21st Century Learning: Something Old Becomes New Again

21st Century Learning is the new siren call for public school leaders around the Bay Area.  Educators use this phrase when referring to California’s new education standards called the Common Core Curriculum.  There are thirty seven million hits when you Google,“21st Century Learning Technology.”   21st Century Learning is actually a misnomer.   This approach to teaching and learning can be traced back over two thousand years to Aristotle.  He once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”   John Dewey and Jean Piaget, two well regarded philosophers and education reformers, popularized 21st Century Learning in the 1920’s.  Dewey has always argued that education and learning are social and interactive processes. 

Project based learning values collaborative interaction among students and teachers. The Common Core standards are grounded in the belief that project based learning will better prepare students for college.  Education technology will play an even larger role with these new standards.  A recent survey of bandwidth within San Mateo County schools concluded that only 53% of the school districts have the bandwidth necessary to support the new assessments. 

Even though 21st Century Learning appears to be an education philosophy retread, its value to our children cannot be underestimated.  The more traditional approach to teaching and learning is to view the teacher as the expert and the student as an empty reservoir waiting to be filled up with knowledge.  For some students, the lecture approach works quite well.  However, project based learning and student collaboration is a more effective learning strategy.  More kids can learn using this approach.

Life today moves extremely fast.  Our kids live in an environment where an infinite amount of data is at their fingertips.  Facts and opinions often appear intermingled.  For example, some people are distrustful of Wikipedia's facts and entries even though its reliability has been assessed to be as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica.  Students who may be researching a famous person will find much more information online than they could find in a 20th century learning environment.  It is a radically different learning environment from what we lived in thirty years ago.  

So, let’s have our schools reflect this new reality.  Educators who are committed to this change will radically shift their learning environment.  Classrooms should be altered in order to create several small learning centers.  This is to allow kids to work in small groups or by themselves.  There should be conference rooms where student meetings can take place.  Teachers are no longer the ultimate experts in the room.  Teachers become “Learning Coaches” who guide students in their research.  Teachers can also provide feedback to students and give assessments to measure progress. Teachers are not the only ones guiding student learning.  Distance learning experts can also give students critical guidance and direction. 

Superintendents and principals should not just add more Ipads and laptops to classrooms and call this 21st Century Learning.  It is about making a fundamental change in our values and beliefs about how students learn and the role teachers play in this new education paradigm.  Right now, school districts in San Mateo County are focusing on the technology piece; and well they should.  I hope that very soon the dialogue will shift away from technology.  The new focus must be on how each teacher will change their classroom environment to reflect their new role.  The student will be an active learner and participant in the learning experience.   Under the leadership of Superintendent Craig Baker, I am sure that San Carlos schools are up to the challenge of bringing 21st Century Learning to 20th century classroom environments.