This was originally written for publication for my school’s newsletter’s edition on “21st century learning”. I present it to you here not as an attempt to present any new ideas, but in the hope that it might help to pull together many of the ideas that are floating around in online education discussions. Those familiar with Dan Pink might see some of his influence here. Enjoy.
Twenty-first century education won’t be defined by any new technology. It won’t be defined by 1:1 laptop programs or tech-intensive projects. Twenty-first century education will, however, be defined by a fundamental shift in what we are teaching—a shift towards learner-centered education and creating creative thinkers. Today’s world is no longer content with students who can simply apply the knowledge they learned in school: our generation will be asked to think and operate in ways that traditional education has not, and can not, prepare us for.
Education has long tried to produce students who can think (and at times, think critically) and it has, for the most part, succeeded. As we move into a world where outsourcing, automation, and the ability to produce a product, physical or intellectual, at the cheapest cost, become the cornerstones of our rapidly evolving global economy, the ability to think critically is no longer enough. The need to know the capital of Florida died when my phone learned the answer. Rather, the students of tomorrow need to be able to think creatively: they will need to learn on their own, adapt to new challenges and innovate on-the-fly. As the realm of intellectual accessibility expands at amazing rates (due to greater global collaboration and access to information), students of tomorrow will need to be their own guides as they explore the body of information that is at their fingertips. My generation will be required to learn information quickly, use that information to solve new and novel problems, and then present those solutions in creative and effective ways. The effective students of tomorrow’s world will be independent learners, strong problem solvers and effective designers.
If we accept the above to be true, I would argue that there are two types of education that will prepare students for the world of tomorrow: experiential learning and project-based learning.
Experiential learning can be best seen in extracurriculars and in some schools, senior projects. These experiences give students the opportunity to face first-hand the challenges that arise when applying the theoretical knowledge provided by traditional classroom learning to real-world challenges. Light designing for MICDS Theatre has taught me how to take my technical knowledge of lighting and apply it to a creative and artistic end. As issues arise, I must problem-solve within the constraints provided by my technical knowledge and my creative vision—I must think creatively.
Project-based learning is the in-class complement of experiential learning. The concept behind project-based learning is simple: give students the basic tools, then ask them to go above and beyond on their own projects, exploring the information in their own way, and on their own terms. The effect can be awe-inspiring. Our students are diving deeper into subject matter than ever before, and doing so on their own terms in ways that they enjoy. Whether it is through producing a movie on burlesque dance or deriving Kepler’s laws using calculus, students are not only learning, but they are learning how to learn.
Traditional-rote learning has its place too, as a jumping-off point for our intellectual endeavors. We are, however, crippling our students if we don’t give them the tools necessary to be life-long learners.
Update: A recent post on the Generation YES Blog talks about a Lemelson-MIT study showing that students are interested in having the tools to (in my language) think creatively.
Exactly right! I would add that one vital component of education that must be emphasized is learning while outside of one’s own culture. If we want our students to get creative, giving them an opportunity to live in another culture (or country) and see how other people solve problems, deal with issues and connect with each other is one of the most mind-expanding and eye-opening learning experiences available. In the classroom: good. In the community: better. Outside of one’s comfort zone: BEST.
Anthony, I do a lot of extracurriculars, and I feel that, true to your words, the experience challenged the book learned knowledge, and forced me to elaborate on those things. For example, in English 1 and 2, we learned about poetry critique. Basically we learned the bare bones of what makes poetry good. I just finished the first issue of the school literary magazine, and those skills I learned in English were vital during the poetry selection process. But it took it above and beyond anything I ever realistically could learn in a traditional classroom.
I really love this post. It is exactly how I feel.
Although I agreed with the whole post, I was imagining it applied to my own life and one sour thing sticks out. For many classes, I really am not interested in innovating and learning. If I am given the task to be an actual historian and research and come up with something totally new, I probably would not be interested at all if I am a student just taking the AP course to get that credit (Just an imaginative situation, I do like history quite a bit actually.)
So in order to manifest that creativity, there needs to be interest and involvement as well. Any way to fix that? The only solution I can think of is to get colleges to require some innovative project as part of the admissions process.
The Florida quote was my personal favorite.
