21st Century Educator Paper

Language Arts Methodology

05-80-314
Taylor Masse
Dr. Cherian
103318220
Feb. 9th, 2016
 The world is an ever changing place. It is difficult for everyone to keep

up with change, but there is perhaps greater difficulty for teachers. They say

that teachers are the ones who are responsible for all the other professions;

therefore, we must be quicker to embrace change as we are the ones to

teach it. This is especially true when it comes to literacy. In the past, literacy

consisted of reading and writing. Now in the 21st century, literacy refers to

how we communicate within society and globally. This new literacy consists

of six elements: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and visually

representing. Listening is done for many purposes (information) or aesthetic

purposes (pleasure). Speaking is a means of communication. It is used to

express ones feelings or opinions. A teacher must model good oral

communication for students in the classroom. Reading can also be done for

many purposes (information) or aesthetic purposes (pleasure). Students in K

through Grade Three spend a lot of time on learning to read as it is the basis

of all of other learning. Students in grades Four and up read to learn and

understand, so they must have the basic skills of reading. Writing follows the

same theory as reading. In the primary years, students learn to write. They

sound out words phonetically and practice printing and sometimes cursive

writing. As they get older they learn how to properly spell word and they are

introduced to proper grammar and sentence structure. Viewing is an active

process that can be a result of watching or seeing performances, television,

movies, paintings, photographs, symbols, sculptures, etc. Representing is a

nonverbal way to communicate. This can be done using symbols, diagrams,

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charts, posters, visual art, drama, dance, etc. As 21st century teachers, we

must be able to provide students with the opportunity to develop their skills

in all areas so that they are prepared for the future workplace. There is a

huge push to integrate technology in the classroom. The focus of 21st century

classrooms is on teachers to act as facilitators and students to learn through

inquiry and collaboration. This paper will answer the question of whether or

not I believe that my practice teaching classrooms and schools are preparing

students and teachers to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Throughout

giving my answer I will look at six out of the ten characteristics of a 21st

century classroom: computing devices, invitational environment, students

understand and follow the rules and procedures, active learning,

performance-based assessment, and mutual respect.

The first characteristic I will be discussing is the use of computing

devices. It is believed that computers are an essential tool for the 21st

century (Saxena, 2013). They allow students to develop good research skills,

which will be a useful asset in future years and for jobs, but I do not think

that they should replace paper and pen writing. Many students rely on the

autocorrect tool that computers have built in. They no longer need to learn

how to spell words and use proper grammar, because they know that the

computer will fix their mistakes. While I agree with the fact that they are

useful for the research process, I believe that students should have limited

access to computing devices. They need to go back to basics and learn

proper spelling and grammar. The best way to do this is to only allow them to

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use a computer after they have gone through the writing process of

brainstorming, creating a rough draft, revising, editing, and then create a

final draft on the computer. One thing that needs to be taken into account is

that not all schools have access to computers. I was placed at a low

socioeconomic school. They had one cart of iPads on the first floor and one

on the second floor. While they are lucky to have iPads, they do not have

enough for all of the classes to use them at one given time. There are no

other computing devices available. Teachers must sign out the iPads for a

period at a time. This limits the time they use these devices, which I favour,

but the more affluent schools do not have the same restrictions.

On the teacher end of the spectrum, I believe that computing devices

are very useful. I had a teacher who had terrible handwriting on the

chalkboard, so instead having students struggle to read what he wrote he

used PowerPoint presentations to deliver notes to students. I think that this

was beneficial for learning. Computing devices can also be useful in helping

to keep students engaged in lessons. In our Learning with Technologies class

with Wayne Tousignant, every week a pair of students gave a presentation on

an application or program that could be useful to us as future teachers. We

have had presentations on Smart Board, Prodigy Math, Kahoot, Plickers, Flip

Quiz, and much more! I think that this class has been very helpful in

preparing me to be an engaging teacher in the 21st century.

This leads me into the second characteristic of a 21st century classroom

which is being an invitational environment. According to Saomya Saxena,

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modern classrooms should have the basic material required for teaching

such as, interactive whiteboards and LCD projectors. This is a great idea in

theory, but as I have previously noted, not all schools can afford these

devices in every classroom. She also believes that a BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-

Device) approach should be adopted, so that students can bring their laptops

or tablets to the classroom for better and personalized learning (Saxena,

2013). I do not agree with this approach. I think that if we let students bring

in their own devices, they will be distracted by non-school related activities.

My first two placements were in a grade one classroom, so they did not bring

in personal devices. However, I have been able to observe students in the

older grades with their personal devices and they were constantly getting

sidetracked by personal interests. They text their friends, go on social media,

take pictures and videos of classmates, etc. Saxena also says that

technological material eases the workload for teachers. I think that this is

absurd. Teachers have to put just as much effort into using technology, if not

more. They have to look for appropriate materials to use, test all the

technology, and prepare back-up plans in case the technology does not want

to work. This I know from personal experience. In my practicum, I always had

to create a back-up plan for any technological lesson in case technology

would not cooperate, which happened twice. Overall, I have to say that I do

not agree with Saomya Saxenas views of an invitational environment.

