Overview

Are you looking to inspire educational change?

This book supports teachers and educational leaders in their efforts to navigate the diverse opportunities and challenges of current reform initiatives.

Leading educational change for a 21^st century world involves a focus on three important shifts involving nine core ideas:

• Shift #1: reorient the foundational beliefs about teaching and learning from the mindset of a discovery or didactic classroom to that of a thinking classroom.
• Shift #2: refocus attention on more enriched versions of the three traditional educational goals, moving from fostering knowledge to deep understanding, from skills to real-life competencies and from attitudes to genuine commitments.
• Shift #3: align teaching practices with five key principles of 21st century learning. These guiding principles are to engage students, sustain inquiry, nurture self-regulated learners, create assessment-rich learning and enhance learning through digital technology.

Table of Contents

Understand the issues
Chapter 1 Opportunities and challenges in a digital age

Reorient the foundations: Why thinking is at the heart of 21st century learning
Chapter 2 Thinking is the key
Chapter 3 Critical, creative and collaborative dimensions of thinking
Chapter 4 A framework for nurturing thinking classrooms

Refocus the goals: What schools must achieve to better prepare students
Chapter 5 From knowledge to deep understanding
Chapter 6 From skill to real-life competency
Chapter 7 From attitude to genuine commitment

Align with guiding principles: How teachers can best support 21st century learning
Chapter 8 Engage students
Chapter 9 Sustain inquiry
Chapter 10 Nurture self-regulated learners
Chapter 11 Create assessment-rich learning
Chapter 12 Enhance learning through digital technology

Support teacher growth
Chapter 13 Leading a renovation, not a revolution