Bridging the generation gap
SCHOOLS PUT 21ST-CENTURY SPIN ON CLASSIC CURRICULUM
A common challenge for any school today is bridging the gap between a core curriculum and meeting the rapidly changing learning needs of a new generation of students.
“A lot of the core curriculum has not changed that much,” says Dr. Leanne Foster, head of school, Trafalgar Castle School in Whitby, an independent day and boarding school for girls grades 4 through 12.
“But what is important for parents to understand is that the curriculum is just the ‘what’. What is changing — and is much more important — is the ‘how’ we are creating learners who are critical thinkers.”
Educators and consultants often refer to the term 21st-century learners. But Foster prefers to use the phrase ‘future readiness’. “That is, emphasizing critical thinking, collaboration, teamwork and strong communications skills — all things that should not be lost in spite of technology. It’s quite remarkable what even the youngest students can do when asked to problem solve and think critically.”
Trafalgar Castle School has a number of programs that are instilling those skills. A particular point of pride is their robotics program, which starts with LEGO Robotics for the younger girls and moves on to the marine advanced technology education (MATE) program in later years.
The program encompasses multiple facets of learning, from coding and teamwork to project management, Foster explains. “It’s not just about building the best robotics feature. It’s about solving real-world-based challenges, like a marine device that can help with oil spills or recovery of artifacts. They’re not only required to look at science and technology but also build a business case, understand marketing and costing, and apply it.”
Robert Martellacci is president and co-founder of C21 Canada in Toronto, an agency that works with stakeholders in education to support innovation and change leadership. C21 has developed the seven Cs of necessary global competencies in the 21st century: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, character, cultural and ethical citizenship, and computer and digital technologies.
“For a lot of kids today, communication skills are really poor,” he says. “But at the same time, younger kids have acquired advanced skills in areas such as social media and design and are very resourceful. The challenge we are seeing is that systems don’t move as fast as kids do.”
A number of schools are putting creative effort into integrating the skill sets needed through cross-curricular approaches, or project-based and experiential learning. Private schools to some extent have a leg up because they can be more nimble and access to funding, Martellacci says. “At conferences private school leaders always want to know the latest and greatest trends having an impact on the future of learning,”
Crescent School all-boys school in Toronto is continually adapting its curriculum offerings to suit modern-world thinking. Richard Prosser, assistant head of upper school, for example, introduced a leadership and peer support course in answer to the demand for 21st-century literacy skills that universities and employers say they value.
“Surveys show that these groups want collaborative, adaptable, creative thinkers who will be positive leaders within their communities.”
Geared to grades 10 and 11 students, the course focuses on human centre design thinking or empathetic problem-solving. “A lot of that is problem-solving using methods outside their comfort zones. In design thinking, we say ‘here is the problem, here are the people impacted by it, and what is a solution?’ ”
As part of the program, students are asked to work with outside community partners and people deeply affected by a problem, he adds. “It’s not about keeping learning within the four walls of the school. It’s about helping them tap into a life experience and focusing on others’ needs. By the time these students go through a project cycle, their empathy skills expand astronomically.”
Geoff Green, upper school teacher at Crescent School, was responsible for developing a new environment and resource management course that ties in with the geography curriculum. “Understanding what’s going on with the environment is vital learning for every student,” he contends. “It will dominate everyone’s agenda more and more. We need people that are going to find solutions for it.”
The key, he says, is tying their studies into something that is empowering and allows them to feel like they can make a change.
An important part is empowering older students to engage younger students, in order to create a culture within the school.
Adding a modern perspective to classic subjects is critical today, Foster says.
“When we think of things like math, what we are really looking at is instructional practices,” he says. “What students need increasingly is the ability to discern good facts from bad, and to apply that knowledge in novel and new ways. That’s where most schools and the future of the curriculum is going.”
It is important for parents to understand that the curriculum is just the ‘what’. What is changing ... is ‘how’ we create learners who are critical thinkers