Education for the 21st Century documents a study sought to highlight effective practices, clarify doubts, and get some new views on issues relating to education. The study used a Delphi study with a selection of participants that were selected based on several key factors. The Delphi study was conducted over the course of one year.
Education for the 21st Century documents a study sought to highlight effective practices, clarify doubts, and get some new views on issues relating to education. The study used a Delphi study with a selection of participants that were selected based on several key factors. The Delphi study was conducted over the course of one year.
Education for the 21st Century documents a study sought to highlight effective practices, clarify doubts, and get some new views on issues relating to education. The study used a Delphi study with a selection of participants that were selected based on several key factors. The Delphi study was conducted over the course of one year.
Luterbach, K., & Brown, C. (2011). Education for the 21st Century. International Journal Of Applied Educational Studies, 10(2), 14-32.
Introduction
Education for the 21 st Century documents a study sought to highlight effective practices, clarify doubts, and get some new views on issues relating to education in the 21 st Century by getting consensus on six items. Those items researched as part of the study are those that teachers, teacher educators, and educational technologists thought were most related to issues concerning the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, teacher training and school reform.
This study was conducted in response to the current advancements of teaching and teacher training and the use of technologies in the classroom. These changes have occurred over the past several decades where the system itself has not changed much. However, with advancements in new technologies and integration of those technologies in the classroom it was the study was used to identify effective practices using a panel of educators.
For K. Luterback and C. Browns research they chose to use a Delphi study with a selection of participants that were selected based on several key factors. The Delphi study was conducted over the course of one year. All of the participants have a background in educational technology, as well as, had a broad range of backgrounds, education, and positions within the education system. The researchers chose four educational technology professors, one school teacher, and a doctoral student in educational technology for this study.
The educational background of the subjects includes one Masters degree in educational technology with 10 years of K-12 teaching experience. The one doctoral student in educational technology and the four other participants all with doctoral degrees in educational technology and have an experience level of on average 24 years in Colleges of Education.
The subjects, after selection, were then referred to as the panel and will continue to be for the purpose of this critique here on out. The panel was completely anonymous to one another before, during, and after the completion of the study.
The panel was given six questions to respond to in order to gain consensus on during the course of the study by a group of experts in the area of educational technology. The questions asked to each of the panel members were:
1) What skills should all 21 st Century learners possess? 2) What is the best strategy for preparing 21 st Century teacher education students? 3) Is the preparation of well qualified teachers sufficient to ensure that schools will prepare students for the 21 st Century? 4) Can ICT skills be used to enhance learning? If so, how? 5) Discuss two innovative approaches to teaching ICT skills. 6) What strategies do you recommend for using ICT skills for teaching in content areas?
During the research study the panel was able to work in an open environment due to the anonymity of the participants. Each member of the panel corresponded with the research. All of the communication and correspondence was through the use of email. The questions were given in rounds. The first round, each member of the panel was given the list of the six items previously stated above. They then responded to each item and sent their responses to the researchers. The researchers then analyzed each of the responses given. It was noted that during Delphi Studies, that this one in particular one that feedback was going to be given through multiple rounds.
For the second round, the panel was given another statement to ICT skills and the analysis for the first six items. The panel then responded to each of the responses from the researchers analysis and had to identify why it was or was not a reasonable response to the item.
Each time over the next six rounds after receiving feedback the analysis was modified according to the analysis of the feedback from each member. During the subsequent six rounds the panel came to consensus on each of the items. All of the items were agreed upon unanimously after completing six rounds. It is important to note that the order in which the items were agreed upon did not come in sequential order, but instead in the order of 5, 1, 6, 3, 4, and 2 finally after having a sentence removed that the panel could not reach consensus on.
The results of the study were arrived at by each participant individually throughout and collected as a group to discuss the collective findings. The results to each item included a discussion given by the researchers based on the findings in the study.
The first item is the synthesis of 21 st Century skills. It was identified that all 21 st Century learners be literate referring to information literacy. Possess ICT skills including input devices, knowledge and skills to organize and retrieve files, locate information from a variety of sources and most importantly evaluate the information for authenticity. Be independent problem solvers to question, analyze, evaluate, etc. Possess social skills meaning communication to collaborate. Be accountable for self and others including culture differences. Possess systemic thinking skills to contribute to societal systems.
The second item is the preparation strategies in todays higher education. 21 st Century learners will need a strong background in psychology and human development along with subject matter in math, English, and the sciences. Know various instructional strategies including problem- based learning, authentic tasks. Understand how to design instruction to meet all educational needs of students. Be able to use technology as a learning resource. And recognize that teacher require continual practice, reflection, and learning in instructional methods and ICT skills.
The third item referred to the educational systems reform and how massive changes to the culture of schools where necessary to prepare learners for the 21 st Century. It was found that the instruction needs to be learner focused were students work toward mastering instructional goals at different rates based on student ability and the subject matter being learned. Teachers roles should be primarily shifted to guide, coach, or mentor rather that instructor. On assessments, teachers should not try to assess 21 st century skills using 19 th century practices. Assessments should be diverse, innovative and adventuresome in problem solving.
The fourth finding was the ICT skills for enhancing learning. Those skills were identified as knowing how to identify and use keywords to search for information. Students need to evaluate information for accuracy and authenticity. Teachers help students use skills and tools to support their learning by planning assignments to use new technologies, use software that requires a higher order thinking to solve problems, and use technologies to enhance communication such as kid blogs.
