STUDENTS WANT FAST AND FUN INFO
TODAY’S schoolchildren are different. They have changed drastically in terms of language, style and clothing. One of the reasons is the rapid dissemination of information through technology.
They grow up with smartphones, computer gadgets and the Internet. They send texts through Twitter, Instagram, email, Telegram and WhatsApp.
These digital natives are bored if teachers conduct lessons without computer gadgets.
Digital natives are used to receiving information fast. They prefer graphics to text. They network intensely, multitask and learn things in a fun way .
The question is, how do teachers, who are digital immigrants, teach such students?
As educators, we have to adopt teaching materials and methodologies that suit students’ needs.
To compel them to learn the way we did is a sure sign of failure in teaching and learning.
The 21st-century teaching and learning emphasise the 4 Cs — communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
Teachers need to integrate the 4Cs into their teaching materials and methodologies.
The chalk-and-talk method no longer works for digital natives. They want the classroom to be a challenging and interesting experience.
Alvin Toffler, the American futurist and businessman, said: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Effective 21st-century teachers should be able to teach digital natives to learn, unlearn and relearn, despite being digital immigrants.