Nuances: Teaching in the 21st Century

Simply put, teaching in the twenty-first century is no longer about teaching. There is a very subtle yet ground-swelling (and essential) shift in paradigms. And the change involves a refocusing of our priorities and philosophy about ‘teaching’, ‘learning’, and ‘education’.

Clearly, the accumulation of information at the hands of teachers is no longer a given (or even really necessary) any more. And yet, teachers have become more important now than in the past 60 years of public education.

How can this be you ask?

Surely teachers are on their way to becoming obsolete.

And yet quite the contrary is happening…

The role of the teacher has evolved. Teachers have become the filter for our students. They have become elemental components to learning in the new social media era.

Teaching has evolved into an art of nuances. And our ability to help our students effectively translate the dearth of information into knowledge and mastery has become the role of the 21st century educator.

Students no longer need ‘the sage on the stage’; they need a guide with knowledge about digital literacy, copyright, plagiarism, confidentiality, and digital savvy. The teacher has become the specialist who models, guides, and demonstrates critical thinking pedagogy.

The game has changed/evolved.