21st Century Learning and Teaching

And since then, plenty more forward-thinking learning professionals have recognised the value of Twitter for their own professional learning – with Twitter rising to the top of the Top 100 Tools for Learning in 2008 and staying in that position for the last 6 years.

Now, of course Twitter has become mainstream, brands and celebrities have their own Twitter accounts to promote themselves, there are live chats every day on all kinds of topics  – with even TV programmes holding their own live chats. But just like with any society, it has unfortunately meant a darker side of Twitter has emerged too.

Nevertheless, Twitter is still the most important place for me to find out what is going on in the world, but I can understand how newcomers today might be daunted at the prospective of joining up. Most of the press would have them believe it’s just a place for finding out what their colleagues had for breakfast, or what their favourite celebrity is wearing today, but it has does have clear professional value too.

Learn more:

- https://gustmees.wordpress.com/?s=twitter

- https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/learning-to-learn-for-my-professional-development-i-did-it-my-way/

Editor’s NoteThis post is part of Co.Exist’s Futurist Forum, a series of articles by some of the world’s leading futurists about what the world will look like in the near and distant future, and how you can improve how you navigate future scenarios...

20 Tips To Promote A Self-Directed Classroom Culture

It’s an age-old saying, “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.”

What separates good teachers from the excellent ones? The excellent ones are handing out fishing poles; creating a culture in the classroom of independence and self-reliance.

These students don’t just recite facts or regurgitate information- they have learned how to learn. They know that if the answer isn’t in front of them, they have the tools to do the investigation and research.

Cueva-Dabkoski is considered an “Extreme Learner,” a designation applied to just 12 individuals by the Institute for the Future, for her radical and gutsy approach to learning. Extreme Learners are self-directed, wide-ranging in their interests, comfortable with technology, and adept at building communities around their interests.

“Extreme learners aren’t so different from everybody else,” said Milton Chen, a fellow at the Institute for the Future and advocate for education reform. “We picked people who are extreme in their passion for learning.” They are also willing to go their own way when traditional educational institutions interfere with their pursuits.

Learn more:

- https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/learning-to-learn-for-my-professional-development-i-did-it-my-way/

Is the one-size-fits-all, top-down classroom a misfit for the Digital Age? 

Standards-based education is ruining the way educators teach and children learn. Education should not be about teaching to the next level in education and vocation and yet, that is exactly what our current school system is designed to do.

Our goal should be to foster a love of learning for learning sake. Learning is not something that we should force onto our children to ensure they go to college and get a good job. True learning is intrinsically motivated and the reward is knowledge.