Characteristics of 21st century teaching Vikki Costa, Professor California State University, Fullerton

What are Characteristics of 21st Century Teaching?

CONTENT What are new theories, issues, and problems in your subject area? What knowledge and skills in your subject area help solve 21st century problems? BEFORE AFTER EXAMPLES: Partition Theory in Mathematics, Ebola Virus Disease, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)

Current - The content should be current – up-to-date knowledge, including tools and strategies for generating and using new knowledge. Relevant - The content should have significant and demonstrable bearing on professional and personal uses. Application/Skill Oriented - The content should be focused on application of the field to solving current problems. Connected - The content should be connected to other disciplines.

3 Eras of Education AGRARIAN AGE INDUSTRIAL AGE INFORMATION AGE Horse and carriage Preparation for local jobs, farming Basic literacy Few books and print materials Knowledge is static Automobile Preparation for mobility, industry Advanced literacy Substantial books and print materials Knowledge is static Internet Preparation of knowledge workers Life-long learning Digital texts/tools Knowledge is kinetic

21st Century Knowledge Create from raw materials What does it mean to create? What defines “original”? CONSTRUCT Create from raw materials REMIX Rearrange the original  MASHUP Fuse disparate elements

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CREATIVITY

Recommendations for Improving Content Update content materials for currency and application to addressing 21st century problems. Create assignments that require students to use multimedia to REMIX and MASHUP knowledge. Link learning back to a course question – reiterate relevancy to personal/professional life and society. How does chemistry impact my personal life and society? How do chemists change reaction rates to improve our quality of life?

CONTENT What are new theories, issues, and problems in your subject area? What knowledge and skills in your subject area help solve 21st century problems? BEFORE What new content will you incorporate into your teaching so that students are prepared to use the knowledge and skills for to solve 21st century problems? AFTER

COMMUNICATION AFTER BEFORE How do you and your students communicate in the classroom? BEFORE AFTER

Comprehensible - Instruction should be delivered via comprehensible input and output. Developmental - Language level should be appropriate to the proficiency of the majority of students in the classroom. Comprehensive - There should be a significant amount of student talk! Communication should occur via all four language domains - writing, reading, listening, and speaking.  Global - Communication should be situated within the global context and facilitated digitally.

Teacher Communication Vary the speed & tone of your voice  Project your voice Pause  Repeat, transition, and summarize VERBAL Maintain eye contact  Use movement and the entire room Project excitement and energy NONVERBAL Purposeful use of board vs slides Videos, images, animations, interactives Audio clips  Artifacts  Handouts MULTIMEDIA

Continuum of Student Communication Teacher Modeling Teachers model behaviors, skills, and strategies. Teachers use questions to activate students' background knowledge. Teachers model through think/read alouds, shared readings, lectures, etc. After modeling, students reflect on learning through independent writing or sharing. Guided Instruction Independent Tasks Teachers use questions, prompts, and cues- to help students complete tasks. Students ask questions—of the teacher and peers—to clarify understanding, provide feedback to a partner, and reflect on learning. Students work independently on tasks but use talk to support task mastery. Collaborative Tasks Students work together with teacher monitoring. Students discuss tasks or ideas and question one another, negotiate meaning, clarify their own understanding, and make their ideas comprehensible to their partners. Students practice use of academic language. STUDENT TALK INCREASES Read aloud – math curse Adapted from Why Talk is Important in Classrooms

Recommendations for Improving Communication Use verbal, nonverbal, and multimedia to convey your message. Plan lessons that integrate purposeful academic talk, reading, and writing, Increase the amount of time students are communicating with each other and with you. Require students to discuss with each other for at least 10 minutes every hour Require students to write more (quick-write, 1-minute paper). Require students to critique each other’s products – grade on the critique itself

COMMUNICATION AFTER BEFORE How do you and your students communicate in the classroom? BEFORE How will you increase the amount of student talk in your classroom? AFTER

LEARNING What 21st century skills can be taught through your subject? BEFORE AFTER

Active - Students should be active in the instructional process. Collaborative - Learning should be conducted by two or more students working together.  4Cs-Focused - Learning should focus on the use and development of creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills (and other 21st century skills). Personalized - Learning should be tailored to the learner in order to meet their learning needs and aspirations. 

