understanding versus knowledge

Within the educational field, knowledge and conceptual understanding have mostly benefited from rehabilitation. Therefore, it is crucially important to take them into account more carefully while assessing the institutional demands of the 21st century. Today, pedagogical and curriculum components help institutions address the different requirements of their students while also proving that they are receiving a good education (Saravia-Shore, 2017). Students must also receive support in developing their mastery of skills and ensure that they are applicable to the elements of the 21st century curriculum requirements if they are to thrive in college, their careers, and throughout their entire lives. In addition to durability and transferability while teaching, this working paper outlines various ways in which our targeted understandings might be applied to the curricular requirements of the twenty-first century. The partnership of the 21st century (P21) established five guides for greater pedagogical goals. Assessment, Standards, learning environments, professional development, and instruction not only support educators in teaching, but also help learners in developing a cognitive, emotional and an academic competency they need to succeed in the 21st century (“Framework for 21st Century Learning - P21”, 2017). However, although not all states can adopt the discussed recommendations, it is anticipated that each way can help to jumpstart the necessary efforts needed to produce an able student and a successful citizen at the end.

Foremost, the respective institutions must ensure that the to-use curricula are designed in a manner that will yield understanding and practical application of the 21st-century educational requirements. Alongside the curricula, appropriate models for learning activities should also be developed with the aim of accomplishing nothing less, but the desired outcomes. Furthermore, as students and teacher work in innovative and high-tech environments today, they need to apprehend the binding commitments to implement a rigorous and relevant curriculum with equivalent technological skills and standards (Andrade, 2016, p. 143.

Secondly, institutions should design curriculum-based and performance-embedded assessments that are not only integrated but also aligned with the state’s accountability system (Andrade, 2016, p. 144). In fact, they must initiate meaningful partnerships with the major stakeholders and content developers to guarantee a broad range of instructional products that fulfill the 21st-century expectations. On such note, New Jersey, for instance, is collaborating with some associations in contractual terms to establish a curriculum that integrates 21st-century skills in each content area (“New Jersey Student Learning Standards,” 2017). As a consequence, it promotes students’ understanding as per the current curricula provisions.

Institutions must also deliver lessons that connect essential concepts that learners need to know or do. As such, it means that teachers must avoid training irrelevant facts, which inhibit the competency of students’ problem solving and critical thinking. Furthermore, educators must apply the ”teach to understand principles” which are guided towards interpretation, explanation, and independent application (Andrade, 2016, p.146). On the same effect, instructors need to ensure that learners are exposed to the real world opportunities, which demonstrate their mastery skill of the 21st-century curriculum expectations.

Finally, educationalists must commit to meeting the needs of each student as per the requirement of the 21st century (Andrade, 2016, p. 144-145). Nonetheless, to achieve such, it requires them to connect the curriculum with the students’ experiences and knowledge. They must also help learners to expand their mastery skills and abilities systematically to promote their understandings.

References

Andrade, M. (2016). Curricular Elements for Learner Success—21st Century Skills. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 4 (8), 143-146. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v4i8.1743

Framework for 21st Century Learning - P21. (2017). P21.org. Retrieved 8 February 2017, from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

New Jersey Student Learning Standards. (2017). State.nj.us. Retrieved 8 February 2017, from http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/

Saravia-Shore, M. (2017). Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners. Ascd.org. Retrieved 8 February 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx