MAET Blog

Dear Friends,
What exactly is 21st Century Learning? Different people and groups seem to mean different things when they use that phrase. Some see 21st Century Learning as equivalent to integrating new Web 2.0 technologies into the curriculum, while others argue for an increased curricular emphasis on specific skills like creativity and innovation. A google search of the term leads to almost 23 million hits – and a range of options and possibilities for how this term is used and what sub-categories it includes. Regardless of meaning however the focus on 21st Century learning is driven by a belief that the educational demands of this new century require new ways of thinking, teaching and learning.
Recently I (along with graduate student Kristen Kereluik) decided to spend sometime figuring out just what it is that people were saying when they said “21st Century Learning.” [Incidentally some of our MAET students will recognize Kristen as one of their instructors for CEP817 and CEP818 and she will be teaching on-campus this summer.] We selected 10 books and reports and reviewed them with the goal of offering a coherent integrative framework that would help us understand this phrase, 21st Century Learning.
The 10 different documents we reviewed include reports from educational organizations such as the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Center for Public Education, the International Society for Technology in Education and The Partnership for 21st Century Skills; international bodies such as the European Union; business interests such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development & the Metiri Group; individual scholars such as Howard Gardner, and Yong Zhao, popular writers such as Daniel Pink.

We are now ready to provide a “first glimpse” into what has emerged from this line of work. Figure 1 represents the three key areas or categories that emerged. They are Foundational Knowledge, Meta Knowledge, & Humanistic Knowledge.

Foundational knowledge: This category is the answer to the “what” question i.e. “What do students need to know?” The frameworks we reviewed saw this in terms of three key sub-categories: Core Content Knowledge; Information Literacy; and Cross-disciplinary knowledge/ synthetic knowledge.
Meta knowledge: This category is about knowledge of how to work with the foundational knowledge, the process as it were. The three sub-categories under this are: Problem solving / Critical Thinking; Communication / Collaboration; and Creativity / Innovation.
Humanistic Knowledge: This category is about knowledge of the learner’s self and its location in a broader social and global context. The sub-categories include: Life / Job skills; Cultural competence; and Ethical / Emotional Awareness.
So what does all this mean. We think there are two key conclusions that we can draw from our review of this work.
First, nothing has changed.
It is clear that not all of the knowledge and skills are unique and novel to this century. For instance if you look at figure 2, you realize that there is nothing there that would not be regarded as being accurate a hundred or even two hundred years ago! Critical thinking, problem solving, job and life skills, and synthesis have a long history of being closely connected with academic achievement. These skills rather than being novel to the 21st century and necessary for success in the 21st century, are skills that are required for successful learning and achievement in any time, including but not limited to the 21st century. Additionally, interpersonal skills such as communication, collaboration, and ethical awareness/emotional regulation have been integral to successful interpersonal relationships for centuries. So in that sense there is nothing new in these frameworks – in terms of the goals of education.

Second, everything has changed.
Though the overall goals of education haven’t changed – the advent of new technologies and new possibilities of representation, communication and collaboration brought about by new technologies have fundamentally changed what we do as educators and learners. And we do not see this rapid rate of advance of technology changing anytime soon. All three realms of knowledge (foundational, meta, humanistic) are fundamentally different in the 21st century and it is imperative for educators to start thinking of these to develop knowledge and skills to successfully meet the enduring challenges of education.
The work with the TPACK framework (developed right here at Michigan State University) and the changes we are bringing to the MAET program reflect our attempt to provide our students with the most educative experiences for this evolving future.
Thanks for being a part of this.

~ punya (& Kristen)