While schools that want to thrive in this century may differ from each other in style, organization, structure, resources and of course, location, they share commonalities in the way they educate. These themes fall along the following lines in the view of NAIS and the Commission of Accreditation: transformational leadership; participatory and engaging school culture; growth mindset in teachers and staff; actively engaged adults and students; continuous learning; academically demanding program focused on essential capacities; inquiry-based – project-oriented learning; beyond the wall classroom experiences in the real world; lively arts program promoting creativity and self-expression; global perspective woven throughout curriculum; digital technology and social media as learning tools.
Academically demanding programs emphasize conceptual, systems thinking over acquisition of factual knowledge. Project based learning promotes challenge, real issues, relevant problems, collaboration within a team and knowledge/skills integration. Technology provides a vehicle for students to collaborate across time, age and geography. Focus on the arts fosters discipline and teamwork.
All of these facets of learning and curriculum encourage empowerment, collaboration and engagement. Leading schools that approach learning this way demands both helping community members recognize the need for change (and to change) and introducing change in ways that don’t lead to feeling overwhelmed by said change.
The challenges we face as educators are many. We need to ask ourselves some important questions: Is there a balance between a renewed focus on skills and knowledge learning?; How are students today unique?; What are the implications of brain research and cognition for classroom learning?; Do we need new-format assessments and techniques to measure 21st century capacities?; How do we best professionally develop faculty?; What are the drawbacks of a digitized classroom?
Perhaps the deepest shift taking place is in the often insular teacher-culture of schools. The need for a teacher to have a greater interest for what is learned than what is taught is for some a profound pedagogical change. Teaching as part of a team brings new demands and expands the adaptive nature of teachers and curriculum. Administrators and school leaders striving to create change must overcome powerful forces of resistance and inspire teachers to be current, re-inventive in their teaching, aware and collaborative. Indeed, to stay relevant in today’s rapidly shifting world, schools and the people who lead them need to figure out the best way to prepare students to maneuver in the future by embracing the complexities of our times, together.
The schools that achieve this will pursue, adopt and embrace the mindset: adapt-survive-thrive.
sources: Why Change? What Works?, James Tracy,ed., NAIS, 2010;
21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, Trilling and Fadel 2009
Edutopia, The Digital Generation Project
