Preparing learners for the 21st century: Are we ready for it?

The 21st century learners are different than those in the past. This is supported by Mr Lee Sing Kong, director of the Singapore NIE during the National Convention of Teacher Education in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. He talked of how a child can reason over things that we could not expect.

Mr Lee mentioned that there were 4 skills that a teacher must take into consideration when dealing with the 21st century children, namely Respect views of others; build consensus,communication and higher order thinking skills. These are the 4 elements that the learners need to follow the demands of the labour market.

Respect 

When we say respect the views of others, it means that every information is crucial in a discussion. Thus, turn-taking is one of the thing that the learners must practice to make sure that all of the ideas are put into place. This may seem hard when we look into the cultural context of certain place. For a competitive classroom, learners would try to race against another to make heard of their opinions. Thus, respect must be inculcated at the beginning of a lesson, such as setting up rules.

Build consensus

Once respect is taken place, learners must start to collaborate to find solutions to a problem. Consensus can

only be achieved when all parties are satisfied with the ideas presented. This is something uncommon in the past, as learning is always a one-way street and no argument involved. When I was helping out with a company in providing ideas, we had to work in a team and talk about anything that we have in mind. Once these ideas are analysed, we had to compromise on the best to be presented to the boss.

Communication

Learners must talk, get in touch and stay connected with the people around them. In the 21st century, there are many ways to communicate with one another, such as the use of Skype, Hangout and Facebook. Mr Lee also mentioned the term 'Mobile Learning', in which learners can learn anywhere and anytime. This term is quite different than the 'e-learning' that we are exposed to. Mobile learning are often related to learning using mobile devices. Mobile apps can assist learners in their learning. In Singapore, learners are given mobile apps such as "Well Said" so that they can practice their English language proficiency anytime,anywhere.

Higher Order Thinking

Higher order thinking skills is one of the criteria in the TIMSS and PISA tests. TIMSS and PISA are used to look at the performance of participating countries in Science and Mathematics. Higher order thinking skills refer to the ability to use "complex judgement skill", critical thinking skill and problem solving. Through collaboration and discussion, learners are engaged in different ideas and criticism. Thus, learning must not always about getting one ultimate answer, but rather to find different solutions.

Learning Profile

There are 4 things that are included in a learning profile, as mentioned by Mr Lee. They are Experiential, Participatory, Image Driven and Connectedness. They are related to one another. Learners need to experience new things. Learning needs to be visualised and learners need to collaborate in order to learn effectively.

Finally, Mr Lee ended with 7 word slogan, "To mold the future of a nation, teaching must be seen as a profession'. This is honestly true as whatever happens it will be up to the teacher's perception towards his or her job. If we look at ourselves at the same level as researchers and doctors, we might see that this is possible. But if we look at our job as something of a burden, we might consider at leaving the profession to people who are fit for it.

What do you think of the 21st century learning? Are you up for it?

Photos taken from:

http://www.schoolnet.lk/research/mobile_phones_for_teaching_learning_science/
http://sciencetoybox.com/procedur.htm
http://www.clickjobs.com/kofitable/group-discussion.html