Learning to Live Together

and
Learning to Do
as a 21st Century Teacher

-DAC
 If you mentioned that Learning to Live Together involves the development of social skills
and values such as respect and concern for others, social and interpersonal skills and an
appreciation of the diversity of people, then you are right. On the other hand, Learning to
Do involves the acquisition of skills that would enable individuals to effectively participate
in the global economy and society.
 As a teacher, you are given a special role to play so that your learners will develop the life
and career skills that they need to thrive as productive members of 21st century societies
and beyond. But, before you can develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values
(KSAVs) in your students, you must develop these within yourself. This lesson will be
your first step in achieving this goal.
Lesson Two will discuss how you can equip yourself with KSAVs related to Learning to Live
Together and Learning to Do pillars, which are important in your daily life and in your life as a 21st
century teacher. Under these two pillars are the following life and career skills in the 21st century
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.1) Read the story below,
then answer the questions that follow
 1. If you were Suyen’s teacher, what would you have done?
 2. What advice would you have given to the teacher who ignored Suyen’s request for help?
 3. Are her classmates justified in teasing Suyen? Why/Why not?
 . Did the situation reflect a respect for people’s individual differences? Why/Why not?
 Learning to Live Together in the 21st Century

 As a teacher, you are expected to be an instructional leader in

your school, who, among other things, helps ensure that the
school is a safe and conducive venue for learning. Creating a
safe and comfortable learning environment in schools means
that students feel accepted, respected, and heard. They must also
feel that they have a right to express themselves and be
respected for their opinions and for who and what they are.
 As a 21st century teacher, you are challenged to provide a safe and accepting learning
environment for your students. The diversity inside the classrooms also poses some
difficulties to other students and school personnel. Students may find it difficult to relate
with classmates who come from another country or cultural background, or who may have
different needs, such as Suyen in the story you read earlier. The school staff may also have
concerns in adjusting to the cultural differences of the students. Coming from the
Southeast Asian region, chances are, you live in a community where cultural diversity
exists. The term “cultural diversity” pertains to differences in culture, gender and ethnicity,
race, sex, socioeconomic status, language, religion, ideology, nationality, appearance and
body structure and other characteristics that individuals may have difficulty in adjusting to
when relating with others around them.
 Addressing cultural diversity in schools and in communities is a real challenge in the 21st
century. How does one participate in and cooperate with other people in all human
activities in a multiculturally diverse world? Among the four pillars of education, Learning
to Live Together has been given greater emphasis because this is the very foundation of
education (Delors, 1996). After all, isn’t it one of education’s aims to produce people who
will be able to work and live in environments characterized by peace, tolerance,
understanding, and respect?
two life and career skills related to the pillar,
Learning to Live Together.
 Learning to Live Together — Life and Career Skill
#1: Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
 As a teacher in the 21st century, it is important for you to develop social and cross-cultural skills, described
as the ability to effectively interact with others in diverse groups and situations. How do you develop these
skills within you and how do you, in turn, help equip your students with these same skills?
 Five ways to develop social and cross-cultural skills are
mentioned in the report, Partnership for 21st Century

Skills (2009).
1. Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak.
 2. Conduct oneself in a respectable and professional manner.
 3. Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values.
 4. Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and increase both innovation and quality of work.
 5. Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people from a range of social and cultural
backgrounds.
Let’s Try This
 • Racism - the belief that one’s own cultural or racial heritage is innately
superior to others
 • Sexism- a system of attitudes, actions and instructional structures that
subordinates girls and women on the basis of their sex
 • Heterosexism- negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men
 • Classism – distancing from and perceiving the poor as inferiors.
 • Linguicism- negative attitudes members of dominant language groups
hold against members of non-dominant language groups
 • Ageism- negative attitudes held against the young and the elderly
 • “Looksism” – prejudice against those who do not measure up to set
standards of beauty
 • Religious intolerance – prejudice against those who are followers of
religions other than one’s own