21st Century Learning Communities

Communities for Learning

• 21st-century learning is nurtured by certain relationships and communities
• It is important to understand how to create and sustain these relationships and communities

From Isolation to Connection

• Essential for 21st-century learning is a "people network"
• This network includes students, educators, parents, business and civic leaders, and policymakers
• This network represents the human resources of an educational system

Flexible Spaces & Technology

• Flexible spaces and creative uses of time enable productive learning
• Shared work/play opportunities and extensible technologies are important
• These systems are valuable, as long as they support human connections

Learning Community Definition

• A learning community is a group that shares common academic goals and attitudes
• These communities meet regularly to collaborate on classwork

John Dewey's Vision

• John Dewey conceived of schools as "miniature communities" mirroring society
• Schools have often been isolated silos, such as classrooms, teachers, and schools in general

Benefits of Connection

• Positive relationships within and outside an organization help it to fulfill its mission
• Communities can achieve goals impossible through isolated efforts when connected through technology and/or collaborative arrangements

Essential Element of School Communities

• Commitment is needed from every member to learn, including children and adults

Community Support

• 21st-century learning environments both give and get support from families and the local community
• Research shows parental involvement provides important educational advantages

George Lucas Foundation Findings

• Research shows strong home-school connections result in numerous benefits:
• Children perform better in school with parental involvement
• After-school learning promote student achievement
• Youth development programs spur better academic performance
• Integrating community services reduces risk and promotes resilience in children

Accountability: Inside and Out

• Accountability is viewed as a system of external measurement with sanctions for non-performance
• Accountability ensures a school system meets the expectations of external stakeholders
• Internal accountability fosters organizational commitment and innovation
• Internal accountability is fostered within the school and stems from each community member
• Professional values are aligned with personal values to forge a common vision

Professional Learning Communities

• All school members should collaboratively pursue professional knowledge and skills
• They should also take on shared responsibility for student success
• Learning teams engage in reflective practice, collegial inquiry, collaborative work, and innovation
• Schools need to foster new forms of professional relationships

Benefits of Learning Teams

• Educators can refine skills and overcome isolation through supportive learning teams

Professional Partnerships

• Mentoring, coaching, and residencies are 21st-century forms of teacher partnerships
• Partnerships are typically based on the wisdom of apprenticeship
• The National Commission for Teaching and America's Future recommends cross-generational staffing
• Pairing experienced and novice educators can provide support and guidance

Value of Professional Partnerships

• New teachers gain insights from experienced teachers
• Seasoned partners are reenergized by their connection with new teachers

Leadership for Learning

• Educational organizations are growing more diverse and complex
• Good leadership is essential to organize this variety productively
• Key role for 21st century leaders is establishing a culture of shared leadership

Qualities of Successful Leaders

• They establish collegial relationships
• They support constructive change and diversity
• They focus on student learning
• Such leaders provide support for professional communities
• They are "outward looking", seeking ideas and connections outside of the school
• They demonstrate caring for the well-being and development of students and staff

Community Partnerships

• Educational partnerships within the extended community are essential
• Extended partnerships include higher education institutions, the workplace, cultural spheres & civic life
• Schools and higher education work together, but more opportunities exist
• Collaborative work also extends to shared community projects

Benefits of Partnerships

• The greatest benefit comes from positively influencing the future
• Businesses and civic groups come together with a vision for education
• This creates momentum for outcomes for students, parents, schools, and the community

SIAS (Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support)

• Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education (2001) outlines how to correct past imbalances
• Inclusive values and practices overcome barriers hindering systems from meeting the range of learning needs
• SIAS (2014) introduced a process for consistent screening, identification, assessment across the education system

South African Schools Act (Sasa), 1996

• Sasa aims to ensure access to quality education and makes schooling compulsory from ages 7-15
• Sasa provides for independent and public schools
• The Act mandates democratic school governance and provides for school-governing bodies (SGBs)
• School-funding norms outlined in Sasa of 1996 prioritize redress

Legislature and other policies

• The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) was refined in October 2007 to comprise 10 levels
• NCS grades R to 12 replaced the policy document, A Résumé of Industrial Programmes in Schools, Report 550 (89/03)
• The Education White Paper on ECD (2000) provides for the expansion of Grade R education by 2010
• The expansion creates better teacher development for birth to four-year-olds and six- to nine-year-olds
• The Education White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education (2001) describes the DBE's goal to implement inclusive education by 2020
• It aims to facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable learners

Policy and 21st Century Environments

• Policy emerges from needs, opportunities, resources, personalities, and political will
• Policy is an organizing structure and promotes 21st-century learning environments

Policy, Guidance, and Objectives

• Policy acts as a guidance system regulating activities, distributing resources, and setting educational priorities within society
• Policies aimed at the same goals reduce conflict
• The first step to creating good educational policy is articulating what education should accomplish

21st Century Citizen Skills

• Citizens need to think critically and creatively
• Citizens must embrace diversity and ambiguity
• Citizens must consume and also create information
• They need to understand the many languages of modernity
• They need fluency in communication, persuasion, presentations, and self-expression

Technology and Human Learning

• Advances in telecommunications and digital technologies enable much learning
• Policy makers need to build on recent gains in the understanding of human learning
• Effective tools must support human growth and development for adults and children

Re-Designing Schools

• Schools must be re-designed to reach beyond traditional classrooms
• 21st century environments encompass virtual and real-life relationships
• They must allow for a mix of media & devices and varied cultures

Policy and Learning Environments

• Policy must serve to create learning environments that are more inclusive
• Organizations need both supports and challenges to thrive and grow
• Educational policy can balance the learning among the adults who care for them

Policy and Educators

• Educators must access knowledge and tools to support professional and organizational learning
• Educators must be offered the time, space, and tools to foster norms of equity and excellence
• Good leadership is also needed
• Opportunities for sharing expertise and best practices are vital within a community