Key Factors Driving Change In Education: Teaching And Learning In The 21st Century Essay.

How is education changing in the 21st century? What are the key factors driving change in education and what is their impact on teaching and learning in the 21st century?

To effectively address the essay topic you will need to:

demonstrate an understanding of 21st century teaching and learning
identify and discuss the top three key factors that are driving change in education, including globalisation and social change
explain how curriculum and pedagogy are changing by comparing traditional and new teaching practices
discuss why it is important for education to change, while discussing a practice or aspect of new teaching practice relevant to the 21st century.

21st Century Teaching and Learning

In the 21^st century, learning and teaching have become a very successful feature of education for society and children. The framework of early years learning and structure of Australian Curriculum, which are taught in the classrooms by the educators, are very difficult and complex and it is a complete process of learning for children. The essay will provide the knowledge about teaching and learning in the 21^st century and the key factors that are driving change in education.

21^st-century teaching and learning are different from traditional teaching and learning. The world is changing so as the education in the 21^st century. Therefore to prepare students for this changing world the way of education is changing. In the 21^st century, instructors are creating a course to help students for connecting with the world and generate an understanding of the issues faced by the world (Quin Street. 2017). In the 21^st century schools are becoming nerve centers, a place that connects students and teachers with their surroundings and communities. In this new scenario, teachers are becoming more of a commander and less instructors, making children capable of turning their knowledge into wisdom.  For education students in the 21^st century, managers and teachers nurture and retain the interest of the student in the subject by representing the application of the knowledge in the real world. They are very must focus towards increasing the curiosity of their student to make them a lifelong learner. Further, instructors are very flexible in terms of their way of teaching and even they provide guidance outside the school.

There are various skills that are necessary for the student in the 21^st century. Some of them are Skills with critical thinking, knowledge of technology, skills of oral presentation, ability to work in a team, skills of written communication, etc. In the classrooms of the 21^st century, students feel good and are very much excited to go to the school with this there is no problem of discipline because all students are ready to learn. In these type of classes, actions are linked to the community, it can be local or global. Students from various schools and countries interact with people with the intention to learn more about the issues that affect everyone, even the solution of those issues for today and for future. There are many factors that are driving changes in education such as globalization, social change, and economic crises.

The process of collaboration and combination among governments, companies, and people of different countries, a process determined by investment and international trade and assisted by information technology is known as Globalization (Levin, 2016). The effects of this process can be seen on the political system and on culture. Along with this effects can be seen in the development of economy and wealth, and on the well-being of human health in society all over the world. In the world, Globalization is considered as necessary development that has changed the modern history. It can be seen that there is a starting of the era and that leads to the changes that are faced by the nation in their cultural, economic and social ways, and it is known that it brings new concepts and values in society with different problems and perceptions for the nation (Bruniges, 2017). Globalization and education are closely related to each other. Education plays important role in shaping a society, therefore, globalization should be linked with education and globalized activities have a deep effect on it. Due to globalization, the focus on subject's internationalization has been enhanced. The opportunities for partnership is also developing due to globalization in teaching and research with different institutions and associations across the world (Ministry of higher education. 2015). In each area, humanity survives a rapid change. Cultural, economic and social values are forced through new challenges. In the education field changes are expected responsibilities of schools is to improve the appropriateness of individual with the globalization concept that leads to change the traditional education structure, it is the key change in universities today and different institutions that are increasing their efforts to provide the response to social change. They have to fulfill society's expectations (Menand, 2013).

Key Factors Driving Change in Education

Variations and changes in the society's social aspects like cultural, economic and political changes are known as social change. These changes can be very slow even it may not be noticed by people, or it can be intense and quick. It is educator’s responsibility to teach the social changes process to children. It provides many benefits to the education today but has some challenges. One of the key benefits of social change for the workforce industry is that it will create many new job opportunities for the graduate students to make their successful career. Media, technology, and communication will create a challenge in education as it divides the society into rich and poor. According to the national survey, there is a decrease in the income of most of the household (Patty, 2017). This results in dividing the society in two ways, where families those are struggling to enhance their living are becoming poorer and on the other side those families who are doing well in their living becoming richer and wealthier. In that condition, education has become a battle for those household who are less fortunate, as they are not capable enough to afford school, college, and university for their children. Therefore, rich people are easily affording extra resources and tutoring education after school, which less fortunate households are not able to afford. This impacts the education of children, learning, and future for a successful career. Therefore, social change must be highlighted and considered with extra efforts by those people with the high authority of maintaining high standards on 21^st-century teaching and learning.

Economic crises are one of the major factors that lead to the changes in education. Higher education is the center point of public debate due to the financial collapse in 2008 and the constant economic crisis. The main criteria of this debate are for a re-justification of the higher education role and changes in its funding from the government. It is very necessary because higher education has changed due to economic crises at the micro and macro levels (Tsiligiris, 2012). The shorter-term impact of economic crises immediately is on the institutional micro level. There is a decrease in the number of student in some programs that are very expensive and those with less job opportunity has made universities managers to reduce the staff members at different levels and justify their program portfolio. This is a common problem in higher education. The economic crisis is considered to be the long-term argument that higher education must be assisted same as other economy services and must be handled with higher accountability and managerial practices. This condition has arisen when neo liberalism ruled policy-making globally. As a result, a policy of higher education has arrived a phase of intense rationalization with an importance on ‘cutting the excess fat’ and ‘balancing the budget’. It shows that economic crises have generated a policy of neo-liberal and management structure in higher education that made the financial burden shift from governments to the student and their families. Therefore, it has been seen that governments are trying to turn public debt and direct funding into indirect funding through loans of student and private debt.

