21st century education

21^st Century Learning / Education / Learners

The idea of 21^st-century education revolves around the notion that education as we have known it for the last 150 years is a 19^th century invention that must change to keep pace with the demands of the present world. Skills taught in schools that were designed to prepare individuals for work and life in the industrial economy need to be rethought and re-engineered to serve the needs of people in this century – dictated by a changing world that has been transformed by technological advances, the “Knowledge Revolution”, a global economy and environmental changes.

The broad thinking around the 21^st century learning acknowledges the need for new “form and function” to be added to education goals. This thinking is informed by a belief that:

·         learning must leverage the affordances of new technologies,

·         employ better pedagogies based on recent research on how people learn, and

·         be cognizant of the characteristics of a new breed of learners.

This does not mean that “basics” and “core subjects learning” need to be done away with. Few will refute, however, that there are several new literacy that need to be taught and several old ones that are not so relevant anymore.

Six Key Elements of the 21^st Century Learning

1.  Emphasize core subjects

2.  Emphasize learning skills

3.  Use 21^st century tools to develop learning skills

4.  Teach and learn in a 21^st century context

5.  Teach and learn 21^st century content

6.  Use 21^st century assessment that measure 21^st century skills

Learning skills include:

Ø  Information and communication skills which include:

·         media literacy,

·         information literacy and

·         ICT literacy.

Ø  Thinking and problem-solving skills which include:

·         critical thinking and systems thinking,

·         problem identification formulation and solution,

·         creativity and intellectual curiosity.

Ø  Interpersonal and self-directional skills which include-

·         Flexibility and Adaptability

·         Initiative and Self-Direction

·         Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

·         Productivity and Accountability

·         Leadership and responsibility

Current 21st-century tools include:

Ø  Information and communication technologies including computers, the internet and other technologies

Ø  Audio, video and other media tools

21^st century context can be created by:

Ø  Making content relevant to student’s lives

Ø  Bringing the world into the classroom

Ø  Taking the student out into the world

Ø  Creating opportunities for students to interact with each other, with teachers and with other knowledgeable adults in authentic learning experiences

21^st-century content includes:

Ø  Global awareness

Ø  Financial, economic and business literacy

Ø  Civic literacy

Ø  Health literacy

Mastery of Core Subjects

Mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential for students in the 21st century. Core subjects include:

·         English,

·         reading or language arts,

·         world languages,

·         arts,

·         mathematics,

·         economics,

·         science,

·         geography,

·         history,

·         government and

·         Civics.

We believe schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects:

• Global Awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Health Literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills

Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st century and those who are not. They include:

• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills

People in the 21st century:

·         live in a technology and media-driven environment,

·         marked by access to an abundance of information,

·         rapid changes in technology tools and

·         the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale.

To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills, such as:

• Information Literacy
• Media Literacy
• ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy

Life and Career Skills

Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills, such as:

• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
• Productivity and Accountability
• Leadership and Responsibility

(Source : Dr. Pumadevi a/p Sivasubramaniam, IPG Kampus Raja Melewar, Seremban )

the interview

email 1

Hi there,

Yes, i hubungi you. Nama pena saya Nithya Sidhhu - saya seorang penulis free lance untuk The Sunday Star (English) education - juga seorang bekas guru.  Juga penulis tamu untuk Mingguan Star (BM)   

 

Saya ingin menulis satu rencana tentang guru yang menulis blog. Saya harap anda sudi menjawab soalan berikut. 

 

1. Sejak bila mula blog?

2. Mengapa anda suka blog?

3. Anda blog tentang isu apa? 

4. Apa plus minus nya? Baik buruknya?   

5. Alamat blog

6. Pengalaman menarik sejak mula blog?

reply:

Hi again,

wah.. ni, macam interview lah ni.. ok je..

well, i also read some of ur articles in thestar online. in fact, ada juga articles yg included dalam my blog ni..

