7/28/2019 Who is the 21st Century Teacher

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Who is the 21st

century teacher?

By JENNESCEL M. TIMBOL

Teacher III

Don Florencio P. Buan Elementary School

For the last 500 years, we have taught on the assumption that knowledge was fixed andknowable; a teachers job was, as an expert, to help students learn what was known.

We now live in a world in which knowledge increases almost exponentially, and whatknowledge consists of is now global in breadth rather than limited to cultural biases.

In such a world, there are few utterly reliable experts to help students or teachers shift throughthe blizzard of information.

Here are the set of traits and skills needed for one to be called the 21st

century teacher.

1. Driven to Learn - Educators absolutely must be driven to learn in order to teacheffectively in the 21st Century. It is no longer acceptable to teach only from a textbook,to rely on the same worksheets and methods year after year without at leastquestioning

them and researching why they are the best resource available. There is simply too much

new information, too many new strategies, and new learning available to us to ignore theimplications it may have for students in our classes.

2. A Media Creation Expert - Whether posted online or simply used in the classroom, ourmaterials must be highly engaging and effective. Powerpoint and Word are becomingantiquated as newer and more powerful presentation and editing suites become available

to teachers. It is our responsibility to compete (where necessary) with the quality of

video games and media construction in order to hook students into great learning. Asmedia conscious teachers, we can win student attention by working with them, notagainst them, for their learning.

3. A Digital NavigatorNot many teachers would consider themselves digital natives, butwe must understand enough about digital content and how it is used to effectively operatein our students world. This means having social media accounts and understanding how

they are used, even if you dont use them specifically for learning. We must be familiar

enough with the new digital landscape that we can help students navigate their journey

online, even if we dont (or cant) join them.4. An Empathetic MentorGone are the days when teachers dole out assignments and

send students on their merry way. A modern educator realizes the plethora of factors

impacting students in our current world, and strives to tailor learning where possibletoward individualized needs and interests. This student-centered focus also creates

learning opportunities for the teacher to learn with students, developing their teaching

and collaborative skills.5. A Technology HarmonizerAs teachers of our time, we must realize the implications

of pervasive technologies such as smart phones and highly mobile tablets/computers. In

addition, we must find ways to make it work with technology, which may include

enlisting students to help or (as in trait 1) learn more about the technologies we are using.One of the keys here is that we work at making the technology work (in the best way we

can) so the lesson becomes about the learning instead of the management of machines.

Ultimately it is our attitudes toward 21st Century learning that will either lead us to assumethese traits or not. I know teachers who cringe at the mention of the term 21st Century Learning,

but really the push is less toward technology and more toward effective learning experiencesfor students.