21st Century Skills Partnership for 21st Century Skills Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration Information Literacy Media Literacy ICT Literacy NOTE: Not all students are digital natives, and all need to develop their "academic" digital skills. Partnership for 21st Century Skills Flexibility and Adaptability Initiative and Self-Direction Social and Cross-Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability Leadership and Responsibility Global Awareness Financial, Economic, Business Literacy Civic Literacy Health Literacy Environmental Literacy

Where are the 4 Cs in your teaching? Where do students do these things in your course? What could you add to help your students do more? Where are the 4 Cs in your teaching? Communication - means of conveying information and connecting with others Collaboration - the act of working with someone to create or produce something Critical Thinking - analysis and evaluation in order to form a judgment or solve a problem Creativity - the use of the imagination or original ideas to make new things

Recommendations for Improving Learning Enhance learning through collaborative problem solving Group students in pairs, triads, and quartets for collaborative activities Focus on 4Cs and application of content to current concerns Use engineering design process, case studies, SWOT analysis, action plan Have students physically rank or organize items and manipulate objects Give students choice a text

LEARNING What 21st century skills can be taught through your subject? BEFORE How will you help students acquire these skills? AFTER

ASSESSMENT How do you you assess student learning? BEFORE AFTER

Informative - Assessment activities should inform teacher and students of individual and collective progress. Summative - Assessment activities should also provide information about mastery of the content via evaluation of knowledge, skills, products, and processes. Aligned- Assessment should be aligned with content, learning, communication, and milieu.  Varied - Multiple assessment strategies should be employed.

Assessment should INFORM Ensure a GREAT Product Assignment Directions Assignment Rubric or Scoring Guide Assignment Example Assignment Checklist - detailed information about how the assignment will be evaluated - list students can use to check off completed items and identify what remains to be done - example of previous student work - general information on what the assignment includes

Assessment is FORMATIVE and SUMMATIVE

Assessment should be ALIGNED

Recommendations for Improving Assessment Use formative assessment to monitor student progress Have students self-assess and peer-assess Use checklists, scoring guides, and rubrics to help students complete products (essays, reports, presentations)

ASSESSMENT AFTER BEFORE How do you assess student learning? How will you use assessment to increase student success? AFTER

MILIEU What three words best describe your classroom learning evnironment and culture? BEFORE AFTER

Innovative - Learning should include traditional, online, and blended opportunities. Ubiquitous - Learning should extend outside of the physical environment and be accessible from anywhere at anytime. Digital -  Teaching and learning should make extensive use of digital resources and tools to access, analyze, and synthesize knowledge. Green - Learning should be situated within the concept of sustainability. 

The 21st Century Classroom is INNOVATIVE 21st Century Teaching - INNOVATIVE Learning should be more convenient and accessible. Learning should be personalized. Learners should learn during their peak learning times and at their own speed. Learners should assess their own progress and focus on the content they need. Learners should interact more with the instructor and get immediate feedback. Learners should be expected to acquire current data and facts fast online because Internet links provide more resources. Learners should interact with the world. traditional online blended flipped

Your classroom layout makes a big difference!

21st Century Teaching - DIGITAL and GLOBAL Businesses and classrooms should allow for global scope and interactions. Businesses acquire, use, and integrate talent from around the world - the classroom should mirror that model.

21st Century Teaching - UBIQUITOUS EVERYONE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, ANYWAY Classrooms should model global environment that prepares students for careers and lifelong learning where they connect with collaborators anytime, anywhere, asynchronously or synchronously. Communication and collaboration are key skills that must be practiced in the classroom.

21st Century Teaching - GREEN Classroom milieu should reflect and promote social and ecological responsibility.

Recommendations for Improving Milieu Add online activities and make instructional materials accessible online Model use of digital tools and use for instructional purposes Require students to use digital tools Use PBL to promote innovation, especially for sustainability and green issues

MILIEU What three words best describe your classroom learning environment and culture? BEFORE How will you make your classroom milieu more innovative, ubiquitous and digital? AFTER

Final Thought and Questions Teachers make a positive impact on our students, our communities, our society, and our world. How will we continue to . . . Update our content, Increase student communication, Enhance collaborative learning, Expand informative assessment, and Reimagine an innovative milieu to support student learning, enhance our teaching, and positively impact the future?

References Burstein, D (2013). Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaping Our World. Beacon Press. Duncan, D., Hoekstra, A., & Wilcox, B. (2012). Digital devices, distraction, and student Performance: does in-class cell phone use reduce learning? Astronomy Education Review, 11, 010108-1.. Draves, W. and Coates, J. (2007). Nineshift: Work, Life, and Education in the 21st Century. Learning Resources Network (LERN). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Framework for 21st Century Learning. In Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.p21.org/overview. Pew Research Center (2010). Millenials: A Portrait of Generation Next. Retrieved April 11, 2013 from http://www.pewresearch.org/millennials. Tapscott, D. (2008). Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. McGraw-Hill. Tindell, D. & Bohlander, R. (2011). The use and abuse of cell phones and text messaging in the classroom: A survey of college students. College Teaching.,60, pgs. 1-9.