In contrast to Saomya Saxena, when I think of an invitational

environmental, I think of a classroom that is visually pleasing with a lot of

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colour for students (especially younger ones). I think that students work

should be displayed, along with visual prompts to help them. This will tie in

with the third characteristic of a 21st century classroom in which students

understand and follow the rules and procedures. I believe it is important to

have a well-organized classroom not only for teachers, but also for students

(Saxena, 2013). In order for everyone to be successful, they must know

where materials are located. I also think that it is important to display

information on class schedules/routines, rules, jobs, learning goals, and such

(Saxena, 2013). Students should constantly be aware of what they are trying

to accomplish. Unfortunately, this was not the case in my practicum

classroom. The classroom lacked colour. There was very little student work

posted. There were no learning goals posted, no daily routine, and no visual

prompts. There was a word wall that was never updated. This was

problematic for the students. They were constantly asking for spelling, or

assistance of some sort. According to the American Association of School

Librarians, students should show confidence in making independent choices

by selecting resources and information (American Association of School

Librarians, 2007). They could have been more independent or could have

taken initiative if they had cues within the room. I have seen the effects of a

classroom where students do not have the tools to be successful, and I know

that I would not set them up for failure like this.

The fourth characteristic of a 21st century classroom is active learning.

Students should be encouraged to participate in their learning. According to

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A Parent's Guide to 21st Century Learning, active learning happens through

engaged discussions and exploration (2012). One way they can do this by

working in groups on projects to collaborate, develop communication through

talking and listening, and learn new skills. This allows students to explore

diverse perspectives (American Association of School Librarians, 2007). They

could also write in journals or on exit cards about things they are interested

in learning, which would promote writing and reflecting. According to Patrick

Goertz, journal writing is often considered a dying art, which he considers

to be a shame because it provides reinforcement of learning (2015). It is

important for teachers to take into consideration what their students want to

learn when planning lessons. Students are more likely to learn from a text or

material if they enjoy reading it. In active learning, the teacher takes a

backseat; instead of standing at the front of the room delivering instruction,

he or she observes, asks questions, and guides students (George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 2012). In my practicum class, the teacher had the

desks set up in groups of four to promote collaboration. During seat work one

day, she asked me listen to what the students were talking about. I was

surprised to find that they were discussing their work thoroughly and

supporting their responses to one another. I really like having the students

work in groups. I also like having the students work in larger groups such as

the whole class. During a lot of my lessons, I had activities for the whole

group to participate in. For example, I did a lesson on times of the day. For

this, I made a detailed daily routine starting from waking up to going to bed. I

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had a set of picture cards and a set of time cards. One by one the students

got to pick corresponding cards. As a class they built their daily routine. I

found that this type of activity really helped them. They got to discuss their

answers and could retain the information later. I continued to use this

method for a lot of my other lessons.

The fifth characteristic of a 21st century classroom is having

performance based assessments. There are many forms of assessment:

projects, performances, quizzes, surveys, conversations, and the list goes on.

Teachers should not limit their assessments to just tests. According to the

Education Commission of the States, we must develop and implement

performance-based assessment systems for students (1999). As we know,

Howard Gardner has a theory about multiple intelligences. Some students

excel linguistically while others excel musically and the likes. Teachers should

use assessments that match the abilities and needs of their students. The

students should be able to use multiple resources and formats such as the

writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to

demonstrate creativity and express their understanding (American

Association of School Librarians, 2007). In my practicum, my associate

encouraged me to try out different methods of assessment. Seeing as how

we did not have the Assessment and Evaluation class last semester, a lot of

what I did was trial and error. For example, when teaching a unit on time, the

students came to work with me one on one. I asked them to demonstrate

times and read times. I made anecdotal notes on each student. I found that

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this was an effective method because the students were able to demonstrate

their learning. Another method I tried was having them explain their

thoughts to me if they were struggling to write them out. This also worked.

My associate mentioned that sometimes she wishes that she would record

them talking at their desks (mentioned above), in order to recall what they

said and assess their learning. I definitely think that it is important to use a

variety of assessments, especially performance-based assessments.

Finally, the sixth characteristic of a 21st century classroom is mutual

respect. In the past, it was automatic that teacher was a power authority and

demanded respect. I am a firm believer that in order to have respect you

must earn it. Part of gaining respect is giving respect. Students should

always feel valued by the teacher and their peers. Teachers can create

classroom communities by promoting open and honest communication,

making time for everyone to get to know one another, and encouraging

reciprocal care and mutual responsibility (Ellerbrock, Abbas, Dicicco,

Denmon, Sabella, & Hart, 2015). I am very glad to have witnessed mutual

respect within my classroom. My associate was very kind and caring with the

students. You could see that she had a special relationship with each student.

During my first couple days, I would talk to each student. I genuinely wanted

to know about their interests. I found it easy to build relationships with them

and I think that it was very beneficial. I feel as though those relationships

helped when it came time for me to teach. They respected me as much as I

respected them so they did what they were supposed to do and I kept any

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promises I made to them, such as the ice cream party on my last day. Along

with the student-teacher respect, I also have seen a mutual respect between

the students. They were very kind to one another. They had no problem

sharing tools and materials, or games during free time. When we would work

on the carpet, they would listen quietly to one another and not talk while a

classmate was talking. I was really impressed. I definitely think mutual

respect is key to any classroom, regardless of 21st century.

