphed into a ‘rainbow of colours’ with each colour representing vastly different facets of media literacy as a whole. With media literacy expanding and developing with each passing second we need to also grow and adapt so as to effectively use new media literacies. The media skills we need to function in our tech-savvy modern world are made up of two very different components that are, however, dependent on one another. Firstly, one needs to be able to physical navigate new media. An example of this would be, after acquiring the necessary skills, being able to conduct a comprehensive internet search for specified information. Secondly, one needs to be able to not only access required information but also have the skills in place so as to analyze it, “comprehend it, infer meaning and detect balance and bias” (Howard 2006:[sp]). According to Professor David Considine (2006:[sp]) teaching students “to analyze media” could dramatically change their attitudes and behaviors and therefore, could become a vital tool for teachers to use in their lessons across a range of subjects. For those of us that have been fortunate enough to have gained exposure to new media the next step, regarding the acquisition of media literacy skills, would be to learn to interpret media content so as to add beneficially to the contemporary world. A question to ponder about, however, would be: what about those that have never been exposed to new media? Or, what about those that have but have never been given the opportunity to interpret it?

21st Century Skills

Having discovered that the 21^st Century is a time of change and digitalisation, we now need to understand the skill set required for a generation whose future is constantly in flux. As Koh, Tan and Ng (2012) highlight, we are having to prepare a generation for a job market that is not even realised yet. So what would be the needed skills to prepare the youth for this? Firstly we need to understand that the youth are changing the way their minds work. Countless hours plugged into a screen depending on visual and audio stimuli has led  to a generation that processes visual and auditory information up to 70 % faster (Slabbert, De Kock & Hattingh). We have a new generation with exceptional talent, and brain processing capabilities, yet, to what aim do we harness this? I believe that the Thinking Schools that are presently being envisioned encapsulate some of the most valuable skills for the 21^st Century. The main skill being the ability to think critically, and using this critical reasoning be able to create their own understanding and meaning to the world. The ability to take information from the environment, critically evaluate it and then create their own meaning from it will allow the future generations to adapt to any situation or challenge, and thus is the most useful skill available.

The changing way the world of employment functions is leading to the constant evolution of jobs on the market, what other skills are vital to being able to not only survive, but to thrive?

The 21st Century

The 21^st Century marks the next 2100 years of the common age or Anno Domini. It is a strange realisation that this is the 12^th year of this mysterious century, yet looking back, so much has happened in these years from wars to natural disasters. Wars and disasters have always occurred, so then what, you might ask, sets this present century apart from any other. My answer to that would be that technology has given us the key to unlock the door to information. In this century thus far we have seen the advent of things such as smart phones, and coupled with that a internet freedom resulting in web sites such as Wikipedia and wiki leaks. Now anyone, almost anywhere can have access to knowledge, but not the stagnant knowledge that used to be found in the family encyclopaedia. Now we have access to knowledge sources that have to keep up to date, in fact, the knowledge can often be created by anyone. Another huge difference came about with the construction of sites like MySpace, You tube, and of course, Face Book. And technology keeps on changing getting smaller, faster and able to do more sophisticated things. We have moved beyond information into what The Brave New World Of Education: creating a unique professionalism (2009) calls the digital world.

The 21^st Century is a time of remarkable change, mostly characterised by the rise of the digital. How do you think that affects the way we perceive the world compared to the generation of young thinkers in the beginning of the 20^th Century?