The 21st Century Teacher
Seven characteristics that supersede certifications for a 21st-century teacher.
We are now in Industrial Revolution 4.0. It is the revolution that is creating seamless transitions between technology and our real life. We now Google information, we DoorDash our food, we Uber our way, we Instacart our groceries and now we are Nearpoding our classrooms with Jamboards and Kahoots.
Technology has finally met Education and the merger is going to bring in the long-sought-after paradigm shift in the education industry.
Classrooms will evolve into learning studios and the principles of design will no longer be limited to the corporate world, but rather move into curriculum and instruction as well. This shift will demand a shift in teaching pedagogy and assessments but more importantly, it will demand a shift in who the teacher is and how a teacher is trained to be one.
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So what does a 21st-century teacher look like?
They Create a Learning Studio. Learning studios are bright and vibrant spaces with zones of learning. Zones for the solo worker, zones for the visual learner, the tech-savvy, and for the quiet one too. A learning studio is centered around the learners — the students so the teaching can be customized to their style as opposed to a one size fits all solution.
They will be Well Versed in Principles of Design. They will understand that to make an effective lesson plan one has to first understand the learning styles — do the students prefer hands-on or verbal activities, what are their cultural identities. These differences need to be incorporated into the design of the lesson plan — games, storytelling, a handout, and while instruction will be to the class as a whole, the design will allow access to various tools, hence giving them the flexibility to learn in their own unique way. The learning studio combined with the principles of design will allow the flexibility of assessments so it allows the students to own their process as opposed to following a template.
They Embrace Technology. Technology is here to stay and so are the student phones, iPads, and laptops. It is redundant to fight these. Instead of confiscating these, it would be prudent to empower and teach students how to use these tools to learn and create. Imagine a situation when the student asks a question and the teacher says, “I and not sure, why don’t you Google it and explain it to all of us.” Suddenly from being the instructor, the teacher takes on the role of a coach, and the student is now empowered to learn the most and share with the class.
They Love Learning. If teachers want students to be lifelong learners, they have to be so themselves first. There is no workaround this.
They Collaborate. Today, collaboration makes the world move. The world is an open diary today. Collaborate not only with your colleagues but the parents, students, and the community businesses. Teaching a lesson on measurements, ask a local baker to come and share how they use simple math in daily life. Ask them to share visuals of what a cup, pint, quart look like. Have a question, find an expert and ask away. Human beings are more than willing to share today. Something about a pandemic brought out the best in us. It equalized us. We are today kinder, more empathetic, accepting, and willing to share best practices than ever before.
They Adapt. Technology evolves faster than we can understand it. A teacher today learns to adapt their teaching style not for the tools but for the students and to meet their needs.
They are Empathetic. Yes, we are kinder and more accepting today, but we are also more aware of the differences and biases. It is imperative the 21st-century teacher not only understands the biases but demonstrates acknowledgement and neglect in history, this in turn empowers the student to own their identity and grow from it.
It is time the educational institutions reevaluated their admission criteria and trained for the evolving world as opposed to teaching to test.
It is time districts redesigned their hiring practices and hired for skills as opposed to certifications.
It is time that the students got the learning studios they deserve and hone their skills of self learning, critical thinking, communicating, and applying them to real-world problems as opposed to theoretical testing.
