The Changing Global Landscape for the 21st Century Teachers

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics – 2nd year

The changing global landscape in teaching and learning

brought about by factors such as the learning environment,
1. The New Learning Environment
content and process of learning, types of learners and other
It is a place where interactions of the learners
parameters of learning in the 21st century and how the
among one another, with the teacher and the
changes will be addressed by the principles underpinning the
surroundings happen.
UNESCO’s Pillars of Learning: Learning to Know, Learning to
Learner-centered
Do, Learning to Be and Learning to Live Together from Delor’s
Report on Learning: The Treasure from Within, (UNESCO,
1992).
A. THE CHANGING GLOBAL LANDSCAPE AND THE 21 ST
CENTURY SKILLS FOR TEACHERS
We are in an era of borderless “flat” world. Barriers
New spaces and borderless
have been broken by new information and communication
Enhanced opportunity for creativity
technologies. Globalization has opened doors that led nations
and innovations
to co-exist and be interdependent. However, the common
future will still be more dependent on the knowledge, skills
and values of its people, thus glocalization can be the
response.
KEY CATEGORIES OF THE DIFFERENT CHANGES AND
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHING AND
LEARNING (ZHOU, 2006 as mentioned in SEAMEO, INNOTECH
2011):
use of ICT
2. The New Learning Contents
With the new learning environment and the
explosion of knowledge, content or subject
matter of learning has been modified. 3. The New Processes of
Learning and How
Integrated / Interdisciplinary These will be
Facilitated
With advancement in the study of the mind and
cognition, various processes of learning evolved
with human intervention of teachers and peers
as well as non-human intervention of artificial
Demand-driven intelligence (AI) of robots.