@Lindsea - Your point about learning “out of comfort zone” is great - another way to force kids to wake up and actually see the world around them.
@Kevin X - Holding students attention and motivating them is a problem that has been facing teachers for hundreds of years. Perhaps I am just naive, but I refuse to accept the idea that project-based learning (or, design as I mentioned in my last post) forces teachers to reinvent ways to motivate students. Why would your hypothetical student pay more attention to traditional methods of teaching? Her investment is in getting a good score on the AP exam, if she is going to do the minimum amount of effort to achieve that, how does project-based learning change the situation? It seems to me that all we are doing is changing the object of effort, not the effort on the object.
@Andrew Oliver - I wonder how much of that decline is due to the (perceived) increase in need to be able to test students (using traditional methods) on the material they are learning (e.g. SAT/ACT, AP, IB, etc.). One issue that I didn’t touch on in my post is how teachers asses project-based learning. I didn’t touch on it, because I think it misses the point entirely. Those assessments are often based on measures that are worthless for the students of tomorrow. The problem is that we have a circular dependency, standardized tests won’t change without curricular changes, and curriculum can’t deviate away from the tests.
I truly enjoyed reading your post about creative thinking. I also totally agree with Maya Frost and Lindsey about the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone and experiencing other cultures and mindsets first-hand. You asked if it wouldn’t suffice to do virtual intercultural projects instead of an actual sojourn in a new culture. With ten years’ experience of both virtual and face2face student exchanges with schools in many different countries, I’d say virtual projects are a good start. However, it’s not until you experience totally different ways of being and dealing with life that you really get proper insights into the diversity of our world. You see, a lot of this is about subconscious, automatic reactions to authentic situations, which will be largely missed online.
For me, 21st-century education should be about developing students holistically, and one essential part in this globalising world would be to learn about intercultural skills. So, you’re right - asking where to learn maths or science misses the point completely.
I think that the project-based learning is something that we have recognized but haven’t quite put into action yet. Its a great way to express our left brain thoughts and research in an infinite realm of design and creativity. I like the way that you are spreading this message to the people and I think you should continue to spread your words and thoughts to everyone.
Javon
I really enjoyed reading your post. You did make a lot of points that sound like the things Dan Pink mentions in his book “A Whole New Mind”. I like the fact that this was written for a newsletter. The more people are aware of these new views, the better! It really helps prepare for the new age.
Your post made me think about what I want to do in my life and why I should do it. You’re correct in saying that merely memorizing information is not enough anymore. Simply memorizing information is being outsourced and will eventually be eliminated. Although this is a good thing in many ways, it is kind of scary for our generation because it is learning in a whole new way than our parents or grandparents and it takes a different kind of person to succeed.
~Liz C
I definitely agree with your ideas of how students should learn in the near future. I am a student in a 21st century classroom in which we use laptops everyday and focus more on expanded our learning past the usual expectations. We also discuss topics very in depth and students can usually find answers themselves and come to understands things much more. I think another way to encourage students to learn creatively is to let them speak out in the classroom and have open discussions about topics they have strong opinions about. I think this would unleash student’s creativity, and make learning less of the punishment it is seen as by many.
I agree with almost all of what you said. As a student in a twenty-first century learning classroom, I have seen my personal learning improve, the more room I am allowed to learn on my own and teach myself. Like if I don’t understand a concept in a book we are reading in class, or I want more insight on the subject, it is right at my fingertips. Having access to this kind of technology has caused me to want to expand my learning, which you don’t really find in students all that often today. If I didn’t have this learning style available to me, I feel that I wouldn’t be prepared for the future at all. Even now, it is overwhelming to realize everything there is to learn, and how easily it is accessed. So I couldn’t imagine not having a laptop in my class to help expand my learning horizons.
When you said “The concept behind project-based learning is simple: give students the basic tools, then ask them to go above and beyond on their own projects, exploring the information in their own way, and on their own terms. The effect can be awe-inspiring”, I 100% agreed because I saw that happen in my classroom. When I first walked into my classroom, our teacher immediately asked us to do a project, and I thought the products were interesting. Almost everybody just used a PowerPoint to create their project but after a couple of weeks, students were using all different types of programs which showed students creativity more than any other way I have ever seen
I also agree with Javon about how project based learning is still in its infancy, but it will come a long way very soon, just like all of the other new industries in this era. To get the word out, all we need is more people like you.
