The 21st Century Student

Twenty-first Century learners are expected to explain their thinking through performance task while having more than one plausible answer. Students must be actively involved in the learning process if their classroom experience is to lead to a deeper understanding and the building of new knowledge. Expectations of students are different from what has been asked of them in the past, thus instruction will require a complete shift. Education is no longer defined in terms of what a teacher will teach but rather in terms of what a student will be able to demonstrate. This shift will change the way curriculum is defined and how technology will be an essential tool to the classroom. Students will need to actively make choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology fosters more students to actively think about information, make choices, and execute skills compared to a traditional teacher-led lesson. Technology is a tool that supports students in preforming authentic tasks. It enables students to define their goals, make design decisions, and evaluate their progress.

Characteristics of the 21st Century Learner:

• They demonstrate independence
• They build strong content knowledge
• They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline
• They comprehend as well as critique
• They value evidence
• They use technology and digital media strategically and capably
• They come to understand other perspectives and cultures