As part of my series of posts on Learning Without Limits (my new district's mantra this year), I am starting with the first of four main concepts: solving complex problems. We often hear of 21st century teaching and learning in many different ways: we think of things like the framework for 21st century learning, which gives us a look into what our students will need to do in their future to be successful. That framework, like many others, centers around problem-solving. In order to solve complex problems, today's youth will need access to a variety of resources, including their own ability to think creatively and approach the problem from many angles. "Thinking outside the box" is no longer enough to challenge the status quo.
Our students needs these 21st century skills to solve problems we never had to- in ways we never could have imagined. When thinking of the future, visions of both terror and grandeur occupy the same space. What impact will we have on it? Is our civilization headed towards greatness, or are we going to collapse under the burden of all this new "stuff?" Our reaction to that very question will determine how our students are shaped. Like any other animals, humans learn best by observing others. Behaviors are taught, not innate- this means we have to teach students how to use all this new "stuff" (even though they know more about it than we do). John F. Kennedy said it best: "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
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