Globalization's Impact on Education

The traditional pedagogy teaching that was taught in school are not able to be gained in real life, such as the context of problem resolving that divides knowing and doing. Students stay without the knowledge of the environment in which they are involved (Koplin & Hui, 2011). That results in incapability of students in linking the actual situation with the theory. It has been said that education has just become a drill. For the failure of student the methods of traditional teaching have been blamed to transfer the gained knowledge into real-life situations (Christmas, 2014). According to some psychologist, behaviorist perception is the one that generates a condition where the learner is an inactive receiver of knowledge. On the other side, Piaget (1974) and Bruner (1972) propose that it is important for a learner to be proactive in learning and learner must be keenly involved in real learning. At the time when learner starts looking the relation between new and prior knowledge then learning becomes active. Authentic learning is the one that makes information meaningful for students. For placing of authentic learning, teachers should create an environment of authentic learning. It is important in the classroom to bring real world for encouraging effective learning (Brown, Collins & Dugund, 1988). According to Newman authentic learning achievements is an intellectual activity that is important, substantial and expressive, like activities are taken by successful adults. The main focus should be on teachers work and on students with this schools should engage their students in a cognitive work of adult world (Eberbach, 2017). Newman pedagogy has been formed of four strands; connections, intense knowledge, higher order of thinking, and practical conversation.

For meeting the demand of the student successfully it is essential to make some changes in the education with time. For students’ success it is very important to maintain their interest in the subjects provided to them by their teachers and help them to know how the knowledge can be applied in the real world. Therefore, it can be recommended that teachers should make some efforts to increase the curiosity of student. Further, they are also recommended to be flexible and should provide materials that can help student outside the boundary of schools. There are various skills needed in the 21^st century for the success such as written presentation, oral communication, etc. There is various intelligence and skills level available that help to achieve these skills and allow students to use multimedia and technology. The Australian curriculum is a prospectus for all schools available all around the world (Australian Curriculum. 2017). It allows students to become more creative and critical thinkers, which makes students think more deeply and broadly with the help of those skills that are important for real life. The subjects that are arranged in this are project based instead of textbook based. It provides students a learning through research and by preparing different projects and books work as a resource that helps students to prepare those projects.

Teaching and learning of 21^st century should be meaningful, for this teachers and schools should provide education which is helpful. If students want to succeed in their life as well as in their career they should be a comfortable and productive member of the global society of 21^st century and to achieve this they need to develop their skills beyond the skills of the 20^th century (Educational origami. 2017). It is needed that traditional approaches to teaching should be shifted to new pedagogy that can help in shifting from theoretical learning that has accumulated useless knowledge. The authentic education provides opportunity to hear the voice of learner, ownership is taken by the learner and responsibility for their own education. While practicing students can make use of these tools in their professional trade. New teaching practices are according to the realities of real life outside the school. Learning is becoming simplified by teachers as they are offering their students to take learning responsibilities of their own. Problems of real life can be solved with creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. To gather information technology is the preferred choice that has the highest association for the planned projects.

In the conclusion, it can be said that education should be useful and this is the responsibility of schools and teachers to provide usable education to students. There must be a shift from traditional pedagogy to progressive approaches that help the student to think critically and they can solve their problems. Teaching and learning in the 21^st century are changing with time now students are not just studying through books but they are applying that theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge. In this essay, three factors have been discussed that affect education and those factors are globalization, social change, and economic crisis.

References:

Australian Curriculum. (2017). New-look Australian Curriculum website launched. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/news/2017/07/new-look-australian-curriculum-website-launched/

Brown, J. S., Collins, A & Dugund, P. (1988). Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

Bruniges, M. (2017). What is driving curriculum reform in Australia? Curriculum and Leadership journal, 3(40).

Christmas, D. (2014). Authentic pedagogy: implications for education. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences, 2(4), 51-57.

Eberbach, L. (2017). Teaching in the 21st Century. Retrieved from: https://lukeeberbach.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/1077260_edu60010_assessment_1_tp1_2014_luke_eberbach_1077260.pdf

Educational origami. (2017). Comparing 20th & 21st Century Educational Paradigms. Retrieved from: https://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Comparing+20th+%26+21st+Century+Education

Koplin, M.R & Hui, C.F. (2011). The implementation of authentic activities for learning: a case study in finance education. E-Journal of Business Education & Scholarship of Teaching, 5(1), 59-72.

Levin, S. (2016). What is Globalization? Retrieved from: https://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization/

Menand, H. (2013). Globalization and education: 21st century instructional practices for urban teachers. Retrieved from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/ecb44af8480b244a452ed16d0c24456c/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Ministry of higher education. (2015). The impact of globalization on education. Retrieved from: https://dspace.univ-tlemcen.dz/bitstream/112/7865/1/snouci-abdelhadi.pdf

Patty, A. (2017). Divide between rich and poor in Australia is growing. Retrieved from: https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/divide-between-rich-and-poor-in-australia-is-growing-20170203-gu5bkw.html

Quin Street. (2017). The Role of Education in the 21st Century. Retrieved from: https://www.teachercertification.org/a/role-of-education-in-the-21st-century.html

Tsiligiris, V. (2012). The impact of the economic crisis on higher education. Retrieved from: https://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120314055536933