from 66 to 14.... a whole lot of change
21st Century Fluencies

During a workshop presentation of Scientists in the Classroom, I noticed a parent volunteer give me a disapproving look as she observed me using my cell phone.  At the end of the session I took a moment to thank all of the parent volunteers, and also casually mentioned I had earlier been texting the Educational Assistant who works in the class to check on her and the student she had taken on a movement break.  Although we do have walkie talkies that we often use, there are a number in the school on the same channel and classroom students can sometimes overhear conversations.  Using my cell phone was a more private way to communicate with the EA. 

I have had to stop myself from having the same misconceptions and delivering ‘glares’ of my own.  During a case conference meeting I noticed the father of the student being discussed using his Smartphone.  My knee-jerk reaction was “can’t he put that done long enough to discuss his child”, but I took a moment and thought it through.  He was taking notes about the meeting on his phone.

For those of us born prior to the technological revolution, or in the Jurassic Period as my son likes to say, it hasn’t been easy converting, accepting, or at least tolerating, the plugged in lifestyle of our children and students.  As educators though, it is imperative that we not only tolerate, but embrace, the digital world in which we have come to live.

21^st Century Fluencies is not entirely about technology, but about the skills to be successful in the world that technology has helped to create.

“The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, … but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” (Herbert Gerjuoy  as quoted to Alvin Toffler in Future Shock, Bantam:  1970.) It is a quote often cited when discussing education in the digital age, extremely appropriate, and yet I must admit how startled I was by its date of origin.  I thought we were a little slow catching up with the digital wave in educational pedagogy and philosophy, but I didn’t realize how forward thinking some psychologists were back in the seventies. No matter when the quote originated, the point is valid. Being a lifelong learner is not for the theorists or academics, it is a basic skill necessary for survival and success in the 21^st century and beyond.

So what are the 21^st century fluencies we keep hearing about, and how do we teach our children these skills.  As I understand it, the fluencies are not about what we know, but how we learn it.  Skills such as problem solving, collaboration, communication and analytical and critical thinking should be at the centre of our education.  When I was a student, the focus was on content and certain accepted ways of finding solutions.  We never questioned the lesson or the teacher. In this ever changing world that has been opened up to us through developing technologies, a static education such as the one I grew up with, is of little use to our youth.

As educators, our position has evolved from teacher to facilitator. It is not our job to tell students what to think, or how to think, but to provide opportunities and guidance so that they can develop the skills to critically access data and apply their understanding in a variety of situations.  We truly live in a global community and information is accessible from a myriad of sources at any given time and place.  We need to focus on authentic student engagement and implementing meaningful use of all the data available.  Students should be guided down paths of inquiry that lead to responsible stewardship of the planet as well international and digital citizenship.

Sounds wonderful, relevant and necessary, but how do we manage to teach 21^st century fluencies within the parameters of dated curriculum documents and confining ministry expectations. Like with all things in education, it takes balance, flexibility, ingenuity, creativity, and lot of faith in oneself and your students. It takes a little time and willingness to change, but if you reread the curriculum through the lens of a 21^st century learner it is more than possible, it can be a whole new adventure.

                                                       

I have heard colleagues say it is too hard to learn about all the new technologies.  They are too old for all that stuff.  These are usually the same colleagues who complain that it is impossible to keep their students engaged in the classroom because they are competing against videos and computer games.  Hmmmm…..

You don’t have to know how to work every gadget or run every program….no one can do that.  What an educator needs is an open mind and to provide enriching and authentic opportunities for their students so they can be creative, critical and learn to solve problems.  Become a member of the digital society and use it to your advantage.  There is a lot available outside of the classroom walls for students and their teachers, and your students can be very good teachers.  This is an opportunity to truly demonstrate and validate the ‘effective learning strategy’ that the best way to learn something is to teach someone else.  I let my students teach me how to use technology all the time, and I teach Grade Two.

Media and social networking are valuable tools for educators.  Although once advised not to use Facebook (yes, we were), individuals can exchange information with educators across the province and around the world instantly through social media.  Collaboration does not have to occur during common prep periods in the room across the hall (though, the face to face is still important), but can occur any time of the day with colleagues from numerous locations.  The use of technology and development of 21^st century fluencies as an educator enables an exchange of skillsets and knowledge to encourage further growth and in not only professional pedagogy, but in oneself.

Whether you know how to use all of the functions on your Smartphone or not, you are living in a world/time where/when knowledge is not only at your fingertips, but can be carried around in your back pocket.  As educators it is important to acknowledge this and work with our students to allow them to discover all the learning possibilities that are available to them.  Fostering 21^st century fluencies in the classroom will empower students to develop and refine their skills so that they can continue to learn and adapt and be successful members of society.