Describe the 21st Century Work Place and the 21st Century Learner.

How do they
differ with the classical work place and learner.

I must say that there is A DRAMATIC SHIFT in the 21st century work place and
the learner. It seems that the classical ways has been gradually rubbed out in various
educational institutions. The learners manifest incredible and amazing skills which the
former generation never had. Well, most of them are fast learners. We could just
imagine a toddler exploring android phones, watching video games and nursery
rhymes by himself. A preschoolers can already navigate an iPod Touch watching
videos and images better than we can. A schoolage texting, chatting, and exploring
software applications installed in the gadget. And most of the early adolescent
learners already have an Internet following on their facebook, blog or youtube
channel. Indeed, today’s schools are changing and the incorporation of digital
advances into the classroom was inevitable and necessary. Classrooms have diverse
learning equipment with highly innovative and advanced technologies such as
installed smart televisions, varied dimensional laboratories, LCD projectors, Smart
tables, laptops, tablets, phones, digital textbooks, high definition cameras, audio
enhancement, control centers, and networked learning. Indeed, technology is a driving
force in education today and this is how educators teaches students for their future.
Nowadays, education must utilize the most advanced tools and techniques available
that allows for greater differentiation, individualized learning, real world integration,
and varied assessments of the learners.

Education is at the learners’ fingertips. The classic interactive whiteboard is no

longer enough and this may suggest that there must be a shift in the mindset of the
educators, parents, and students. These 21st century learners often have a quick access
to all new cutting edge knowledge that enable them to have holistic learning through
advance technologies. However, the challenge for the educators of the Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) would be, how to bring out the potentials of the learners
by fusing the four (4) essential elements in learning: developing the critical thinking,
creativity, communication, and collaboration of the learner through the use of
technology? And How could we use this as an efficient and effective tool for
learning?

According to Beyond the Three Rs (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009):
“Voters are clear: We are living in a different era that requires new thinking in our
approach to educating our youth. 80 percent of voters say the things students need to
learn today are different than 20 years ago. Six in 10 voters say our schools are not
keeping pace with changing educational needs (p. 1).” The partnership—an
internationally recognized organization whose aim is “to help students master the
multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st Century” (p. 1)—stresses the
need for every student to acquire the ability to:Think creatively and work creatively
with others; • Reason effectively; • Make judgments and decisions; • Solve problems;
• Access, evaluate, use, and manage information; • Adapt to change and be flexible; •
Manage goals and time, work independently, and be self-directed learners; and •
Manage projects and produce results (Partnership for 21st Century Skills 2008, pp. 3–
7)

The 21st-century workplace requires individuals to be flexible, creative,

self-directed, and self-managing (National Center on Education and the Economy,
2007; Kazis, Pennington & Conklin, 2003). According to these research studies,
modern workers must be prepared to be effective in independent planning. They must
also be well organized and manage time wisely—particularly when confronted with
the challenges of potential information overload and the technological revolution that
is transforming our collective approach to communication (Gerwitz, 2007).

Whereas, According to Christopher Perrin (2018) classical education is effective.

It is largely because of its approach to how and when students are taught. Regardless
of their learning style, children learn in three phases or stages (grammar, logic or
dialectic, and rhetoric), known as the trivium. In the grammar stage (K–6), students
are naturally adept at memorizing through songs, chants, and rhymes. If you can get
children in this stage to sing or chant something, they will remember it for a lifetime.
In the dialectic or logic stage (grades 7–9), teenaged students are naturally more
argumentative and begin to question authority and facts. They want to know the
“why” of something—the logic behind it. During this stage, students learn reasoning,
informal and formal logic, and how to argue with wisdom and eloquence. The rhetoric
stage (grades 10–12) is naturally when students become independent thinkers and
communicators. They study and practice rhetoric, which is the art of persuasive
speaking and effective writing that pleases and delights the listener. Again, it is this
approach to teaching students based on their developmental stage that makes this
approach so very effective.(Perrin, C., 2018)

Perrin also reiterated that it is precisely this kind of education that has produced
countless great leaders, inventors, scientists, writers, philosophers, theologians,
physicians, lawyers, artists, and musicians over the centuries. Classical education
never really disappeared, but it did diminish starting around 1900 with the advent of
progressive education. In an effort to restore this most proven form of education, the
K–12 liberal arts tradition has been being renewed and expanded again over the last
thirty years.

References:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). Beyond the three Rs: Voter attitudes
toward 21st century skills. www.21stcenturyskills.org.
National Center on Education and the Economy. (2007). Tough choices or tough
times: The report of the new commission on the skills of the American
workforce. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kazis, R., Pennington, H., & Conklin, K.D. (2003). Ready for tomorrow:
Helping all students achieve secondary and postsecondary success—A guide
for governors. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices.
Gewertz, C. (2007). Soft skills in big demand. In Ready for what? Preparing
students for college, careers, and life after high school. Ed Week, June 12.
Perrin, C, (2018). Classical Academic Press. What is classical education. Retrived
from https://classicalacademicpress.com/what-is-classical-education/