21st-Century Teaching & Learning

Education is poised for major new reforms through the vision of Education Secretary Duncan and new federal funding of the federal stimulus plus the Race for the Top federal program.

Many other reform initiatives will be part of the upcoming innovative reincarnation of No Child Left Behind. The development of educational technology, and its increasing use in schools, is making possible a revolution in how teachers teach and how students learn.

Among the many new tools and content sources now available to students and teachers are curriculum- and standards-aligned digital research libraries, interactive whiteboards, online courses, student tools for working with digital information and presenting ideas, teacher and student blogs for sharing ideas and information, interactive simulations that provide visual reinforcement of abstract ideas, and online formative assessment and instant feedback.

Perhaps the most important application of technology is to help teachers differentiate instruction for challenged, mainstream, and advanced learners.

Ongoing scientific research on learning demonstrates that students achieve at higher levels when teachers and students have daily access to these elements of differentiated instruction:

• Quick and easy access to a wide variety of relevant learning resources and media types for both historic and current topics that students can read and understand.
• Learning assignment formats that focus on topics/issues (PPT model) that are relevant to students' lives and interests.
• Tools that help student organize, analyze, and synthesize information quickly for problem solving and critical thinking.
• A variety of models (PPT), strategies, and assessment criteria that students can use to create and demonstrate what they have learned to a variety of audiences.

Assign students to open a special, free eLibrary BookCart learning activity: 21st Century Teaching and Learning.

BookCart learning activities provide a one-stop solution for teachers and students to research any topic/issue. Teachers can copy this ProQuest model and edit it quickly to (a) add a more current or local resource, (b) edit existing student directions, (c) list print resources, (d) add an optional quiz, and (e) add or substitute existing essential questions for critical thinking for students to address.

Teachers or librarians can copy and adapt this BookCart model and hundreds of other ProQuest models from ProQuest Carts collection.

• Logon to the eLibrary CE Teacher Edition.
• Click the BookCart Admin link at the top-right of the CE Teacher Edition.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
• Type 21st Century Teaching and Learning in the Search box to locate it quickly.
• Click the Copy icon in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Click Return to My Local Carts.

This BookCart already includes all the information that a student needs to complete the assignment. But, teachers can edit it to tailor it for their students.

To edit each CourseCart for your students to use:

• Click the first new BookCart Title with the prefix "Copy of."
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your email.
• Optional: Edit the existing directions or add learning standard benchmarks for your students to use in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Scroll down and click Save.
• Return to My Local Carts.

Assign students to learn more about famous philosophers, authors, and educators who wrote about their theories on how people learn and the best ways to educate them.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) on one of the following educational philosophers: Aristotle; Confucius; John Dewey; Albert Einstein; Sigmund Freud; John Locke; Michel de Montaigne; Friedrich Nietzsche; Plato; Jean Jacques Rousseau; Booker T. Washington; and you can add or substitute others who have had a variety of their works published.

Students should explain the philosophy of education that this person proposed, how that is integrated into education they experience today (or not integrated), and their personal opinion of the value of that philosophy to teaching and learning.

Type the name of the assigned philosopher/educator in the Quick Search box. Click Search.

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Assign students to create a report on the history of education in the United States. The report should be at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) that cites at least three resources from History Study Center.

Students should select three significant events in the history of education in the Unities States, describe what happened, and tell why they selected these events as being most important.

Click the Study Units icon > Type history of education in the Keywords Search box > Click Education in the United States.

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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