Stop #2: What exactly is a 21st Century Learner?
I would like to start off by sharing that the first day of school was no disappointment! If you have previously read my science blog then you are already quite aware of how I feel about the lovely Dr. Ludmila Smirnova. Her class serves as a breath of fresh air from very challenging times and her unique perspective on how the COVID-19 pandemic has positively impacted the field of education is quite inspiring. Dr. Smironva is incredibly impressive for a multitude of reasons, but perhaps what makes her most inspiring is her never-ending desire to learn and grow as an educator. If I am being honest, I think that the world could use a lot more people like her. In my few short months of working with Dr. Smirnova this winter, she has inspired me more than I can ever put into words. She has quickly become my mentor, role model, and all-around superhero and it is for this reason that I feel very blessed to have the great fortune of continuing my educational journey under her guidance this Spring. Before we get into the content associated with this blog, I would like you to take a few moments and think back to your academic journey. I would imagine that like mine, it was filled with many ups and downs, highs and lows, and moments of sheer joy. I now want you to think of a teacher that was phenomenal. Do you remember their name? It is no surprise who immediately pops into my mind as you have already been introduced to her at the beginning of this blog. What made this teacher so impressive? Were they engaging, inspiring, positive, or maybe they just believed in you? Now that we have taken this wonderful trip down memory lane, I want you to reflect on a negative academic experience. Maybe you had a teacher that you were not very fond of or maybe they just did not seem passionate about the subject matter that they were teaching. Unfortunately, like many others, I too have a teacher that comes to mind when reflecting on my negative school experiences. At this point, you are probably wondering where I am going with this task and why I asked you to take time out of your day to reflect on a dark moment in your academic journey. To this question, I would say that there is a method to my madness and urge you to stick with it, as this exercise was not done to scare you or to bring up harsh memories but rather to reflect, evaluate, and consider what made this experience so challenging. For many of you, I would imagine that your answers are quite similar. You may be thinking that this teacher assigned nothing but busy work or that they struggled to relate to the class and content being discussed. Perhaps even worse, some of you may have thought that the teacher did not value your opinion or care about your feelings as they never asked for your feedback or perspective. As a future educator, these sentiments are the ones that haunt my dreams at night. A student should always feel respected, valued, and heard. Beyond that, I honestly believe that teachers are lifelong learners, and as such they must work hard to stay up to date on current technology in order to remain involved in their students' lives. Education should be fun and exciting and if we are not promoting a love of learning in our students, then what is it that we are really accomplishing? At this point, you are probably wondering what the heck this has to do with the image at the top of your screen and even questioning the importance of the reflective exercise that was just completed. Although it may seem silly, I believe that we learn best by applying things to our own life circumstances, as the most successful type of reflective analysis stems from our own unique perspectives. So with our previous discussion in mind, I ask you to refer back to the image located at the top of the page. In this drawing we can see a stereotypical example of a teacher, complete with glasses and a ruler, holding up a writing assignment that asks her students to reflect on what they did this summer. Although it is nice that the teacher is encouraging personal reflection and appears to showcase a desire to learn about her students' personal lives in order to connect with them through shared experiences, we can tell that her method of delivery is ineffective, and frankly, rather outdated. This can be accomplished by simply analyzing her student's response. Despite the educator's best intentions, the nature of the task causes the student to leave this exercise feeling frustrated and misunderstood. In my perspective, the major takeaway from this drawing is that the teacher has not kept up with the times. She is stuck in the past and using outdated pedagogy that is no longer engaging to her students. Although this cartoon may seem stereotypical and harsh on educators, as sometimes pen and paper tasks can not be avoided, it reminds us that one's audience plays a major role in their educational success. If we do not work hard to adapt to the times and keep our students engaged and excited regarding the tasks that lie before them, despite the best of intentions, our lessons will often miss the mark. With new educational technologies, professional development experiences, and teacher support groups being discovered and showcased online each and every day, we have no excuses. There are always ways to reflect on our practices and make improvements. With the current call for online teaching, the time is now. We must change. We must adapt and we must work hard to engage.
With this idea in mind, I invite you to take a look at the following video created to shed light on 21st-century learners. This reference entitled " AVision of K-12 Students of Today" reminds educators of just how important it is to not only connect with their students, but to adapt to these changing times, and perhaps most importantly, infuse their classrooms with educational technology and interactive resources. Despite the video being slightly dated, as a few years have passed since its creation, and technological advancement never seems to remain stagnant, I find the overall sentiment of this resource to be quite powerful. Therefore, I highly recommend that every educator, both old and new, takes a few moments of their time to not only watch this video but to internalize its message.
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