Great stuff here! I want all my teachers to read this.
I agree with you whole hartedly that the way students need to be educated. As the world changes so do the skills required to succeed in life.
But as a student in a 1:1 laptop class I find that it is one of the tools needed to learn and recieve information quickly. With a laptop all the information is at your fingertips. I have found that with a laptop, seeing as it is easier to find the basic facts so that I have more time to spend on my creative thinking. The resulit is that my projects are much more creative something that, as u say, will become important in the future.
Although I love the idea of Experiential and Product learning, I think that technology is plays a huge role in how we will shape learning in the future. My English class, for example, has laptops for every student and we are already using MANY different types of media that we were oblivious to before. Apart from that, I was impressed by your way of thinking and the way you incorporated rote learning into your plan for the future. This is important because many people prefer rote learning and learn quicker and more efficiently when it is applied to their education. Keep up the good work.
With many of the points, I definitely agree. I don’t think that laptops will define the 21st century education, but I think that it will help. Although not necessary, the laptops allow students to take charge of their own education and find facts by themselves.
When regarding the experiential learning and project-based learning, I definitely agree. I feel as though hands-on projects and experience will really prepare students for entering the ‘real world.’ The sad thing about this is, is that most of this type of learning is reserved for only seniors or after-school activities. I think that it would drastically improve the education system if schools were to add experiential learning and project-based learning directly into their class routines.
Wonderful article. I really enjoyed reading it and I sincerely agree with most points made. Thanks.
you have depicted what you think 21st century learning will look like, and I agree with your picture. I think that students today are not efficient because they do not know how to learn on their own. They rely on the teacher to explain everything completely so that they comprehend. In the 21st century, I think that things will be much different. People will need to know how to learn by themselves and use resources available. As Mr. Fisch said in our last fishbowl, our bosses will ask us to solve a problem, but will set no limits to HOW we solve that problem. I think that this is where the creativity that you talked about would come in handy.
So, since we need to have creativity so much, I think that to some degree, computers are getting in the way. That is, yes they can inhance creativity with their technology, but I think that they can hinder also. I don’t think that there is much creativity in using a computer’s template to make a flyer. So, I think that students should be taught creativity without technology first and most prominantly, but then learn how to enhance it with a computer.
21st century learning will probably be nothing our grandparents could have imagined. We are heading to a new front, or in Pink’s words The Conceptual Age. An age of concept and not facts. An age where we must take facts and connect them into a big picture.
Simply stated, learning will be completely new and refreshed. And, with the proper methods of teaching, creativity will flourish.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on 21st century learning and thank you.
I agree with everything you’ve said here with one exception. Although I can see how technology will not be the defining factor in future education, I do think it holds a vital role in allowing professional learning communities to advance. Without the assistance of laptops, the internet, and other forms of technology (including I-Pods) students and teachers alike will not be able to access information that they will need to learn and teach.
There is one thing that I disagree with, Anthony said that we need to learn to be creative, no I think the logical people must use there blessings and talents in a more productive way, but I don’t think they need to change the mind they were given.
Your post really hit home for me, because up until this year, I had only been exposed to the kind of classroom where the teacher gives you some vocabulary words, you memorize them for a quiz, and then you forget them. This year I started high school and was exposed to a whole new world of education. Both my English class and my Social Studies class are 21st century learning classes. In my Social Studies class my teacher gives us the basic facts, and then we have to see the connections between the events that led to later events. In my English class, we read books, like last semester we read Macbeth, Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, and The Chosen, and we have to pick out the common themes, like what the author is saying about the nature of the human race, or what it takes to challenge the system. In these classes I am in charge of my own learning, and because of this, I retain information better than i ever did before.
Katy J.
I would like to address one point in particular that a number of you raise. I agree that technology is absolutely critical to 21st century learning. At my school, we will be adopting a 1 to 1 laptop program next year, and I have been working to help make that happen. I am a huge proponent of computers in the classroom and see them as the future of education.
