Meeting the needs of the 21st Century Learners

The past century has undergone through many changes, being technology one of the most important. Today, our students are saturated with media, they normally listen to music, record it, take pictures, create internet content, play video games, talk by mobile phone and instant message through out the day. The information comes to them easily, and the amount they receive is overwhelming. According to Dr. William Ranking of the Abilene Christian University, the information you just look up before class may be outdated by the time you take the class. Therefore, if students are capable of getting information at the moment and that it is the latest in any area, why do we continue trying to tech them information that they are supposed to retain?

Throughout history changes in the way students learn have been made and they have been shaped according to the technology to access information. During ancient times, before books were available, students used to learn from their teachers, having a relationship with them. It was common to live together and learn the trait by repetition of the skills being taught by the master. When the book became available, then the information could be read and learned from there. Despite this, it was extremely difficult and time consuming to get the information. Hence, teachers would “feed” the information to students because they were the easiest, fast and reliable source of information. Students would have to memorize what the teacher said, because having the facts and information made you competitive. However, students now have loads of information and do not need teachers to give it to them. Students take seconds to double check what their teacher is saying in class, they will come forward and say things like: “Have you seen this video/ app that shows you what you are talking about and see you can do this… and this…and this”. Clearly they are ready to share, discuss, and learn how to apply what they read. These changes and the new needs of students make us reflect on the role we have as teachers. It is necessary to shift from lecturing in class, to working together with students, collaborate, being a mentor and focus on them practicing.

Some of the options to start changing is by flipping the classroom. Students get the information at home, at their own pace, they research, watch video and read online with the use of apps, Khan Academy,TedEdTalks, ebooks, open content, among others. At school there are personalized discussions, application of the knowledge gained at home, solving problems, discovering, creating and sharing ideas and information. As educators we have a great responsibility on motivating the creativity  and imagination, creation and sharing of our students. So allow students to take control and to really shape their learning experience.