What is 21st Century Learning?

by angeslang

Some Definitions of what 21st Century Learning is/encompasses:

21st Century Learning is about how not what is taught. That is to say that current/previous educational structures or practices need to evolve or reform, challenging the traditional roles of ‘teacher’ (imparting knowledge) and ‘pupil’ (receiving knowledge) so a collaborative approach is used to generate new solutions to complex problems by applying knowledge from a range of different curriculum areas. Source

“A teacher with 21st-century skills and tools is one who can integrate strong communication skills with manageable technology skills”. Source


Leanne – “Schools are expected to prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world. In addition to teaching subject content, schools are expected to develop young people who are information and media literate; critical thinkers and problem solvers; communicators and team players.” Source

“21st century learning refers to the skills, technologies and insights that leading-edge educators, companies and organisations are using to create learning systems that are better suited to the emerging challenges of the 21st century” Source

“Education can dislocate people from their natural talents…human resources, like natural resources, are buried deep. You have to go looking for them beneath the surface and create the circumstances where they reveal themselves.” (Sir Ken Robinson, 2010, “Bring on the Learning Revolution”, TED TALKS.) Robinson (2010) presents 21st century learning as the need for creating an environment that provides the opportunity to explore each individuals’ diversity, talents and abilities. It depends greatly on revolutionising the standardised linear educational model of the past and the customisation of it for the future.

21st century learning is described as something ‘different’ from the practices of the day.  It encompasses an ’emerging cluster of new idea, beliefs, knowledge, theories and practices…’  which exist to different degrees in different situations. Source

Teaching in a way that allows for the different learning capabilities of each child, and avoiding the one-size-fits-all approach. Learning needs to be interactive and adaptable so that students can put what they’re learning into real world contexts and reinforce that learning.

‘Great teachers using digital technology with certified computing skills will be the most powerful educators of the 21st century’. Source

“What is 21st Century Learning? It is bold.  It breaks the mold.  It is flexible, creative, challenging, and complex.  It addresses a rapidly changing world filled with fantastic new problems as well as exciting new possibilities.” Source