However, technology in the classroom is the means, not an end. I wrote:
What I mean by this is that laptop programs and computers in the classroom aren’t the goal, they are a tool that we use to reach our goal, namely students being able to think creatively. I love that you guys are in such support of laptops in the classroom, but my question for you is this: is it the laptops or how we use them that will make the difference in your education? In other words, what is the change in education that makes laptops such critical learning tools?
Thanks for all the great comments!
I agree with a lot of the points that you made. For example with all these new ways of doing and learning things in the class room are very good and can be much more helpful or easier, but we still need some of the old fashioned methods to learn.
I don’t know very many adults at all who doesn’t have a job that they enjoy - at least to some extent. I think that’s great - but I think it’s getting to the point where we’re just becoming lazy. Not because we are making technology do our work, but how some people avoid going to college or something because they want to “find themselves”.
I think it’s because they’re not ready to suck it up and do something they aren’t “passionate” about.
apart from that, i think more personal learning is essential.
I agree with a lot of what you have said. I feel that it is very interesting how you brought up a point from Daniel Pinks book A Whole New Mind. The automation in the work place has led to people and jobs being replaced by machine. Why would you pay for someone to do a job when, with a click of a button, it could be done? I think we need to not lose ourselves to machines but find a balance. We should not allow ourselves to fall behind and let computers and animatronics do all of our work. Just because we can replace a person with a computer because it is cheaper doesn’t mean we should. Another aspect of the changing world is outsourcing. America has become so cheap that I feel we may be harming our own economy while trying to save money doing work elsewhere.
I completely agree with what you are saying. I say this over and over in my Personal Learning Journals. Technology is increasing at a breath-taking pace and school isn’t preparing us in enough ways to be capable for handling this. The world is going to need computer engineers and designers. It is going to need people with bright new ideas to help us as a people progress into what we fully are capable of.
Here is my question for you. What is the importance of Empathy in the workplace and in school. Can it increase productivity? Is endorsing empathy in business a plausible future? I am writing a paper based on this question. Please pass this question around to others and respond on my class blog at this address http://smith9h0708.blogspot.com/
Go to the post “Please answer my question for my Wikified paper.
Thanks so much!
Excellent post all around. Basic fundamental content will never die, but the focus needs to shift from rote to concept and experience.
Would love to hear your thoughts on our Map of the Future
. I also just did a site visit to a school that uses the New Technology Foundation model, which emphasizes soft skills and project-based learning; I wrote it up on a blog post. I think this model really gets at what you are envisioning.
- Eric, KnowledgeWorks Foundation
I am in almost total agreement with most of the statements you have made. I do agree with you that education will not be defined by the new technology or 1:1 student to laptop ratios. While I do think that technology will heavily influence the education of tomorrow, the “actual” education of tomorrow will not be affected by it. When I say this I mean that thinking creatively and thinking on-the-fly will never be taught through a computer program. While I do think that having the technology at our fingertips is a big influence and will allow us to get answers at the speed of light, it still will not affect how the students of tomorrow will be learning to be right-brained thinkers. I think, if anything, that the more influence technology has, the harder it will be to teach the skills of a right-brainer. I also agree with the statement that the two types of learning will be experiential learning and project-based learning. I think that the busy work we receive in classes like foreign language and mathematics will make it even harder to learn right-brained skills. More learning over all will occur when these two types of learning are implemented into everyday life. Yes, not only at school must we be taught to change, but learning on our own and at home through our own experiences will be the other major aspect to becoming a right-brainer. This is why being able to learn on your own while being able to learn through school will increase the learning rate 10 fold and will give students, as Anthony said, tools necessary to be life long learners.
Anthony, a belated note to say that this ranks as one of my favorite posts on this blog to date. Project-based learning of the self-directed variety is my own grail in my own teaching practice these days - so much so that I chose to quit teaching the “elite” (and educationally pathetic) Advanced Placement English Literature course, which attracts students for all the wrong, extrinsic reasons, in order to only teach next year an elective, self-directed “Networked Learning” class.
You’re doing top-notch work on this blog: clear-thinking, visionary, clearly written, concise, and productive. Bravo to you for your focus and work ethic.
I really would be delighted if you’d skype into that class one day soon for natural, non-schooly global collaboration. You might make some contacts in my Korean school that would enrich your own PLN in unpredictable, creative ways in the future.
You’d certainly enrich them.
Keep up the great work.