Overall, I think that the two main goals of a 21st century teacher and

curriculum are the integration of technology, and to create student-based

classrooms and learning. According to the NCTE, students in the 21st

century should have experience with and develop skills around technological

tools used in the classroom and the world around them (2013). I believe

that this is because our world has put too great a focus on technology; thus,

making people believe that technology will be a crucial element for getting

future employment. I think that future employers will find technological skills

to be a beneficial asset, but I also believe they will look for the 21st century

skills known as the 4Cs (collaboration, creativity, communication, and

creative thinking). I do not believe that technology is essential for these

skills. Employers will look for employees who can work within a diverse group

of people, including the ability to compromise, which is known as

collaboration (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2012). Employers will

look for people who are creative and innovative. Employers will look for

employees who are able to communicate using a variety of forms, including

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written, oral, and digital. Finally, employers will look for employees who are

able to think critically to solve problems, meaning they can interpret

information and make decisions based on the information (Kereluik, Mishra,

Fahnoe, & Terry, 2013). The majority of these skills do not require technology.

I believe that one of the biggest challenges of a 21st century

classrooms and curriculum is the integration of technology. The reason why it

is a challenge is because there will be too heavy of a reliance on technology.

As I mentioned previously, students already rely on the internet for answers,

and spell/grammar check to edit their work. I understand and agree that

technology should be integrated, but it needs to be limited. I like that it

allows for more engaging lessons, such as using the smart board. I also like

that it can make presentations more engaging and easier to read for

students. I believe that students should be the focus of teaching and we

should do what we can to make concepts clear and relatable. There has been

a significant change in the role of the teacher in 21st century classrooms.

Teachers have gone from delivering lessons and showing a power authority

to being facilitators that guide student learning (EduGAINS). There has also

been a significant change in the role of students in 21st century classrooms.

They take on a lot more responsibility when it comes to their learning.

Students work together to teach each other the concepts. They are also

given a say what they learn. This gives them confidence and empowerment

(EduGAINS). This is why I think that it is very important to have student-

centered classrooms.

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 This leads us back to the original question of whether or not I believe

that my practice teaching classrooms and schools are preparing students

and teachers to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Considering this is

just the first year of the new two-year program, I have to say that I have

mixed feelings on whether or not the faculty has prepared me to be a 21st

century educator. As of right now, I would have to say no. According to Linda

Darling-Hammond, schools of education should design their programs to

prepare prospective teachers to teach in complex classrooms (2006). She

goes on to say that even though it is important for us preservice teachers to

have courses relating to core knowledge, we should also have experiences to

integrate our knowledge (2006). I believe that Learning with Technologies

and Language Arts Methodology are the only two classes that are preparing

us for the 21st century. Obviously, in the Learning with Technologies class we

are learning to integrate technology in the classroom. Regardless of how I

personally feel about technology, this is the future of education, so I am

happy to have a class that teaches me appropriate ways to use it in a

classroom as part of my preservice training. When it comes to Language Arts

Methodology, I think that it is great that there has been emphasis placed on

all six elements of literacy. Not only do we see how technology can be a

format for literacy, we also see that there is still a need for writing, reading,

and oral communication. Some things should never go out of style!

Regarding all of our other classes, I think that while they tell us to do this and

that to be 21st century educators, they do not follow through in their

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execution of work for us, nor do they allow us to apply these theories to our

practice and/or assignments. I think the faculty should practice what they

preach, especially if their goal is to prepare us for the standards of 21st

century education.

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 References

A parent's guide to 21st century learning (2012). George Lucas Educational

Foundation, San Rafael, CA http://ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1314330198?
accountid=14789

Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-Century Teacher Education.

Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300-314.

EduGAINS. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/21stCenturyLearning/research.html

Ellerbrock, C. R., Abbas, B., Dicicco, M., Denmon, J. M., Sabella, L., & Hart, J.
(2015). Relationships: The fundamental R in education. Phi Delta
Kappan, 96(8), 48-51. doi:10.1177/0031721715583963

Goertz, P. (2015, February 27). 10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom.

Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/10-signs-21st-
century-classroom

Kereluik, K., Mishra, P., Fahnoe, C., & Terry, L. (2013). What Knowledge Is of
Most Worth: Teacher Knowledge for 21st Century Living. Journal of
Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 29(4), 127-140.

NCTE Framework for 21st Century Curriculum and Assessment. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 05, 2013, from
http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/ncte-framework-21st-
century-curriculum-and-assessment

Saxena, S. (2013, December 20). Top 10 Characteristics of a 21st Century

Classroom. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/news/862-top-10-
characteristics-of-a-21st-century-classroom

Standards for the 21st Century Learner. (2007). American Association of

School Librarians.

Quality teachers for the 21st century. (1999). Education Commission of the
States, Denver, CO http://ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/62384214?accountid=14789

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