E.+Obstacles

What are some some obstacles that make the 21st Century change difficult?

Through my 21st century experience thus far, I find there are several obstacles that stand out as significant. One of the main obstacles that I find particularly difficult to get beyond is the balance between covering the breadth of the curriculum versus teaching learning skills that go beyond the curriculum. Incorporation of teaching methods like inquiry and project based lessons takes more time. I find that the kids are very capable but, they are not accustomed to these learning styles. Due to their minimal exposure to discovery learning I find that they take significantly longer to get into the role of the discoverer. If we continue to increase the frequency with which we use these teaching/learning styles, I believe that the depth or the breadth of the content we cover in a given course will have to be cut down. The aspect that perplexes me is that the kids learn how to develop a deeper understanding of a concept when we employ these methods.I also think that our ambitious combination of CFF and On Line Learning (OLL) is not allowing us to fully explore the possibilities of 21st century learning experience. This is partly due to the late implementation of the technology and partly due to the lack of self motivation of students to dive in and tackle new learning experiences. There is also a reluctance among our colleagues to accept that there are various ways to get our students to learn a concept. The final obstacle that I observe making the change difficult is the reliability of our network. Most of the inquiry and project based lessons incorporate technology into the lesson. If our equipment impedes delivery of a fantastic lesson then what good is a lesson that cannot be delivered?

E. Some obstacles that make 21st century change difficult are (but not limited to) institution and individual resistance, the culture of “high stakes” testing, and the inherent systemic structure of the contemporary school. Change can be uncomfortable. Individuals establish patterns of behavior and routines which may become fixed over time. Moving out of these comfort zones may result in anxiety, which might result in resistance to change. Individuals must perceive a value in change i.e. How will it improve instruction and student outcomes?. Effective change will not occur unless all stakeholders “buy into” the process. The culture of “high stakes” testing plays a similar role. Changing instructional strategies may affect test scores in an unknown fashion. Since administrators and faculty have a vested interest in maintaining or improving standardized test scores, fear of the unknown – change – leads to resistance to change. Finally, the systemic structure of the school may play a fundamental role in impeding the process of transitioning to 21st century instruction. Can we implement substantive change within a 19th/20th century systemic paradigm? Do we need to thoroughly restructure not only what and how we teach, but also where and when we teach? Our current school structure is based upon a 19th/20th century needs model. To move forward, will require an extensive revision of what constitutes a school.