21st Century Education: What is it?

As HCA has moved toward greater integration of technology into the educational experience, you have heard a lot about 21st Century literacy, 21st Century skills, 21st Century education, etc.  It is one of the hot buzzwords in education today.  In fact, if you Google ‘21st Century education’, you will get about 131 million results.  A couple of helpful links are found here and here.

In a nutshell, the push toward 21st Century education is an acknowledgement that the traditional educational system was designed in many ways to meet the needs of a industrialized society using the technology available at that time.  However, the needs of a globalized, automated, information based society are quite different, and the technology available to meet those needs is expanding exponentially.  It’s really staggering to consider that the ubiquitous ‘smart phone’ is really a phenomenon that is only 5-6 years old.  The average teen is holding a computer in his hand, connected 24/7, with more computing power than the average desktop 10 years ago.

The competencies (or literacies) required for the 21st Century have inspired lots of discussion.  Daniel Pink in his bestselling book A Whole New Mind identifies six ‘senses’ needed - design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning.  Dr. Howard Gardner from Harvard, often credited with originating the ideas of multiple intelligences, has identified ‘five minds for the future’ - the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creative mind, the respectful, and the ethical mind.  I find the 4 C’s proposed by The Partnership for 21st Century Education helpful - Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication.

How does all this integrate with a Biblical worldview?  First of all, I believe we are called to ‘understand the times’ much as the men of Issachar in OT times. (I Chronicles 12:32).  Certainly the Gospel message is timeless, the same yesterday, today, forever (Hebrews 13:8), but culture and society in which that message is expressed has changed over the decades and centuries.  Second, I find it interesting that each of the 4 C’s can be found in our call to be an expression of the image of God.   Paul’s admonition to be “renewed in our minds” (Rom 12:1) speaks of critical thinking; the call to “subdue the earth” involves creatively using the resources God provides to benefit man (sand becomes a silicon chip which become an iPhone!); the “one anothers” and Paul’s illustration of giftedness in the body in I Corinthians 12 points to collaboration.  Even in the creation of man we see collaboration within the Trinity … and let us make man in our own image; and the very existence of God’s Word, both the written Word and the Living Word, is God’s communication of eternal truth with His creation.

The entire HCA staff is spending this year modeling a 21st century education,  studying these concepts with a critical mind, working creatively and collaboratively to identify the best way to integrate these skills into the classroom, and communicating with one another and the entire HCA family.  This is a critical year as we prepare to launch a 1-1 technology initiative for grades 7-12 and implement an enhanced technology integration component in the elementary grades.