Discuss about the Teaching and Learning in 21st Century and Techniques.
The teaching and learning has changes significantly in the 21st century as the society and the context of education has changed. This change was necessary as the previous teaching and learning processes were inadequate for preparing the students for their future life as valuable members of society that requires them to possess the ability to function competently in the changing scene of the society(Scherer, 2010). Therefore, the need for new teaching and learning process birthed the new techniques that were necessary for the education system to function properly. The main change in the process is that previously the teaching was about contemporary knowledge and past knowledge of the basic principles of the world and the society but the new process concentrates on the building an understanding of the learning process that helps them cope with constant change in the social norms that dictate the action s of individuals. The teaching and learning concentrates on the question “how to learn?” so the students are aware of changes in the society and can adjust their learning to suit their new needs. Any change that comes to society or their professional life they are able to learn new things to cope with them in the new process.
The availability of information is high in the world in the 21st century so the memorization of certain information or fact is not necessary in the current education system.Therefore, the process of learning and the understanding of the process are much more important in thenew model of education. The role of the teacher has also changed in the same context, as the teachers were providers of information and experience who taught the students with information he himself learned or experienced firsthand(Robertson & Smith, 1999). However, with the advent of the new century the focus of the study changed the students were encouraged to think for themselves and to experience the situations that might be faced by them in future in a theoretical context. Therefore, the students of the 21st century are taught on how to gather information, disseminate and analyse them. The focus is given on the ability of the student to think critically and find the points that were overlooked. It is quite common for the students to face new situations and experiences in their adult professional or personal life.The new learning and teaching prepares them for the situation by making sure that they are able to think for themselves and generate a solution to their problem(Rhoton& Shane, 2006). The previous education system that focused on the experiences of others, as examples to create solutions would not have been useful in the case where new problem might not be similar to any faced before. Thedecision-making based on the facts is the possible need of the population. The point of education is to make sure that the educated are able to function in the society properly so the education system in the 21st century is focused on the self-learning from own experience(Marzano&Heflebower, 2012). The changing dynamics of the society is generating so many problems that without the ability to learn continuously, a person cannot function properly.
The change in the learning and teaching process is driven by the needs of the people in a constantly evolving society so the different factors that are forcing the education system to evolve are the main reasons of the changes in the society also. The three key factors are given below.
Globalization is one of the main reasons of the changes in the education system. For this reason the members and future members of society will be unable to cope with the different culture, customs and standards of education in future unless the education system changes(Lent, 2012). Therefore, to prepare them for the scenario where the standard basic knowledge on how the world functions are given to the students in the new education system. It is impossible to teach a student to make decisions in an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar standards based on theoretical examples alone. The ability to judge the situation and the best course of action, is necessary to be implemented in the education system (“Learning and teaching”, 2005).Globalization has brought severe change in the society that made the change in the teaching and learning necessary. The different values of the different cultures round the world are unique and different so the education needed to suited to the global scene and not only the own local culture and values. The change in the teaching and learning is based on the adaptability of the student and their need to adapt to the best of the global standards and assimilate the values that are suited for their particular culture(Herteis, 2010). To be able to do that the students needed to have their critical thinking ability promoted. The critical thinking was included in the 21st century teaching process to ensure that the students could function in unfamiliar situations based on their learning capabilities that are stimulated by the new system.
The social change is another reason for the development of the new teaching and learning. The society has changed significantly in the past century as the social position has become more fluid and skill in a particular craft gained more value than the social standing of the person. Therefore, the promotion of skill in the education system has become a priority in the new system. This has become the norm because of the availability of the knowledge is higher in the current world and the knowledge of various skills and crafts are available for everyone whereas the knowledge in the previous system was jealously guarded and only passed on through apprenticeship(Hawisher&Selfe, 1999). The availability of the knowledge has made the teaching profession a valid profession that can economically support a person. The availability of the knowledge also made the process more common and in many cases, the basic knowledge that is needed for a person to perform in the society is mandatory. The basic knowledge is made available for all because it is unclear who has the necessary skill for which profession(Hagger& McIntyre, 2006). It cannot be decided what specific knowledge a person might need in future so the education system needed to be more general which can be applied to any discipline in any culture.
The social standard for education is changing as the literacy is being increasingly needed in our day to day operations.The people working manually require at least some basic education to understand their instructions and processes. Therefore, the learning is not being limited to few as it was and the social standards dictate that all have some basic knowledge and change in the society has become another driver behind the change in teaching and learning.
