Connecting with a 21
Connecting with a 21st Century Learner: Practical examples from the classroomMichael Roche2014What are the educational needs of 21st Century Learners and how are educators meeting these needs? An investigation of possible areas of improvement and practical examples of implementing innovative ideas within the classroom.Who is a 21st Century Learner?A 21st Century Learner is continually connected, highly social, and analytical, has access to all knowledge and expects immediate feedback; and uses communication, problem solving, team building and creativity skills, constantly in their out of school lives.Possible areas of improvementPhysical EnvironmentIn the early 20th century the design of classrooms closely matched the design of the factory floor, a model designed to maximise output from the newly invented assembly line.Maximising the output of an assembly line was achieved by having each employee concentrate on a single task, repeating it again and again, with each employee adding a little to the production of a complete product. Repetition enabled employees to master tasks, improve efficiencies and reduce errors.In the classroom this philosophy was replicated in the form of students working individually and repetitively to master tasks, improve efficiencies and reduce errors. The best physical environment to achieve this efficiency model was desks in rows all facing the front of the classroom, promoting individual interactions with the teacher whilst reducing interaction between students.In the early 20th century the assembly line methodology in education prepared students for the workforce perfectly, as it replicated it. Over the past several decades office design has moved from the assembly line approach through to open plan and now to creative and dynamic work places. This evolution followed the recognition that while the assembly line improved efficiencies in the short term, it failed to prepare employees to move through levels of the workforce and into management. It also failed to provide an environment where employees could collaborate to develop problem solving and creativity skills, needed to create the next generation of products their companies could develop.During the same period elementary school classrooms have also been redesigned to better meet the needs of students. Again, realising that collaboration, problem solving and creativity were important skills, schools began to develop environments where these skills were fostered. However, in the main, “content centric” high schools have remained relatively unchanged. While many classrooms now include coloured furnishings including chairs and desks, many of these classrooms are still dominated by rows of desks facing the front of the room.Regulatory EnvironmentDuring the same timeframe when progressive companies where reinvigorating their work spaces they were also revolutionising the regulatory environment they created for their employees. Companies moved from punch card time clocks, specified bathroom and smoking breaks, and uniformed employees, to flexible work hours, relaxed schedules, and task appropriate clothing.In an assembly line methodology employees were restricted with an authoritarian structure, reduced individual autonomy, reduced freedoms, negative reinforcement and an emphasis on silence and order.This methodology, emphasising control over long term improvement is still used in some environments, these include, military training, sweat shop manufacturing, prisons and some high schools.Preparing students for the workplaceIn classrooms across the world students ask their teachers, ‘Why are we learning this?’ and the answer generally takes the form of ‘You will need these skills to get a job.’Teachers in Australia tell their high school students that graduating from high school is an essential step to achieving a good career and that graduating university is an essential step for achieving an even better career.In order to graduate from high school, students need medium levels of numeracy and written literacy, the ability to follow instructions and the ability to retain facts. Consequently, high school graduates are then prepared for jobs which need medium levels of numeracy and literacy and the ability to follow instructions; low skilled repetitive jobs. Unfortunately these are not the jobs which high school students are striving for.In order to graduate from university, students need high levels of numeracy and written literacy, a good knowledge base, the ability to understand resource materials, the ability to learn from set curriculum and note taking skills. This prepares university graduates for jobs which require high level skills, the ability to understand resource materials and the ability to learn set processes; high skilled repetitive jobs. Unfortunately these are not the jobs which university students are striving for.The jobs high school and university students are striving for are the 21st century jobs which require collaboration; knowledge construction; skilled communication; global awareness; self-regulation; real world problem solving; and technology used in learning. Students who go on to obtain these jobs do so by gaining the necessary skills outside the education environment.Employment - Low Skilled Repetitive JobsIn the late 20th and early 21st centuries Western economies started to automate, and later offshore, low skilled repetitive jobs. Australia has seen this most pronounced in the automotive industry were two-thirds of factory floor jobs were replaced by automated machinery, then more recently the clothing manufacturing industry which was offshored to Bangladesh.In contrast to other labour revolutions, the offshoring of clothing manufacturing happened at light speed. While the industrial revolution took decades to take hold in the UK and several decades more to spread through Europe and the US; the clothing manufacturing revolution took just years to spread throughout Western economies.This poses the question “If whole industries can disappear within the timeframe of a student’s high school journey, how are educators preparing students for the workforce?”Employment - High Skilled Repetitive JobsStarting in the early 21st century and growing in speed, the trend of offshoring high skilled repetitive jobs is impacting white collar industries. Starting with software development then radiology, through to financial services and accountancy, any white collar tasks deemed repetitive are a target for offshoring. While the offshoring of software development has been matched with a global increase in demand, this is not so for areas like of radiology and financial services.Interpretation of medical imagery, while highly skilled, is a relatively repetitive process, and with a large difference between local and offshore labour