Article #20: Learning Agility in 21st Century Education
“Today, because of rapid economic and social change, learning institutions have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don't yet know will arise.” Andreas Schleicher, OECD Education Directorate, 2010.
Educational institutions and educators alike must embrace such vision by preparing courses that are innovative, engaging, and relatable to the real-world for learners to acquire and experience in their intellectual pursuits. Reflective questions such as “Are the tasks stimulating? Are the learning outcomes, assessments as well as marking rubrics aligned and sensible? How can I turn this into something more rewarding for the students?” are just the few common ones that most responsible educators, if not all, consider before and after conducting every other lesson.
This posed the following questions: How else could an educator help prepare learners with 21st century skills? How do educators incorporate to suit most intelligences among learners? Are students able to distinguish biased news from merely reading or listening? Is it fair to employ only written or spoken assessments to evaluate students’ academic performance per subject?
Recalling the infamous quote spoken by futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970, I could not help but to feel that all leaders, educators, parents, and learners themselves should realise the significance of embracing change. He had emphasised that the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.
It fascinates me as much because humans were all born with the desire to learn, but somewhere along the line, many people somehow lose their passion for learning. While many people even proudly claim that they are open to change, there are those who stick with what they already know and avoid situations where they have to cope with something new, thus, creating a safe, secure, and comfortable (yet confining) world for themselves. What changed, I wonder.
Training my brain to be more optimistic, I choose to believe that many understands the significance of learning agility to unlock further potential of oneself in a constantly evolving world that we are living in. Nonetheless, how much does one know about learning agility itself, and how can learning agility be instilled into learners? Are educators themselves equipped with the necessary expertise and experiences to promote learning agility in any learning institutions?
While I return to my thought bubble for answers, let us all be reminded that 21st century education requires MORE effort from various stakeholders, not always LESS as shown as the image above.
Contributed by,
Miss L.Y.