Face-to-Face
Distance Learning
Blended modalities
Experiential and lifelong

Emphasis on learning tools on how to 4. The New Types of Learners

retrieve knowledge Learners maybe are in an informal, formal or
informal setting. These types of learners come
from diverse background, multi-cultural, and
multi-generational as coming from different age
groups of lifelong learners.
a confident person who thinks
independently and critically and who
Balance of scientific, technological, communicates effectively
cultural, global, local concepts
 Self-directed and who questions, detailed instructions. They plan and
reflects and takes responsibility for work out their plans. Like the
his/her own learning learners, the teachers should also
A concerned citizen, informed about possess the same skills.
the world and local affairs, has a strong
sense of civic responsibilities and
participants actively in improving the  Social and Cross-cultural skills
lives of others This life and career skills require
Member of the new generation: pop- learners to respect cultural
culture, different ways of thinking, difference and work effectively with
responding others, to be open-minded to
different ideas in order to innovate
o LIFE AND CARRER SKILLS and improve quality of work. If one
 Flexibility and Adaptability understands the other’s culture, it
Learners adapt to various roles, will be easy to respect.
responsibilities, and schedules.  Productivity and Accountability
Despite the complex condition, they Individuals who possess these
are able to do the different tasks at skills are able to produce results.
one time. They respect teamwork and
 Initiative and Self-direction cooperations. They manage time
A self-directed learner very well and can do multitask. The
demonstrate life and career skills. most tangible proof that one has
Goals are set and managed by done something is the product or
themselves. There is a commitment result. It can be an idea, or a
to learning as a lifelong process. material product. When one is
Many of the young learners are tasked to do something that person
capable of doing things without has an accountability to produce
being told. They take initiatives. results as evidence of a job done.
They do not need to be given Better results are accomplished if
 done together through collaboration Use broad pedagogies including
and cooperation. inquiry-based learning, cooperative
learning, and other pedagogies.
Skillful in the integration of ICT in
pedagogy.
Skillful in action research to diagnose
 Leadership and Responsibility and solve classroom problems based
Good leaders use interpersonal on evidence.
and problem-solving skills with Practice the core values of inspiring
integrity and ethical behavior to teachers.
influence and guide others. Develop life and career skills for the
Leadership and responsibility are life 21st century and beyond.
skills that should be developed by all
learners and teachers. Leadership is
B. UNESCO’s FOUR PILLARS OF LEARNING FROM DELOR’s
not assigned, it is earned. As the
REPORT: LEARNING: A TREASURE FROM WITHIN
saying goes. “Leaders are born, but
they can also be made.” When Jaques Delor wrote a report for the UNESCO
entitled: Learning: A Treasure from Within, it was because he
5. The New Type of Teachers believes that “within each child lies a treasure.” (Delors,
Teachers for the 21st century learners teach 1996). The four pillars are seamlessly linked to each other.
within the context of new environment, new
1. Learning to Know
content or knowledge and new processes of
Implies thirst for knowledge and acquisition of
teaching and learning.
such knowledge. An individual who is
Great understanding of local ang global
knowledgeable is literate.
cultures
o HOW IS LITERACY DEFINED?
Clear standards and accountability that
their learners should know and be able  In 1958, UNESCO defined literate as
to do at the end of their schooling. one who can, with understanding,
both read and write a short simple
 statement on his or her everyday  Ecoliteracy
life.
Acquisition of knowledge about
 In 1970, a functionally literate
climate change, pollution, loss of natural
person is one who can engage in all
habitats and biodiversity. Solutions on
the activities to use reading, writing,
how these environmental problems
and calculating for the community’s
could be addressed must be practiced.
development.
 In 2000, literacy was defined as the  Cyberliteracy/Digital Literacy
ability to read and write with (Information and ICT Knowledge)
understanding a simple statement
Being in the rapid changes in the
related to one’s daily life.
use of technology for teaching and
 In 2003, UNESCO international
learning, teachers and learners need to
expert redefined literacy as the
develop and enhance the use of digital
ability to identify, understanding,
gadgets whether on-line or off-line.
interpret, create, communicate and
compute using printed and written
materials associated with varying
 Financial Literacy
contexts.
 Literacy in the 21st century is not Basic knowledge about the
limited to the definition given basics of economics and financial
previously. management. This is necessary for every
learner and teacher to be able to handle
o THE 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES income, expenses and investments to
 The Arts and Creativity be economically secure.
Creativity and innovation are 21st  Media Literacy
century skills, thus in solving problems
and creating art works are part of this
literacy.
 Teachers and learners must Implies developing the potentials of each
learn how to discern about any individual. Continuing education must improve
information which are transmitted via self-knowledge and self-esteem.
various forms and media. 4. Learning to Live Together
Bringing in together a community to work
 Social/Emotional Literacy
harmoniously, to live in peace and prosperity and
Knowledge about social to show respect and concern for others. Also refers
dimension and social skills that are to interpersonal skills that will enable people to live
appropriate in the context of society. side by side with others at home, in school, in the
Emotional intelligence must also be community and the whole world.
developed to be able to effectively
manage the stresses due to the
changing environment of the 21 st
century society. Summary: This lesson addressed what is dubbed as new in
 Globalization and Multi-cultural educational landscape but is continuously changing. These include
Literacy the learning environment that is learner-centered, new spaces and
borderless. It promotes creativity and innovation, and ICT facilities
If you respect multi-cultural are available. Within the learning environment, new contents are
diversity, aware of the global trends, tackled, unpacked, discovered. The contents are integrated and
acknowledge differences and interdisciplinary and demand-driven. The content is about learning
similarities, respect each other’s dignity, tools and how these can retrieve knowledge and information and
then you are multi-cultural literate. contents that balance scientific, technological, cultural and local
concepts for learning. How are these learned from the current
2. Learning to Do global perspective? The delivery modes can be face to face,
Learning by doing is a pragmatist’s view of life. distance and virtual learning, blended and experiential lifelong
Knowledge acquired is nothing unless applied learning. But the most important element in the landscape are the
in daily life. new learners. The new breed of learners are confident,
3. Learning to Be independent, critical, self-directed, civic oriented and glocal,
question, reflect, take responsibility and live in pop-culture. They
need to develop 21st century life and career skills. As these become
the context of learning, there should evolve the new teacher. These
teachers are quality teachers who have clear standards of teaching
and learning, accountable for students learning, use broad
pedagogies, are skillful in the use of ICT and assessment of
learning. They are skillful in action research, practice the core
values of inspiring teachers and have developed also the life and
career skills of the 21 st century. All the new qualities of both the
learners and teachers are addressed in the UNESCO’s Pillar of
Learning based on Jacque’s Delor’s Learning the Treasure from
Within. Teaching and Learning will be defined by the pillars as
Learning to Know (Knowledge, Skill, Values); Learning to Do
(Application of what one knows); Learning to Live Harmoniously,
Together (Respect of culture and Diversity, Inclusivity) and Learning
to Be (Self-identity and understanding, Confidence and self-worth).