I've had the privilege of working with hundreds of teachers and classrooms across the country. My informal observation proved true time and time, again. Students take on the attitude and personality of the adults in the classrooms. If the adults are positive and open to new ideas or programs, the students come at this new thing with excitement and anticipation, as well. The same holds true for being curious and having a growth mindset. When the adults in the room allow students to explore, play, and produce outcomes in various ways, students tend to question more, wonder more, and produce more authentic work. Educator Katie Salen (Macfound, 2010) said her students always had access to laptops for learning, but also so they could put them away when this was not the best way to learn. What a mindshift from most classrooms that see tech as a special tool, not an everyday tool.
This goes hand-in-hand with Grant Lichtman (TedEx Talks, 2013), saying we shouldn't name these skills, "21st century learning" as these are skills that are timeless. Just as he didn't like that phrasing, I didn't agree with one aspect listed in the comparison of 21st and 20th Centurty learning (21stEducator, 2009). One slide listed 20th Century learning being heavy on discipline problems and 21st Century learning having very few discipline problems. I think the discipline issues are relative to the time and have only increased from what I've observed and stories I've been told. Some tech tools have added to discipline issues and as a mentor teacher once told me, "Keep them busy or they will find ways to stay busy that you may not like."
Finally, I think a large part of teaching and developing students is helping them accept change, cultivating a growth mindset, and being examples of flexibility. In his book, Johnson (1998) tells of characters that are looking for a particular outcome for happiness (cheese) and how they navigate the maze of life, school, work, relationships, etc to find their own type of success. I especially like how success is definited differently and this is especially needed in today's social-media enhanced world.
21stEducator. (2009, April 2). 21st Century Education vs. 20th Century Education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg
Johnson, S. (2015). Who moved my cheese. Random House.
TEDx Talks. (2013, March 21). What 60 Schools Can Tell us About Teaching 21st century skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g
Macfound. (2010, December 1). Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner | MacArthur Foundation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw
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