- We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist,
- using technologies that haven’t yet been invented,
- in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.
We are inundated with news and articles about the 21st century classroom. But what does that mean exactly? A 21st century classroom is as simple and as complex as using the classroom as a tool to ensure our students are and enable our students to be successful. However, our technology and data-driven society is evolving every day, so how do we do this? We need students are adept at:
- collaboration
- creativity
- critical thinking
- communication
Information is everywhere. In fact, teaching is very different today than it was when we were in school. When we all went through school, the teachers were the stewards of information. We looked to them for content, knowledge, facts and expertise. They knew their stuff, and we looked to them as the experts. This traditional role of the teacher no longer exists, because information, content, knowledge and facts are readily available. We can Google anything and get answers today. Teachers no longer “own” information; therefore, our "teacher experts" need to experts in their fields in new ways. They need to embrace the 21st century classroom and teach this next generation how to:
- manage content
- discern bias and credibility
- synthesize information being collected and published at a lightning-speed pace
- work in our global society
I want to see our Los Alamitos teachers learn to be the best the teaching profession has to offer, so that our students are ready for the 21st century world. I want our teachers to facilitate learning, use inquiry-based instruction, integrate technology, utilize evidence-based research as a teaching tool, teach using project-based learning and embed cross-curricular skills and strategies.
This means training, teacher coaches, administrative support and board leadership.
That’s where I come in.
Let me help lead our district into the 21st century.