 

1. Sejak bila mula blog?

sejak hujung tahun 2004. last time, kami, Persatuan Pelajar Islam Selangor (PEPIAS) berhubungan dan ber'usrah' secara maya melalui circles. Ada banyak perbincangan yg bermanfaat tidak disusun dengan baik. So, I initiate a blog untuk kumpulkan intipati perbincangan usrah kami. tapi, tu la.. suram sejuk sekali-sekala... atas kesibukan sendiri; terutama 2007; sunyi sesunyinye, masa ni, tengah belajar KPLI dan first posting ke Sarawak, kawasan luar bandar pulak tu.. susah nak online. 

re-active sangat tahun 2008; apabila transfered back to semenanjung; apabila anak murid berkongsi blog mereka. As teacher, kita pun nak cakap jugak yg kita pun dah ada lama dah blog... then, she helps me (teach me) to do the 'cosmetic'  part of my blog.. kalau tak, dulu, so skema! haha..  in a way, saya juga dapat mempromosi blog di kalangan guru di sekolah; in fact, kami (with my colleague) buat kursus dalaman pmbngunan profesional untuk bina blog... 

Sebab lain mula aktif, sebab banyak isu yang macam perlu diketengahkan! sekolah kami sangat tradisional, in a way, banyak guru yg average 10-20 tahun mengajar di situ. So, tempat yg paling mudah untuk saya menulis idealisme saya adalah pada blog. Ya, ia menjadi isu juga! tapi, perubahan harus dilakukan! dunia semakin berubah, maka budaya sekolah juga perlu berubah. Mungkin, guru muda ni, semangatnya lain sikit kot. Dengan harapan semoga idealisme tidak hangat2 tahi ayam, ditulis secara hitam putih melalui blog  agar menjadi bukti / journal selagi blog ini ada; Malah, sehingga sekarang, walaupun saya bertugas di KPM, putrajaya, idealisme perubahan dibawa bersama. 

 

2. Mengapa anda suka blog?

- Blog adalah percuma! haha...

- Blog boleh dicapai oleh sesiapa sahaja, dan bersifat personal! 'ini adalah ruang saya'

- Sifatnya yang ibarat web based; tapi jauh lebih mudah untuk direka, dikosmetikkan, dan pengisian yang sangat fleksibel memudahkan.

- Mula2, ada juga idea nak buat duit, tapi, rasanya tak pentinglah.. yg penting, media yang menceritakan idealisme tidak banyak dalam bahasa melayu, dan penceritaan dari 'guru', jarang yang casual dan rapat dengan remaja. Saya terlibat dalam PEPIAS sejak tamat ting5 tahun 1997, sehingga sekarang, dalam ABIM selangor.. merasakan remaja perlu didekati dan dididik secara mentoring... Rasional mereka harus ditawan; dan mungkin blog adalah media untuk mereka merujuk apa-apa isu berkaitan. 

(untuk pengetahuan, saya sentiasa mengikuti perkembangan sosial anak2 remaja saya (murid2 ting 4-5) melalui myspace  dan facebook mereka. Medan untuk menasihati mereka, saya minta mereka rujuk blog saya untuk isu2 tertentu yg mungkin mereka ada potensi untuk terjebak! atau mungkin sudah terjebak)

3. Anda blog tentang isu apa? 

- isu pendidikan, perubahan, motivasi, inspirasi, perjuangan, pentarbiyahan, dan isu real politik. 

4. Apa plus minus nya? Baik buruknya?   

- baiknya:::

a) remaja yang saya dekati, dapat pandangan dunia (worldview) yang berbeza dan lebih jelas tentang isu2 tertentu untuk membina minda mereka, jiwa mereka, dan asas kerohanian mereka. Ini sangat penting dalam proses pentarbiyahan mereka. Mereka harus didedahkan dengan pandangan yg lain dari media arus perdana!! (haha..jangan marah aaa..)

b) isu kontemporari dan perubahan penting dapat disematkan.. Surprisingly, ramai cikgu tak ada email aktif, malah tak ada email, apa lagi sosial network account. Ini semua adalah the world trend!! but it happens here in Malaysia. Jadi, boleh bayangkan isu2 lain yg contemp macam isu transformasi dalam RMK10, isu KSSR, isu Tunisia-Mesir dan dunia, isu real-politics, isu plurism-liberalism agama, dan macam2 lagi, termasuk pendekatan pendidikan yg lebih konstruktif, literasi numerasi, pembudayaan sekolah, dan lain2 isu asas macam pekeliling2 perkhidmatan tertentu... perkongsian boleh lah sikit2 mana yg boleh dikongsikan. kalau ada yg menjenguk lah. I guess, cikgu are too busy in doing the 'teaching' for exam, and other school stuffs.

