What we get wrong about 21st century learning

by | Tuesday, December 13, 2016

21stcenturylearning-synthesis-color
Click on diagram to download a hi-res version

Back in 2013 we proposed a framework for 21st century learning based on a synthesis of a range of reports, books, and articles (Kereluik, Mishra, Fahnoe & Terry, 2013 & diagram above). That article however was relatively abstract and what was unclear was whether this framework was consistent with what educator really think. This article provides the results of a survey on what educators think about 21st century learning. The results are thought-provoking—and we argue in some senses deeply misguided. We identify are three key myths about 21st century learning and suggest that these emerge as a consequence of an unreflective emphasis on the power of technology to access information as well as a fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of learning and the broader goals and purposes of education. Complete reference, pdf of article and abstract below.

Mishra, P. & Mehta, R.  (2017). What We Educators Get Wrong About 21st-Century Learning: Results of a Survey. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 33:1, 6-19
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2016.1242392

Abstract: Twenty-first-century learning and how it differs from prior conceptions of learning have received significant attention lately. Kereluik, Mishra, Fahnoe, and Terry (2013) offered a synthesis of multiple expert frame- works and perspectives on 21st century learning, summarizing them in nine forms of knowledge (under three broad categories: foundational, humanistic, and meta). Using this framework, in this study, 518 practicing educators completed a survey on their beliefs about 21st-century learning, allowing us to compare practitioners’ perspectives to that of the experts. Our analyses indicate that, in contrast to the expert view as Kereluik et al. synthesized, which equally valued all the categories, survey participants ranked creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking (meta-knowledge) and digital/information and communication technology (ICT) literacy (one component of foundational knowledge) as being most important. Life/job skills, ethical/ emotional awareness, and cultural competence (humanistic knowledge) were ranked lower, while disciplinary and cross-disciplinary knowledge (two components of foundational knowledge) were regarded as being least important. Though these results are consistent with some popular views about 21st-century learning, we argue that this reduced emphasis on foundational and humanistic knowledge is misguided. It is, we suggest, the consequence of an unreflective emphasis on the power of technology to access information and a fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of learning and the broader goals and purposes of education. Finally, we highlight three myths about learning in the 21st century and offer recommendations to address these myths.

A few randomly selected blog posts…

Arizona in black & white

Arizona in black & white

Over the past two years in Arizona I have had the opportunity to indulge in my love for photography. Recently I felt the need to play with Adobe Sparks - and what better way to learn a new tool than to use it to create a photo album. Enjoy.

APA & Torture

I had written previously (here and here) about the American Psychological Association's long connection with torture and other coercive information gathering techniques. I am still bothered by it. Today's NYTimes has a op-ed by Stanley Fish (titled Psychology and...

TPACK newsletter #31,

TPACK newsletter #31,

The latest version of the TPACK newsletter (#31) can be found here December 2016 (pdf). All previous issues are archived here. A shout-out to Judi Harris for all the work that goes into this. As I had said in a previous post, based on Judi's...

MSU Technology Showcase: The Usual Suspects

I have been invited by Patrick Dickson, Byron Brown and Jon Sticklen to offer a lowkeynote address (note emphasis on lowkey!) for MSU's Second Annual Faculty Technology Showcase (more details here). I have created a small presentation to go with my lowkeynote, slides...

East Lansing in the NYTimes

Olivia Judson has a great column in the NYTimes about evolution. Today's column titled "Stop the mutants" is a thought experiment on how evolution would fare if all mutations were to magically stop. It is an interesting article, and in keeping with her previous...

McLuhan on Silver Lining for Learning (5/3)

McLuhan on Silver Lining for Learning (5/3)

This is the fifth of what was supposed to be a three post-series about how media influence our thinking. The first post, uses the invention of writing and print to unpack the meaning of McLuhan’s statement, “The medium is the message.” The second post, focuses on a...

3 pieces of wisdom, one muddled conclusion

Just came up with this in response to something Leigh had said on Facebook... thought it ought to be saved for the future: Great fools think that birds of a feather seldom differ together! I wonder what it means? Can you identify the three nuggets of wisdom that went...

The mysterious pentagon

There are interesting patterns all around us. Here is one I found the other day. We were boiling lentils in a shallow bowl... and then, out of nowhere emerged an almost perfect pentagon! The almost perfect pentagon that showed up on the surface of the boiling lentils!...

Perspective Taking on creativity with Vlad Glaveanu

Perspective Taking on creativity with Vlad Glaveanu

Dr. Vlad Glaveanu, is Head of the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Webster University, Geneva; Associate Professor at Bergen University, and Director of the Webster Center for Creativity and Innovation. He co-edits the book series Palgrave Studies in...

2 Comments

  1. Matt Townsley

    Hey Punya. Thank you for sharing this article on your blog. I enjoy the opportunity to download and read your writing, whether it’s TPACK or creativity. I was especially drawn to the statements, “Information does not equate to knowledge. Also, as teachers and teacher educators, we need to be careful when we start considering technology as a replacement for experts in the classroom” (p. 14). Looking beyond one “miracle cure” keeps me going as a central office administrator with curriculum and technology responsibilities. I appreciate your willingness to disseminate these articles for others to read in a public space.

    Reply
    • Punya Mishra

      Thanks Matt. Glad you liked the article. This was one that I had been wanting to write for a long time. Glad to finally get it out there.

      Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Better late than never, 21st century learning: New article – Punya Mishra's Web - […] for a broader audience. Of course the more academic versions of the article can be found here and here.…
  2. Technology Review: LinkedIn – Pamela Wegener Blog - […] need to develop strong digital literacy skills to be competitive in the 21st Century workplace. Mishra (2017) conducted a…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *