What are the skills of the 21st Learner?

Teachers as Learners

The question for teachers today if they want to remain relevant is not "should we use technology" but "which technology to use and how to use it to improve teaching and learning." Our challenge is to match the needs of our learners and to do this we need to be strategic learners ourselves by updating our practices in this rapidly changing digital age. A good place to start is to agree on what 21st skills young people need.

The Australian Curriculum and the 21st Learner
Its worth looking at the emerging Australian curriculum. ACARA acknowledges significant changes to our Australian society and a need for young people to have a wide but everchanging set of knowledge,skills and understandings.The draft Australian curriculum for English,Maths,Science and History identifies what deep knowledge and skills will be taught in each learning area.In addition, to reflect the nature of work in the 21st century, ACARA has also identified 10 general capabilities and 3 cross curriculum dimensions.
The 10 capabilities are:

• literacy
• numeracy
• ICT
• thinking skills
• ethical behaviours
• creativity
• teamwork
• intercultural exhange
• social competence

The 3 cross curriculum perspectives are

• indigenous perspectives
• commitment to sustainability
• skills,knowledge,understandings related to Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

These 21st century skills will be our "design specs" for 21st education so that we can prepare young people for their future.

As mentioned before, if we want to prepare students for the 21st century,we do need to look at our own practices.We need to embed the above skills into our school's curriculum. Take a look at the video Vision for the 21st Century Teacher to see what the 21st century teacher should look like.

Heidi Hayes Jacob's Curriculum 21 :essential education for a changing world is also a fantastic read. She is a world reknown curriculum designer who urges us to transform our curriculum to match the times in which we live.(We do have a copy in Teacher Reference). With regards to curriculum content and assessment she suggests that teachers should become comfortable with at least one new tool a sesmester.
She recommends the following strategic plan :

• Review the technological resources in the school
• Identify at last one unit to revise
• Plan to replace an assessment practice with a 21st century upgrade within the unit
• Share the proposed change with colleagues
• Learn to use the tool
• Revise the unit and begin implementation with students
• Tolerate some frustration
• Celebrate the victories
• Revise and share with colleagues

Its all about risk taking and moving out of our comfort zones.Our own Gippsland Grammar ICT Showcase &Share blog gives us a great opportunity to be able to share these experiences as we become learners first,teachers second.