The fifth item discusses innovative approaches to teaching ICT skills using games and simulations to excite students in problem solving and creative thinking. The panel also identified problem-based inquiry as a major way to teach ICT skills in the classroom. One of the ways to do this is through the use of social networking such as projects using blogs and wikis which open doors for collaborating among their peers.
The final item on the study is in the area of teaching in content areas using ICT skills. The panel reported that due to the numerous ways and technologies to teach a particular subject area that the best strategy is to use an appropriate instructional strategy. The appropriateness will depend on understanding who the learners are and what the teacher intends the outcome to be. Along with appropriate instructional strategies for teacher there has to be multiple methods in which to assess the students. Many assessments include the use of artifacts, digital portfolios, and multimedia presentations.
Given that the research was conducted using a Delphi study and the participants were selected purposefully based on their prior experience, education, and present circumstances. The study was found to be very complete with little to no limitations according to the researchers.
The implications for us as educators, is to take the results of the study and apply it to our instruction no matter what level we currently reside at. The research findings have a place at all levels of education from those in the administration level, to teacher educators, and even down to the individual classroom.
Based on the through finding of this particular study I would look to conduct a research study on the implementation of 21 st Century skills in the classroom. This would give me a unbiased look into each classroom in a school or group of schools of the implementation of ICT skills directly. This would also help me to create a bank of questions that classroom teachers can come to consensus on and help design programs to assist teachers with getting 21 st Century skills into their classrooms.
Critique
The issues concerning education for 21 st Century reach beyond classroom teaching practices. This Delphi study took a broad topic with numerous implications and attempted to bring some structure to six research questions. The research question, how can teachers today make education relevant to 21 st Century learners? was clearly stated at the beginning of the study. The research study supported this question using a group of professionals with varied backgrounds, experiences, and education. The questions given to the panel were clear and concise which lead the panel to coming to consensus on each topic with relevant information and responses.
The literature review was thoroughly conducted and covered all of the areas and topics found within this study. The articles begin with a comparison article of the United States and how we compare in academic achievement to the world to literature discussing inquiry learning and technology. The researchers referred to these articles, studies, and literary works often over the course of the research study. The panels responses to the six items were synthesized each time and repeatedly throughout the process of the panel coming to consensus on each item.
The study was well organized from the introduction of how the study was going to be carried out through to the results and the conclusion of the study. The finding were organized and easy to follow and contextual comments from the panel where clearly identified by square brackets. The research was well written in manner which allowed me to process most of the information after several readings. Also, with writing the introduction of this critique I found other understandings which werent evident after just reading the article. So, referring to the article for the introduction offered me valuable insight into the study itself.
It was interesting to see that item 5 from the study directly related to the group research article I chose to do for this course. The item is the innovative approaches to teaching ICT skills. One of those skills was for students to use instructional games and simulations to excite and engage students in problem solving and creative thinking activities. Given that our group research project is game-based learning I found the literature the researchers used to reference this very useful in our pursuit of a problem-based inquiry and game based learning as a way to teach ICT skills in the classroom.
The conclusions identified by the study were achieved using the Delphi method of research. It was a very systematic approach to research that I had never heard of before. It was clear that the researchers were pleased with the outcomes and results of the study. Due to the nature of the Delphi method the researchers were able to set a predefined stopping point which wasnt defined in this study. The study did stop after six rounds. They didnt say whether or not it was predetermined if six rounds were what they had set in the beginning or if it just happened that way. The researchers were also able to decide on who would be best suited for this type of study. Had they used a different type of research method they would have had different results I believe.
Conclusion
I have been an educator for the past three years and have come from a recent experience of 21 st
Century learning during my undergraduate work. Now that I can reflect on where I am today in the classroom and how my experiences in college helped shape me into what I am today. I can see where I was afforded the opportunity to work in small groups with peers, design and develop instruction which included the use of technology, and to create electronic portfolios. However, it can still be said that the majority of the areas addressed within this research study held true even while being in a teacher education environment.
Education for the 21 st Century must begin with a complete overhaul of the educational system. There are two things that I believe that are going on. First, we have teachers, administrators, and policy makers who live in an antiquated environment. Those same people who push to make schools, mainly teachers, 21 st Century proficient are the same people who cannot let go of 19 th
and 20 th Century ways of thinking. The two will never live in harmony until one can live with the other. Secondly, there is something about needing data and turning education into a manufacturing process. If x is put into the beginning of the school year with y training then the end result will be a xy student. This does not fall within any of the six items that this study found with the implementation of ICT skills, digital portfolios, virtual collaboration, inquiry-based learning, game-based learning, and social networking to communicate. Many schools live or die by assessment results with the government. This is tied to being given a reading or a math program that takes the inquiry learning out of the equation. The teacher is told when to teach a subject and by what means. Then at the same time teachers are told to include inquiry-learning, 21 st Century skills of collaboration, communication, and creativity, and critical thinking.
This article shows that given structure, an educated group of individuals can come to a consensus about what education for the 21 Century should look like. Although, this study was conducted by a small group with very focused questions I believe that the goal was successful. Overall, I gained useful information about this research because it opened my mind to different areas of 21 st Century teaching and learning practices that I should be using in my classroom.