A week ago, we (in a group of three) were assigned with different topics respectively. My teammates and I got the topic of 21st Century Skills. From the finding, we managed to sort out the essential skills that need to be equipped for every learner in the 21st Century which are 1) learning and innovation skills, 2) information, media and technology skills and 3) life and career skills as to fit and survive in this 21st Century global society.
I would like to reflect it on the 21st Century Education. What do you think when we think of the future? What does the future of learning look like and how are we going to create it?
Sir Ken Robinson in his talk about Changing Education Paradigm also analyzed that educational system in most countries is built for the Industrial Revolution where the students are shaped and forced to become their ideal kind of students to fit the economy structure. Nowadays the students are living in the Digital Revolution. The path that we tread in the 21st century is completely different from that few decades ago. These days, it is not about teaching the content nor skills, but it is about using the content to teach the skills. What’s more, it is intended to empower the teachers to integrate technology effectively in the current curriculum while focusing on students problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration. So, how are we going to move forward if we still utilized the same system that have been designed for a few centuries ago?
Moreover, today’s students are growing up with technology such as smartphones, iPads and tablets. To be exact, almost any given day, you will probably find a student using a social media in the classroom. Whether they are sneaking the smartphones out to recess, trying to scroll Instagram during the lesson, or using the Internet for a class project. And also, it has been proven that learning using modern tools is better as students can be more innovative, dynamic and it can be fun for learning.
To conclude, before pursuing my degree in TESL at UKM, when I went into the education field I didn’t sign up to be expert in habits of mind, but as the future teacher, it is significant to implant the skill for the sake of students as to foster their talents and navigate them in a right direction. Hopefully, with the 21st Century skills, the learning objectives are more open-minded and develop the divergent thinking as well, where they will learn that sometimes a wrong answer is a right answer to a different question, just like in the real life.
All the love - A.
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