Out of the 21st Century Article Response

The statements in this article ring true to me, as the overall message reflects what I've been repeatedly taught about schools today. As Sir Ken Robinson puts it, (not verbatim) we need talk of an evolution... but we need a revolution. The article bullets the skills necessary for the 21st century-- such as knowing more about the world, thinking outside the box, and developing good people skills. I agree in that these are the the kinds of skills educators must now teach in schools to accommodate for the shift in education. Students must be equipped with these "21st century skills" to keep pace and thrive within the dynamic changes of our world.

I learned in Trilling and Fadel's book, 21st Century Skills, how these new skills are based upon the new purposes and goals we have as a society. Education has evolved from contributing to local and basic needs in the Agrarian Age, to learning factory and trade skills for the larger community in the Industrial Age, to contributing information and knowledge through social networks for both local and global causes in the Knowledge Age today.

And so, what would be essential to a 21st century curriculum?

• group thinking, coordinating ideas, team work
• hands-on activities
• connecting themes to larger, world issues
• integration of technology
• digital literacy skills
• creativity 
• connecting of disciplines
• a safe space for thinking for self/formulating own opinions

In order to facilitate the concepts and skills above, the setting of the class itself must be in sync with the curriculum. In my "Invitation to Reflection", I answered questions about how I would arrange my classroom. From my experience, I have usually sat in the traditional row and column arrangement. The nerdy A-students in the front, and the rest of us somewhere behind them. I find this kind of seating inconvenient to student-centered teaching/learning. Teachers in this seating arrangement certainly don't make effective use of the room-- how can they with 28 book bags blocking the isles? So naturally, students assume that if they sit in the back, the teacher won't see them cheating, texting, or sleeping. And that leaves only the teacher and the first two rows of students engaged... and the rest of the class? Well, they just aren't really all there. Can you believe we still follow this seating arrangement?

In my future classroom, I plan to position my desks in groups of four, or in a big circle with students facing each other. This will enable me to monitor the class and create a class community, while enabling the students to effectively work in groups and to connect with their classmates. No more awkward situations between students and teachers like, "you don't remember me? I was in your class last semester."