Learning for the 21st Century

The author begins with a thoughtful analysis of what changes are needed in education, and why change is needed; however, this article continued to leave me wanting more.

Many of the statements and suggestions the author made seemed hollow and derivative without really presenting any new ideas. The article seemed to be written by someone who was an expert in the field of education, but not necessarily knowledgeable of the leading edges of emerging technologies, particularly with regard to education. In fact, it actually seemed as if were written much before the advent of Web 2.0 since no specific or tangible technologies were mentioned (he mentions "spreadsheets" and "the internet"). Much of the direction he proposes for the future of education can be said for any generation (eg, time management, decision making and diversity). None of these seem to be new ideas. His ideas for "21st Century skills" did not seem very unique to the 21st Century ("computer-based assessments" and "digital scoring systems"), nor did he present convincing ideas of what these new skills were. Btw, it was not clear as to when the article was written (post 2002).



The article does, however have merit as a baseline prescription for education and proper learning. Most of it founded on textbook learning approaches such as the focusing on core subjects (using No Child Left Behind as part of his model). In theory, this is a sound approach, but the article's theme was regarding learning for the future, for the 21st Century, therefore, much of the ideas felt unresolved and partially uninformed.



One bright spot in the article was the author's discussion of how instructors should approach learning in the 21st Century. The idea of collaboration and the need for students to interact with the outside was emphasized. He recommends that teachers reach out to the community, both locally and globally as a means for education and exposure. Another key point was to use technology to "make it possible to change the dynamic between students and teachers, allowing students to pursue topics in depth and, at times, become experts in charge of their own learning." Although this was a great idea, he does not propose what technologies could be used for such a project (Wikis? Blogs?)...

Although much analysis and thought went into the article, it is far from definitive in terms of using it as a blueprint for what we, as educators, should use as playbook for the future.