cost, radiology was destined to be one of the first white collar services industries to be affected by offshoring. As early as 2007 Alexander, in his article American Diagnostic Radiology Moves Offshore, (2007), looked at the effect of offshoring within radiology and stated “Now, American white-collar workers are watching their once safe, well-paying domestic jobs go elsewhere”Yu and Levy (2007) argued that while the US radiology industry is under threat from offshoring, a bigger threat is posed by the computerisation of low-end diagnostic radiology. Either way, provision of this repetitive skill will no longer by served by a local work force.In January of 2012, ANZ (The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) one of Australia’s largest banks, advertised 55 jobs at its new Manila operations in the Philippines. At that time an Australian based Credit Risk Officer could expect a wage of $60,000 AUD up to $80,000 AUD a year. The equivalent position, a Credit Risk Officer in Manila working for an overseas bank could expect $5000 to $7800 AUD a year.Although there are many jobs which are geo-located, including mechanics, doctors, life guards, and cleaners; in many industries only a percentage of an employee’s tasks are geo-located and thus a percentage of the people in that role can be offshored or automated.Percentage of the workforce which is subject to automation or offshoring=Percentage of the workforces tasks which are repetitive and not geo-locatedProbability that an industry will be automated or offshored can be determined wherecost of offshoringcost of automation <OR<cost of local labour force minuscost of offshored labour forcecost of local labour forceIf educators are going to tell students that graduating from high school provides the skills to get a good job, and graduating from university provides the skills to get a better job, shouldn’t it be true? Instructional MethodsSince the 1950’s and 60’s educators have been referring to Bloom’s (1956) Taxonomy as the foundation and essential element within education and seeking to move students to high order thinking skills. Anderson et al. (2000) developed the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.1342151212655CreatingEvaluatingAnalysingApplyingUnderstandingRememberingHigher Order Thinking SkillsLow Order Thinking Skills00CreatingEvaluatingAnalysingApplyingUnderstandingRememberingHigher Order Thinking SkillsLow Order Thinking Skills36511615508410%20%30%50%75%90%5%ReadAudio VisualDemonstrationDiscussion GroupPractice by DoingTeaching OthersHear0010%20%30%50%75%90%5%ReadAudio VisualDemonstrationDiscussion GroupPractice by DoingTeaching OthersHearCoupling Bloom’s Taxonomy with the Learning Pyramid, (National Training Laboratories, Bethel, Maine) which highlights the retention rates of information given using different instructional practices, educators could quickly determine that getting students to analyse resources, create content and deliver it to the class, whilst class mates evaluate, all in a collaborative setting would be one of the best instructional practices to adopt. Equally, asking students to remember facts from what they have read or heard would be the least effective instructional practice.Richard Elmore (2006), Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, conducted a study where he asked Grade 7 teachers to keep a copy of everything they asked students to do throughout a school term. At the end of the term he asked teachers to place items in a box representing one of the six levels of thinking of Blooms Taxonomy.Elmore found that 80 to 85% of work that students do in classes today is focused on factual recall and low level procedural thinking.Traditional instructional stylesLike most educational precincts, Australia, has had subject based standardised State testing for students graduating from high school for many decades. Over the last decade there has been a push, by State and National Authorities, to introduce standardised testing across the spectrum of K-12 education. Since 2008, Australia has had National Standard testing in numeracy and literacy for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (aged 8, 10, 12 and 14) as well as a national ranking for students attempting entry into university post-graduation.The limitations teachers have felt, with the prescribed curriculum for graduate exams, is now permeating through lower grades. Likewise with all testing in traditional education, now compounded by standardised testing, more and more of the instructional time in schools get devoted to ‘teaching to the test’.Students who excel or achieve at a moderate level are now characterised by the traits of; working individually, following instructions, retaining facts and taking tests. These skills are in direct contrast to the skills students need to move into the 21st century economy; knowledge construction, group decision skills, creativity, and collaboration.“No generation in history had ever been so thoroughly prepared for the Industrial Age as the current generation.” (David Warlick)Group decision skills, creativity and collaboration are seen as disruptive traits in a classroom where students are taught individually in rows, through repetition. Some educators are neglecting to provide opportunities for students to develop 21st century skills; in a traditional classroom students can be discouraged from using these skills and even rebuked when they try. Making connectionsStudents have grown up in a connected world. The ability to access the world’s information and entertainment resources, coupled with the ability to communicate with anyone in real time is expected. Technology is only technology to those who were born before its existence. (Unknown)Luckily, students have been developing 21st century skills of knowledge construction, group discussion skills, creativity, and collaboration since they first connected, and they use these skills throughout their day; while on the bus, while their parents are watching TV, under their blankets at night and sometimes even at the dinner table. The time when they use these skills the least are the five hours a day they spend inside the classroom. As educators move to incorporate 21st century skills into the classroom, they also need to move into the connected world where students live. While a decade ago, it was enough to allow students to connect to the school intranet after hours and hope that educators had made resources available, this is no longer true.Students are connected to a world where they do not have to search for entertainment or collaboration, it is presented to them, and comes with recommendations from peers they trust and respect. The challenge for educators is to move into the world students inhabit, rather than insisting that students leave their worlds and come to the