How should education be structured to meet the needs of students in the 21st century world?
The world is changing and so the education system should change as well to fit the 21st century student.
In the past children grew up playing with toy cars outside in the dust, the dressed up their dolls and made them drink tea. Today they they have their own computers and play games and almost never see the outside.
By the age of 21, 21st century students will have played 10 000 hours of games, sent 200 000 emails, watched 20 000 hours of television and spent 10 000 hours on there cell phones. They can multi-task and they want to use images, colour and sound wherever they can. They are digitally literate, they experiment and they are social. They want interactivity, they read visual images and have strong visual-spatial skills, they like parallel processing and inductive discovery, they want fast response and don’t want a long attention spans.
You have to focus the education more on solving problems, thinking processes and not on the content. Focus on peer-to-peer situations, and let them explore the situation themselves, learning through experience.
They are expecting technology in the classrooms because that is with what they grew up. You have to let them work on the computers to solve problems, use online quizzes, create games for them that will test their knowledge, provide forums for sharing information, let them share pictures, videos and anything they want to. The use of wireless networking in you classroom will make it easy for them to access in class and you can do exercises with them on the computer, like fit the words the picture. They can create a classroom concept map on the computer the will include videos, links to websites, pictures etc. If you use online collaboration via whiteboards, discussions on blogs, wikis and chats you involve the student because they love communication on line. Learning will take place and the will corporate. If schools have the ability to have computers you can do lots of fun activities with them in class. But also remember most children have cell phones that have internet connections. So let them use that in class to do a quick Google search on facts or things that they need to find in class. Keep it based on the lesson and relevant but let them play on Google. If the school can supply iPads, use that. MiPad has lots of applications that you can use to make the lesson interesting. You can let them change photos,make dairies, list and calendars. Teach them how to keep organised on that little devise. Everyday almost there are new applications on iPads that you can use to teach them.
The youth of today are technologically advanced, and they have lots of opportunities. We have to provide them with all the opportunities to develop skills so that they will be able to make a positive influence on the world. They are creative, cognitive and have the ability to learn!Students of today want to be mature on lots of levels, intellect, physical and social. You as a teacher needs to be we informed and trained as well to provide the best possible education for them. You have to know how to search on the internet, how to use technology effectively and you have to be able to teaches them from the technological point of view.
The whole education system must change and keep up with the rest of the world and the new 21st century. We have to provide the students with the skills and knowledge that is world-class and of very high standard.
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I know. As teachers in training I feel that we have all this info on what needs to be changed in the educational system. We know all to well all the problems there are...... but nobody is giving us the answers. I guess its up to ourselves to figure out solutions to thse problems right?
ReplyDeleteAnnelize Lippert
Yes definately because we cannot wait on someone else to give us the answers but try and explore to get the answers ourselves. Tintswalo Mkansi
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