- buruknya::::

a) ada isu yg disentuh; seperti isu sekolah, ada yg terasa dan mengganggap seperti menceritakan aib sekolah. (sama juga halnya kalau isu negara)... maka, jika anda dipulau oleh mereka yg marah, kena lah faham sendiri.. huhu... (orng makan cili, memang lah pedas, kan:) - but u know, perjuangan mana yg tak merasa keperitan?

b) Isu-isu yg diketenghkan, tidak ramai yg minat nak baca.. hanya yg serius nakkan suatu kelainan, mungkin akan carik. dengan kata lain, untuk motivasi dapat traffic, tak payah laa... (but still, kalau ada yg menjenguk consistently, i'd say, Alhamdulillah( Segala puji bagi Allah).

5. Alamat blog

imayu05.blogspot.com

6. Pengalaman menarik sejak mula blog?

- anak2 murid semakin rapat dengan cikgu. hmm.. they said, 'the coolest cikgu'..  ok lah kan..

- ada artikel atau entry yg dapat perhatian blogger terkenal; macamsaifulislam.com; dan blog guru cemerlang. 

Email 2:

Hello there again,

Just nak bagi tahu you bahawa saya bangga ada guru seperti you yang pentingkan komunikasi antara pelajar dan guru, ingin memahami mereka, membantu dan memajukan mereka dengan merapati mereka dahulu.

Boleh saya tahu - Cikgu ajar m/p apa dan dah berapa tahun pengalaman mengajar. Juga ingin tahu adakah Cikgu setuju dengan guru yang meukul atau mendera anak denagn rotan?

Bagaimana cara YOU disiplin pelajar?

 

Oh ya, by the way, saya jumpai blog you kerana you paparkan artikel saya. Kadang-kadang saya cari artikel lama saya dan terbit link dengan blog-blog yang memaparkan artikel lama saya.

 

Begitulah saya 'jumpa' you. But, it's good kerana dapat berkenalan dengan serang guru yang 'cool' dan minat membantu pelajar spt you.

 

Bye for now and thanks. Insyallah apabila artikel itu kelaur - akan saya e-mail dan beritahu you. Cuma mungkin not immediately sebab saya masih buat research.

Reply:

Salam,

1) thanks for the article. memang menambah bahan yg baik untuk perkongsian. tahniah juga sebab menjadi penulis yg baik, unik dan membina!

2) Saya ajar mp Matematik / matematik tambahan. Dalam perguruan secara rasmi, 5 tahun. Dalam pendidikan kemanusiaan melalui NGO as student activist, (PEPIAS, dan Student Rep. Council) 13 tahun secara aktif sehingga hari ini dalam ABIM. Mulai 2010, saya bertugas di KPM, putrajaya dalam Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum. So, kali ini bertugas dibalik tabir utk membina kurikulum kebangsaan pula. 

3) First thing first; kena betulkan istilah. Merotan = dengan erti kata menyebat menggunakan rotan ditempat tertentu yg dipersetujui / diwarta setelah melalui amaran tertentu yang jelas, dan aras libasan yg sederhana. 

Yang isitilah diatas, saya setuju; itu pun setelah melalui langkah undang2 tertentu sebelum tiba kepada hukuman rotan.

Istilah mendera tu, besar sangat lah... malah, merotan perlu dirasai dahului dari rumah! 

Cara saya? hmmm.... i'm not into sangat as cikgu disiplin style.. my method, since sebagai cikgu matematik n mate tamb, my problem adalah budak meniru untuk buat homework.. so, i told them, 'i don't need your book; it's yours to keep. i just need to know what you can do, and can't do, so i can help. but if you cheat, then, actually, who's cheating whom?' ::so, i did some controversial stand; which is, tak perlu hantar buku latihan. surprisingly, ramai yg melakukan kerja rumah sendiri.. dan melakukan perbincangan di kelas. only applicable kalau kelas tu, ok-ok lah... kelas yg aras rendah, never do this method! haha..

thanks

Email 3:

Thanks you so much. I hv one more question. What do you regret doing or not doing in your life as a teacher? (Apakah perkara yang you kesal buat atau tak buat sebagai seorang guru?)

Contohnya, ada guru kesal pukul atau memarahi pelajar tanpa memahami masalah pelajar itu dulu.

Reply:

Hi again,

maaf lambat reply.. busy sikit... 

hmm... 

