Running head: REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 1

Reflection for Educating 21st Learners

Ebone J. Bonham

The University of Houston

Professional Seminar II
 REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 2

It is 2020 and we are now in a new decade promising changes in technology, medicine,

pop culture, and entertainment. However, according to Grant Litchman (2013), our educational

system has been rather industrial for decades, focusing on the following characteristics:

contained, controlled, predictable, scalable, repeatable, and measureable (TEDx Talks). Our

educational policies and the content given for professional development are slow moving with

changes to improve child outcomes in literacy and other learning areas. Despite the findings

innovators like John Dewey, Maria Montessori, and Francis Wayland Parker have preached, our

instruction and methods resemble the teachings our grandparents received when they were in

grade school. As effective teachers and teacher leaders, we need to ensure we are striving for and

promoting professional learning for continuous improvement (Teacher Leader Model Standards,

p. 16, 2008). There are many educators in the field working to make the necessary changes to

provide great learning experiences to students. Now, it is time to get other teachers and

individuals within the community onboard with professional learning and improvements in

instruction.

Regardless of age group, one of the several challenges teacher face now in the classroom

maintaining the children’s engagement during instruction time. Several of the teachers and

directors I work with are desperate for a toolbox of methods, strategies, and activities they can

implement to support their students’ learning while keeping each child’s focus. One of the many

tips I provide to teachers is building rapport with their children and discovering their interests. In

addition, children should play at school and be given opportunities to choose. There should be a

balance of child-directed and teacher-directed activities. According to Paley (2004, 2010),

“young children bring an energy and enthusiasm to their play that not only seems to drive

development” (Play at the Center of the Curriculum, p. 6). Children are more ready to learn
 REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 3

when they are comfortable in their environment. A teacher’s interactions with children and

mannerisms sets the tone for the classroom. Instead of silencing children by telling them to

“catch a bubble”, I stress teachers to ask open-ended questions and to fill every instance of

interaction with conversation. Change is imminent and necessary, and in every case, the teacher

will give me a reason why this change is difficult and impossible. Lichtman said it best in that

teachers find change “messy, complicated, and uncomfortable” (TEDx Talks, 2013). As adults,

we have to get beyond the uncomfortable and always recognize that the child is at the center of

their learning. Our children will have the tools they need to be successful in society if they are

able to problem solve and use their critical-thinking skills. As educators, we have to let go of

those anchors that convince us we have to control our students’ educational experiences

(Lichtman, TEDx Talks, 2013). We should encourage children to ask questions, explore, and

reflect during instruction time, free play, and other times of the day.

In addition, child-care directors and administrators need to be open to change and support

their staff and teachers when they are trying new methods in the classroom. Classmate Shaun

Degracia mentioned that many teachers fear repercussions from management if they give the

children control in making choices and creating more movement in the classroom (Blackboard

Cohort 1 Discussion Board, 2020). Like children, teachers are learning. The best way some learn

is from failed attempts, and those in roles of leadership should give educators the space they

need to grow as individuals and as effective teachers.

At two of my daycare centers, I am currently conducting assessments on children to

determine the number of letters they can name and letter sounds they can recognize and produce.

During my next meeting with the teachers, I will give the teachers the opportunity to reflect

when I share the results of the assessment. Together as a team, we will determine which
 REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 4

strategies and activities to implement to ensure the children who struggle with letter-sound

recognition get the support they need. Funny enough, this intervention aligns with the second

function listed for Domain IV: Facilitating Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning.

However, working on my skills as a teacher leader in this domain will most likely never end,

because educational systems and best practices are always changing. Lichtman states that

educators have to be willing to teach the unknown and self-evolve (TEDx Talks, 2013). As a

teacher leader, I also need to grow and become more knowledgeable in methods supported by

evidence-based research. We have the roles of educators and teacher leaders, but we are forever

learners! Then, I will be more equipped to advance my colleagues and mentees instructional

practice skills and current on teaching processes. As of right now, because of time constraints

and other facts, I have pulled away from offering training sessions to teachers and directors.

However, like classmate Leander Taylor, I will make every effort to volunteer more trainings

and other professional development opportunities, instead of waiting for teachers and directors to

request this type of support (Blackboard Cohort 1 Discussion Board, 2020).

Jeff Edmondson (2010) gave a TEDx Talks session on the importance of collecting data

to improve child outcomes. The clip captured is interesting and, I believe, will get the attention

of beginner teachers and seasoned teachers not conducting formative and summative assessments

on their students. Edmondson (2010) quoted Henry Ford, whom stated, “If you don’t measure it,

you won’t improve it”. In so many words, this is exactly a topic in the discussions I have with

teachers who are not assessing their children at the beginning of the school year and throughout

the school year. Another discovery I have made is that many financially stable daycare centers

have purchased curriculums from companies, like FrogStreet and Teaching Strategies, but they

do not take into account the information their children already know and what skills they still
 REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 5

need to master. The teachers are blindly following a scripted curriculum outline and cookie-

cutter activity cards. These are quality companies and curriculum sets, but not every child learns

the same or comes into the classroom knowing the same information. Lately, the agency I work

for, Collaborative for Children, has really pushed our directors and teachers conduct formal

baseline assessments, observations, and anecdotal notes to track their students’ learning. From

the data collected, the consultants in the agency encourage child-care providers to refer to the

Texas Pre-K Guidelines when developing lesson plans and implementing its activities in large

and small groups.

Ongoing professional development in our line of work is crucial. All individuals within

the community need to take the next steps to get our children where they need to be to be

successful in school and society. We need to strive to have great learning occur in all our

classrooms by eliminating the anchors, dams, and silos Lichtman identified teachers have in the

current educational model (TEDx Talks, 2013). To achieve these goals of professional

development and curriculum improvement, educators must embrace the “uncomfortable”

changes and start addressing their students’ learning needs. More schools will have innovative,

self-evolving learners equipped with skills to handle any challenge they face.
 REFLECTION FOR EDUCATING 21ST LEARNERS 6

References

(2010, November 29). Retrieved February 4, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=FLqc_9VxfCE

“Looking at Play Through Teachers’ Eyes.” Play at the Center of the Curriculum, by Van Hoorn

Judith Lieberman et al., 6th ed., Pearson Higher Education, 2015, p. 6.

“Teacher Leader Model Standards.” Educational Testing Service, Teacher Leadership

Exploratory Consortium, May 2008,

www.ets.org/s/education_topics/teaching_quality/pdf/teacher_leader_model_standards.p

df.

What 60 Schools Can Tell Us About Teaching 21st Century Skills. (2013). Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g&feature=emb_logo