In my travels and dealings with teachers around Spain and Portugal one of the hot topics right now, especially in relation to teaching teens, is 21st Century Skills. And many teachers are asking how we “old dogs” are supposed to be teaching all these “new tricks”? But could we be getting the question the wrong way around?
Do our digital teens really need new-fangled tricks, or just some old-fashioned wisdom to unlock, organize and make sense of a new information rich world? As with any generational shift, the new challenges the old, but time-honoured traditions can also temper and put into perspective the most radical technological developments.
This fantastic video by Pearson author Kath Stannett really hits the nail on the head. 21st Century Skills are really timeless core human values of applying logic, sharing, and being open and creative in a new digital landscape. Our students crave our experience to make sense of a quick moving and chaotic world. And they have more than a few things to teach us as well! It is all about “leading while being led.”