1) Ada juga peristiwa yg membuatkan saya keliru (tak pasti suatu penyesalan atau rasa bersalah, atau sebgai tanggungjawab) as a teacher. Pernah satu ketika, saya melihat gurauan antara murid lelaki dan perempuan yang melibatkan sentuhan dan si perempuan hanya membiarkannya dan mengganggapnya sebagai tidak ada apa-apa masalah. Saya yg melihat dari luar kelas, terus menengking kedua-dua mereka atas perbuatan tersebut dihadapan murid yg lain; sebab:

a) murid lain pun anggap tak ada apa-apa

b) si lelaki melakukan sesuka hati

c) si perempuan merelakan pula

tapi, guru tiada dalam kelas! saya pula memberi  fokus tengkingan kepada mereka berdua sahaja; tanpa mengambil kira latar belakang mereka yang memang dikira 'star' di sekolah. Bermula saat itu, hampir seluruh murid kelas itu seolah-olah tidak menerima saya seperti sebelumnya. Mungkin penjelasan saya tidak jelas, dan saya bukan 'as cool as' yg mereka harapkan, kot... Akhirnya, pencapaian mereka jatuh, dan saya rasa, mereka sudah menyalah-anggap teguran/tengkingan saya... dan mereka salahkan saya kerana pencapaian mereka.

Dengan kata lain, peristiwa ini memberi kesan kepada saya kerana mungkin saya telah memberikan 'harapan' yang salah dengan hubungan yg rapat antara kami. Mungkin mereka mengganggap, cikgu Radin boleh lebih memahami mereka (ala-ala kaunselor atau kawan-kawan, dan bukan bertindak seperti cikgu disiplin!) 

Yang baiknya, saya lebih berhati-hati untuk lebih banyakkan 'slow-talk' dan 'belanja makan' mana-mana murid yang saya lihat ada masalah world-view seperti di atas! haha... 

(yup.. problem is, mereka dibesarkan pada persekitaran yg tidak mengganggap gurauan seperti itu ada masalah. World-view mereka mengatakan it's ok.. (paham ke ni...)

(wah.. panjang pulak cerita... )

ok..

thanks.

Email 4:

dear muhd radin.

Just so you know, the article on teachers who blog will be out this sunday (teacher talk by nithya siddhu - star education) on 29th may. please be aware that the article should also be available online (www.thestar,online.education)

It's a simple article but i hope you like it. moga-moga cikgu suka dan tidak ada banyak editing yg dilakukan oleh pihak the star (kadang-kadang mereka edit isi utk muat ruang yang ada.
Main point is you are featured in it and hopefully more people will view your blog after that!

Oh ya, happy belated teachers' day.
All the best

Reply:

ok.. thanks...

Artikel tersebut boleh dilayari di sini

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/29/education/8693145&sec=education

Keepin' them posted - featuring radin

Keepin’ em posted

TEACHER TALK
By NITHYA SIDHHU

There is now a new generation of teachers who share their thoughts and communicate with students through blogging.

IT IS a “place” where she expresses her thoughts and feelings freely and to Saodah Ajil, the writings on her blog are a reflection of herself.

Hailing from Kelantan, this teacher likes sharing educational articles and inspirational sayings with her students and her own brood of children at saodahajil.wordpress.com.

She adds that she also loves to express the beauty she finds in prayer, children and education on her blog, as they are inspiring.

While keen to improve her proficiency in English, she is also proving the point that older, “motherly” teachers like her can be tech-savvy too.

Similarly Cyril Dason, a young teacher, who is also into blogging says “it’s good for networking and putting my thoughts out there. I also have students reading my blog and it’s a platform to share my knowledge with them”.

Cyril blogs voraciously in http://cyrildason.com about his personal thoughts but sometimes offers his followers a dose of current issues together with automotive and tech news.

The ICT (Information Communication Technology Literacy) teacher in Kuching who also heads the fraternity of Sarawak Bloggers —http://sarawakbloggers.com, says that it is exciting to get to know people and see how their life is different from his. “My close friends at the moment are mostly from the blogging circle. Not all of them are teachers though – some are executives, CEOs (chief executive officers), varsity students and even people involved in health care. On top of that, blogging helps improve my English.”

Blogging expands one’s social network and allows an individual to vent their feelings, says Caroline Charles, who adds that in the end, one is addicted to sharing their daily thoughts on his or her blog!”

