EMPOWERING STUDENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE ROLE OF MODERN EDUCATORS

JHOANA MAE G. MANGULABNAN

There are lots of changes that happened in our society. From the emergence of mobile phones, computers, and other smart devices. Our world is now facing our modern digital era. As educators we must adapt to these advances. We must be flexible and open-minded to meet the needs of our diverse learners. Our class isn’t just revolving in the four corners of our classroom, we can now use different gadgets and methods to pique the interest of our learners. As modern educator part of our job is to create a positive learning environment for our learners. But how can we do that? According to Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory, each learners has their own abilities and innate skills, whether it is in music, communication, arts, dance, and others. We as teachers must think of ways to evaluate each of our learners, to see how we can help them learn faster and what methods should we use to use their interest as our way to teach them our lessons. Embracing and acknowledging these differences will help us to create a more meaningful learning experience for our learners. Being educator doesn’t stop in just about knowing what learning style each of our learners do have but also finding ways on how we can incorporate the different technologies available in our society. As we all know children nowadays are more knowledgeable to the use of different technologies present at their home. Computers, smart TV, and tablets hold their attention longer than reading a book. So as teachers utilizing this technology will help us teachers in grabbing the attention of our learners. Making gamified quizzes and activities will make them feel that learning can be fun and exciting too. There are lots of tools to choose from such as interactive whiteboard, gamified quiz generators, name pickers and other online platforms that are free and are easy to use. Schools are not just about books and lectures but a good avenue to create personalized learning, enhance the creativity and make connections in modern ways. Beyond academics one our most crucial job as a teacher to help our learners develop their emotional and social skills. It is said that we teachers, serves as a second parent of our learners in school. Creating a classroom environment where students feel valued, respected, and included is essential for their overall well-being and success. By fostering positive relationships and cultivating empathy and respect, teachers help students not only excel academically but also succeed emotionally and socially. Learners will have solid emotional foundation that they can use later with their life. Having a strong emotional and social skills will help them navigate through the different challenges that they might face in the future. In conclusion, modern teachers have a great responsibility to nurture 21st century learners not just academically but including their mental, emotional, social and their physical capacity for them to thrive in this ever-changing world. We surely don’t know what the future holds for us and our learners. So, we must prepare each of our learners thoroughly for the challenges that they might face ahead.