Teachers are working diligently to prepare their students for jobs that may not yet exist
They are finding new and exciting ways to encourage their students to gain the essential skills required to thrive in the 21st century.
At Schoolbox, we understand how utilising 21st century learning can be challenging, and are continually researching ways to assist you to foster creativity and promote life-long learners.
Characteristics of 21st Century Pedagogy and Learning
At the forefront of 21st century pedagogy is technology. The transition from paper to technology can be confronting for educators far and wide, however, if teachers are going to successfully prepare students for the future, they need to embrace the characteristics of 21st century learning.
6 key characteristics of 21st century pedagogy
A 21st century learner needs many skills. The approaches to teaching and learning these skills vary widely and educators must carefully consider the appropriate method.
Schoolbox strives to provide the best support so you can learn the skills required to use this classroom technology effectively to prepare your learners for the future.
1
Thinking skills
Designed to foster a growth mindset, thinking skills allow students to be active participants in problem-based learning, and become future problem solvers. Knowing how to find the answer is often more exciting for students and may be more beneficial to their future, than simply having a core knowledge bank. Project-based learning, for individual students and in collaboration with peers, can also be used to support the development of these essential thinking skills.
2
Adaptability
Change is inevitable and how students react to change can be the difference in their level of future success. Change can come in many forms, and educators need to ensure that students are prepared for many different situations and circumstances. These changes could include a change of practice, a change in technology, or a change of structure or set up of a learning space.
3
Collaboration
Collaborative learning plays a key role in building confident 21st century learners. Students need to be able and willing to actively participate in peer-to-peer learning and supporting their classmates in developing knowledge and skills that can be applied regardless of the content or the circumstances. As educators, 21st century learning requires teaching your students how to ‘network’.
4
Communication
The ability to negotiate and develop relationships is key in the development of 21st century citizens. And communication is central to this concept. A skilled communicator knows how to listen, understand the needs of others in a situation, and work collaboratively to achieve goals. Although technology supports the ability to connect, the effectiveness of this connection remains the responsibility of the users, once again highlighting the importance of communication skills.
5
Learner-centred and personalised learning
It’s no secret that students need to have elements of their learning personalised to support their specific needs. Each student may require something different to prepare them for the real world. It’s important that students are both supported and challenged. Technology plays a key role in this personalisation, by providing differing tools, varied assessments, and most importantly, the real-time feedback, not just from teacher to student, but also from student to teacher.
6
Feedback and self reflection
So, from personalisation, it only follows that in 21st century learning, there also needs to be the allocation of time for students to receive feedback and devote to self reflection. Self reflection can guide learners to consider their own knowledge and skill development, and simultaneously lead them towards deeper learning. This skill, in conjunction with the ability to collaborate and communicate, will prepare our learners for the future in the best way possible.
As we step deeper into the 21st century, content knowledge is no longer the only requirement for a constructive learning journey
Educators now need to teach students to think critically, think creatively, and think adaptively.
How the Schoolbox Platform Supports 21st Century Pedagogy and Learning
At Schoolbox, we value the characteristics of 21st century pedagogy and have used these principles to develop our technology so you can prepare your young learners for the future.
Personalised learning
The Schoolbox software promotes personalised learning in many ways, however its modern classroom technology is most utilised by our schools to facilitate custom participation.
Custom participation allows teachers to design a complementary learning experience based on the needs of students:
- Choose specific students to participate in any learning activity that they create on Schoolbox.
- Allocate different tasks to different groups to provide variety.
- Personalise assessments so teachers can remove students from an activity if they’re not ready, which means it doesn’t appear on their calendar or upcoming due work component, also removing unnecessary stress for the student.
- Provide additional support materials at an individual or small group level, around a particular topic.
Collaboration
Collaboration promotes teamwork, supports learners in reflecting on what they have learnt and assists in applying new skills to new situations.
The LMS and School Portal tools from Schoolbox provide many opportunities for collaboration:
- Dynamic groups. Teachers utilising Schoolbox have the ability to create groups, in which students can interact in a safe space. Collaboration through groups supports students in learning how to think critically, develop communication skills, participate in problem-based learning and develop higher-order thinking skills.
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Collaborative tools. These tools offered by Schoolbox allow for the transference of knowledge, skills and competencies amongst teachers and peers. They offer the ability to develop crucial communication skills.
• Forums. Students can interact in a forum by responding to specific queries from their teachers and peers, or asking their own questions.
• Social streams. Chat via a social stream to discuss next steps through project-based learning.
• Wiki component. Could be used to provide guidance as a glossary—developed across the class—building a greater level of expertise.
• Polls and surveys. These simple components can be used to drive learning in the classroom, in a flipped learning model.
We’re ready
Schoolbox is here for you. We deeply value the skills crucial to preparing your students for the future, and are ready to support you. We also have a team of passionate educators dedicated to supporting schools in their journey to enhance the learning journey by harnessing 21st Century pedagogy and learning.
Contact us today for a free demo and a complimentary evaluation of your current Learning Management System and School Portal needs.