This young teacher from Keningau, Sabah, says that she first began blogging to record the progress of her chemotherapy sessions while being treated for Persistent Thropoblastic Disease.

Blogging to her was so therapeutic that she continued even after her treatment had ended.

“I blog mostly about my personal life that revolves around my passion for beauty, travel, weddings, dog, shoes, shopping, books and self-reflection. I had so much to blog about my students that I finally created another blog just for school-related entries.” Her blogs are :http://carolchs.com ; http://kaychs.blogspot.com andhttp://caitleya.blogspot.com.

She also reflects on what she has written. “Once the year is up, I look through my posts and note what I have and haven’t achieved. This helps me put my life goals back on track.”

Amanda, another young teacher, blogs to air her opinions on current issues and trends. In addition, she writes her own poems. Her blog www.amandachristinewong.blogspot.com is also an invaluable teaching tool because she uses it to post literature notes for her students. Content-wise, teachers have to be careful.

“As a teacher, I have to watch what I write,” agrees Amanda. “As a role model, it’s tough to be pure in heart, words and deed. And that’s where the problem lies. No sensitive issues! It’s a complete oxymoron to want to speak my mind, and at the same time be polite about it!”

Her principal can read her blog too! While she toes the line somewhat, Amanda feels she needs to remain “real” to her students who understand only too well where her angst comes from.

Meanwhile, Muhd Radin Muhd Imaduddin, who is currently attached to the Education Ministry’s Curriculum Development Division, blogs to move forward with the times.

He started his blog in 2004 because as a member of PEPIAS (Persatuan Pelajar Islam Selangor), he was dissatisfied at what was achieved in small circle meetings.

While his blog allowed him to compile and organise the essence of their discussions, it died a natural death when he was posted to Sarawak in 2007, where online access was denied to him.

A year later, upon his transfer back to Peninsular Malaysia, he revived his blog and even got students to improve its “cosmetic” appeal.

“Why blog?” I ask him. “Why not?” he replies, “it’ is free, isn’t it? Besides, it’s easy to create, enhance and maintain. For its very flexibility, I love blogs.”

For Radin, his blog is not only his “personal space’’, but also a platform where he can open up to his students and be more available for them.

“I think today’s youngsters need mentoring, and in order for us to reach them, we need to be seen as people who understand their concerns.

“A teacher’s blog opens up channels of communication between him and his students and allows them to know how approachable he is.”

Radin directs his students to his blog whenever he sees them struggling with a particular issue.

“In my blog,” he reveals, “there are a wide variety of sayings and articles – both religious and secular – which can motivate and inspire my students.”

In complete agreement is Guru Cemerlang (excellent teacher) Rahmah Sayuti. However in her case, she focuses on teacher development. The tagline for her blog www.engoasis.blogspot.com is the “thinking teacher”.

She believes “teachers should think about what they do and why they do it.”

A professional blogger, Rahmah uses her blog to help “create more awareness” while “sharing the best practices in the teaching business” with “linking useful materials for teacher development.”

She is justifiably proud when she tells me that her post on the tried and tested “basic sentence patterns in English” has been downloaded 5,674 times since 2008!

In fact, the ideas and links that she has been posting so far are so useful, that one ardent fan described her as a “gift” to the teaching world.

To sum up, blogs today are fast becoming a way to open up the world of teachers to others.

So, the question is whether to blog or not to blog?

Our Prime Minister in his keynote address at the First Malaysia-Asean Regional Bloggers’ Conference in Kuala Lumpur last month, said that it was important to learn from the views and constructive criticisms of bloggers as this would help build a better Malaysia and future for all of us.

“The relationship must be based on mutual respect. We might not agree all the time, but we cannot be disagreeable,” he said.

“The government-knows-all” era is over, he added, reminding bloggers that they should know better than to trespass the line between posting their honest views and spreading lies and half-truths.

(source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/29/education/8693145&sec=education )

-------------------------::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-----------------------------------------

among others:

saodahajil.wordpress.com

http://cyrildason.com

http://sarawakbloggers.com

http://carolchs.com; http://kaychs.blogspot.com and http://caitleya.blogspot.com.

www.amandachristinewong.blogspot.com

www.engoasis.blogspot.com

and mine?

(i guess, the editor is doing his job. To Edit!)

imayu05.blogspot.com

myth or fact about TEACHERS

(Source : http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/action/theme/teachers)