Tag Archive | buzzwords

Lost in the Jargon of 21st Century Learning

In the past few months, these buzzwords have taken over my life…

21st Century Learning
Paradigm Shift
Web 2.0
Project-Based Curriculum
iKids
Global Citizens
Digital Learners
Social Communities
Culture of Inquiry
Outcome Based
Active Learning
Multiple Literacies
Best Practice

I found this video today and was mesmerized…
http://journeyintech.blogspot.com/2009/11/21st-century-jargon-buzzword.html

Is it any wonder I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed as an educator??  I am not a young 20-something fresh out of school.  I am a mid-40s mom with 2 teenage daughters, who changed careers almost 10 years ago, and found my passion in teaching.  I have always embraced technology – It does not scare me.  But I entered teaching in a very traditional environment – one that was very textbook/testing/paper-driven.  Now I’m trying to adjust to a new environment, and make sure my students are prepared for today’s world – not the one I entered when I graduated from college in 1985.  If this “shift” overwhelms me, I can only imagine what it does to my colleagues who are 10 years older than I, who are not tech savvy, and who have been teaching the same way for 30 years…

My stress comes from feeling as though I have to change everything at once.  I need to use more technology.  I need to use less worksheets.  I need to teach without textbooks.  I need to provide “authentic assessment”.   I need to assign more projects.  I need to assign less homework.  I need to differentiate more.  I need to start using “workshop” style lessons.  I need to rearrange my classroom.  I need to provide more hands-on opportunities.  I need to provide more opportunities for collaborative learning.  I need to facilitate, not teach.  I need to determine which content is really important, and spend more time helping my students become critical thinkers and problem solvers.

I do think I have already begun to take important steps in this direction.  But I know that change is hard, and many teachers struggle with changing the way they have always taught.  I don’t believe in “throwing the baby out with the bath water” – I don’t believe everything we have been doing is wrong.  I think a certain amount of paper and pencil/drill and practice is necessary in some content areas to help “lock in” basic skills.  I believe that we should not throw out what works  – But we must look for ways to reduce what doesn’t work, and improve our methods and strategies to meet the needs of the changing times. 

This means that I am beginning to question the things I have always held dear, and it is an uncomfortable feeling, to be sure.  If we are focused on collaborative learning and problem solving skills, and differentiating to meet students where they are, is it still appropriate to assign grades in elementary school?  If we are embracing the whole child and encouraging our students to pursue their passions on the stage or the playing field, should we still be assigning homework in the same way??

I feel an obligation to my students to do the very best I can for them.  This means taking part in the Powerful Learning Practice program, and spending more hours reading, researching new methods in education, and finding creative lesson plans than ever before — and trying not to get overwhelmed and discouraged in the process!  It’s all for the very best cause… our future.