educator’s domain. Practical ExamplesMany experts have identified poor school design, standardised testing, and over filled curricula as some of the causes of issues in contemporary education, and usually look to state or national change as the way forward.Educators cannot wait for industry leaders and politicians to provide innovation in education from the top down. Improvements in education have to come from the ground up, by dedicated teachers in their classrooms for the benefit of students.Here are some ideas which teachers can take into classrooms tomorrow.Creating Dynamic Learning Spaces Thornburg (1996) introduced four learning spaces; Campfire (students and teacher sit in a circle to discuss ideas), Cave (personal learning space), Watering Hole (gathering spaces for students to come together) and Mountain Top (Students present and share ideas to the class). In lower elementary school classrooms it is possible to build all four spaces and have students move between then to suit the chosen instructional method. However, in a high school classroom, with larger students, thus larger desk and chairs, creating four separate learning spaces is not possible. If a teacher in a standard high school classroom is to utilise the advantages that different learning spaces offer they must be able to rearrange their room to produce each learning space when required.This can be achieved with standard classroom furniture by having students rearrange the furniture to the desired layout. If used regularly students can easily and quickly modify the layout of a classroom within 60 seconds.If the school is due to replace any classroom furniture, there are many options providing different seating styles and arrangements which can be purchased for the same price as traditional classroom furniture.Student Autonomy in Tasks“We need a pedagogy free from fear and focused on the magic of children's innate quest for information and understanding.” (Sugata Mitra)Students need a learning environment where the 21st Century skills of collaboration, creativity, problem solving and knowledge construction are regularly used and are promoted as the conduits to better learning.As students already use these skills outside of their classrooms, given an opportunity and freedom to choose, they will use these skills inside the classroom. Student autonomy works.Collaboration can be experienced in an environment where students are learning from each other and open communication and group work is taught and encouraged. Providing students with tasks where the teacher already has the answer leads students to produce what they think the teacher wants, rather than finding their own answers. Tasks without a searchable answer provide an environment where students have to determine their own response through analysis, knowledge construction and problem solving.Creativity is a skill which can be practised if a student has the freedom to complete tasks and present their findings in a medium of their choice. A greater depth of student attachment to the task can be gained by asking students to be the primary source of instruction for their classmates. If all students or student groups in the class are presenting the same answers to the same tasks, they can perceived it as merely an assessment process. Conversely, if different students or student groups are presenting different answers to tasks then their presentation have inherent value, providing instruction to the whole class. This deeper value often prompts students to devote more time, effort and creativity to the task.Teaching 21st Century Skills “In times of change, it is the learners that will inherit the earth while the learned will find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.” (Eric Hoffer)If a middle school student cannot be guaranteed that their chosen occupation will exist once they leave high school, what skills should they be striving to obtain through their schooling?Such skills would need to be general in nature rather than job specific, so they could be easily transferred from one industry to another. These skills are relativity easy to determine; take any job advertisement, remove the industry specific skills, and you are left with transferrable skills.The 2013 Gallup Study ‘21st Century Skills and the Workplace’ with Microsoft partners in Learning and Pearson Foundation, describes 21st Century skills for the workplace as consisting of collaboration; knowledge construction, skilled communication, global awareness, self-regulation, real world problem solving, and technology used in learning.Meeting the students in their worldSocial Networking provides educators with an avenue into the digital world where students reside, and can be navigated carefully, using policies and standards, to bypass the ethical pitfalls that are often discussed.Having educators create a professional presence in social media, separate to any personal identities they may use, and ensuring that contact between students and staff is limited to a moderated and auditable institution based group provides the reassurance educators need before entering this arena.As students comment on or reply to posts from educators or other students, their friendship groups are alerted and thus encouraged to join. This leads to impromptu student to student help groups as well as collaboration which has eluded purpose built learning management systems.Conclusion“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” (John Dewey)This paper has focused on areas within education where improvements can be made to assist toady’s learners in gaining the skills they need for the 21st Century.The many challenges education institutions face today, can be met with classroom lead innovation rather than industry wide mandates, with brave educators implementing ideas which better suits the needs of their students..ReferencesAnderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., ... & Wittrock, M. C. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, abridged edition. White Plains, NY: Longman.Archie A. Alexander III (2007). American Diagnostic Radiology Moves Offshore: Is this Field Riding the "Internet Wave" into a Regulatory Abyss? Journal of Law and Health, 20 200-246Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive domain. New York: McKay.Elmore, R. F. (2006). Education leadership as the practice of improvement, UCEA Conference Presentation, November 11. Retrieved 23 July, 07, from http:/podcasts/Microsoft Partners in Learning, Pearson Foundation, Gallup. 2013. 21st century skills and the workplace from Thornburg, D. D. (1996). Campfires in cyberspace. San Carlos, CA: Starsong Publications.Yu, Kyoung-Hee?and?Levy, Frank?(2007)?Offshoring Radiology Services to India. Retrieved from ................
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