The advent of modern technology in all parts of the society and all professions also made the change in the teaching and learning necessary. In today’s world the technology is used in all of the professions in all scenarios so the computer literacy has become a normal demand for one to function properly function in the world(Griffin, McGaw, & Care, 2012).The different technology is also important in as it makes many new techniques of making the knowledge available to many people possible. The use of visual images and videos to illustrate is another example of the use of technology that is changing the field of education in the modern world. The same can be said for the internet where information on almost any topic can be found. Therefore, the learning process differed from the previous ones by the use of the different information sources. The technology made is unnecessary to impart information, as it is readily available. The process of teaching mainly focuses on how to learn by using the different sources. The knowledge of using the information is the focus of the new learning process of 21st century(Graves, Juel, & Graves, 2001). The use of information sources is taught along with how to assimilate the necessary information and to critically review the information. The technology has made video conferencing and other communication methods easy so the learning is not always face to face and instruction can be given over any communication to the learner so the physical boundary of the teaching process has grown.
The curriculum and the pedagogy have changed significantly over the years and the new progressive education style has changed in the modern times to ensure that the teaching and learning is suitable for the current times(Fry, Ketteridge, & Marshall, 2003). Previously schooling was thought to be the preparation stage for life but the new thinking promotes that the schooling is a part of life that teaches us about how we live our lives. The role of the teachers was previously known as the providers of information where the students were passive absorbers of knowledge that was to be used by them later in their life. However, in the 21st century the information is available for all so the role of teachers has become similar to facilitators where they teach the student how to use the information. The teachers promote the thinking ability of the students but the work is done by the students so the students in the new process is that of active participants (Eakin, 2015). The previous school of thought excluded the parents and the community from the teaching process but the new system included them as an extension of classroom as the people learn a lot about life from parents and the communities. The use of the test results to determine the capability of the student was the old method but the new one focus on the mission and goal of the students and their effort and approach is given more value than the result. The skills that are to be achieved by the students are judged as goals but the modern thinking marks the skills as a related tool for achieving a goal(Denemark, 2011). The success of a student in the old method is based on the correct answer that mostly determines the accumulation and recall of information. In the 21st century pedagogy the application of the skills are given preference when applied in a practical setting. The old curriculum is based on the capability of the student and their skill in one topic but the new curriculum gives more value to the process where the application of knowledge solves a real life problem. Therefore, the basic difference in the two systems is in the objectivity and purpose that are more suited to real life in the new method.
The previous approach to education is based on the time where knowledge was not readily available but that is not the case in the current century(Bybee, 2010). The students obtained information from the teachers in previous centuries but they take a more active role in the current education system. Currently knowledge is available in many forms but the use of the knowledge has to be taught by the education system. The job of the teachers is to facilitate the learning of the students so that in future they can assimilate the information and use it in practical setting(Burgan, 1996). Therefore, the change in the education system is preceded by the change in the life of the people that made the change in the education necessary. The change focuses on the practical use of the knowledge rather than the collection of information so the practice of learning is made more interesting and more effectual in the new method.
Conclusion
It is clear from the essay that the teaching and learning has made significant impact on the society by its change of approach. The change was facilitated by different factors that made the ineffectiveness and the shortcomings of the previous methods apparent. The new method is more suited to the current situation in the world and better suited to prepare the next generation for the changes that have come and might come in the future(Biggs & Tang, 2011).The change made the activity of learning a part of life. This makes the student understand that the use of knowledge and practical implementation is not separated from the theoretical aspect like in the previous teaching method implied.
References
Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University Press.
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Bybee, R. (2010). The teaching of science. Arlington, Va.: National Science Teachers Association.
Denemark, R. (2011). Teaching and Learning about Teaching and Learning. International Studies Review, 13(3), 543-545. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2486.2011.01061.x
Eakin, M. (2015). Teaching the “Art and Craft of Teaching History”. The National Teaching & Learning Forum, 25(1), 1-4. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ntlf.30047
Fry, H., Ketteridge, S., & Marshall, S. (2003). A handbook for teaching & learning in higher education. London: Kogan Page.
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Hawisher, G. &Selfe, C. (1999). Passions, pedagogies, and 21st century technologies. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English.
Herteis, E. (2010). Teaching, Learning and Interning: From Teaching Internships to Scholarly Teaching.The Canadian Journal For The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, 1-13. https://dx.doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2010.2.5
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Lent, R. (2012). Overcoming Textbook Fatigue. Alexandria: ASCD.
Marzano, R. &Heflebower, T. (2012). Teaching & assessing 21st century skills. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.
Rhoton, J. & Shane, P. (2006). Teaching science in the 21st century. Arlington, Va.: NSTA Press.
Robertson, A. & Smith, B. (1999). Teaching in the 21st century. New York: Falmer Press.
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