Our 21st
century education vs Traditional
education
Here is a brief comparison of the features of traditional education and innovative education models:
Traditional education
-
21st century education
- Student as subject of teaching
- Student as agent in own learning
- Content, information and basic skills
- Competencies, life skills and mindsets
- Focus on mind
- Focus on whole person (mind, body, emotions, spirit)
- Definition of success: college-ready
- Definition of success: life-ready
- All students learn at the same time the same thing
- Personalized and self-paced
- Theoretical, abstract
- Authentic, impact in the world
- Assessment of knowledge through grades and standardized tests.
- Assessment of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) through qualitative and quantitative assessments
- Classrooms and fixed furniture (walls and rows)
- Innovative learning spaces, open and flexible
- Silos (‘classrooms’, ‘age groups’)
- Open and flexible grouping (interest, level, project)
- Technology limited or banned
- Technology integrated and blended models
- Teacher as leader and authoritarian
- Teacher as facilitator and coach
- Micromanaged, teacher in control
- Collaborative, trusted classrooms
- Parents as guardians of homework
- Parents involved in learning, school as a learning community
