My 21st Century Facilitation Skills

 

Being a Teacher of Tomorrow

Education serves as the foundation, root, and sprout from which our current and future generations will lead and reproduce. As a result, having the best educational system in the world ensures a combative, albeit pugnacious, metamorphosis for me, you, and our children. Indeed, education may spark societal change through altering a person's viewpoint and attitude. It has the potential to affect the pattern of social ties, resulting in social transformations. 

But we all have different perspectives on education. Some of us are better than others at communicating our thoughts. Some of us are better than others at listening to others' points of view. But one thing that all teachers agree on is that we need to undertake more study and develop innovative teaching strategies for our learners. 

In a world where technology is always changing and evolving, teachers are finding it more challenging to keep up with what their students are learning in class and how they are using this information outside of class. As a result, teachers must devise professional development plans. This plan must be implemented cautiously and rigorously. However, it does not have to be linear; rather, it must be adaptable to changes in the educational system in order to keep up with what is required of us-educators.

The two-year plan aims to improve the competencies related to Knowledge of students and their characteristics; Pedagogical content knowledge; Technological pedagogical knowledge; Established safe, secure, motivating, and supportive learning environments; and Utilized higher order thinking skills in discussions.

Knowledge of students and their characteristics

The Generation Z, often known as Gen Z, is the biggest generation in history. With a population exceeding 2 billion people, Generation Z has the potential to be one of the most impactful generations in history. This generation is noted for being technologically smart and incredibly mobile—they spend as much time as they can on their phones, tablets, and computers. They are also extremely collaborative and inventive.

On the other hand, the Alpha Generation grew up with technology in their hands and learned how to utilize it at a young age. They are at ease with technology and have created routines that help them stay organized and productive. Because they are comfortable utilizing technology on their phones and laptops, the Alpha Generation is called a tech-savvy cohort.

Given these realities of our learners now and in the future, for me to adapt with them, the first step in improving ways to profile learners' styles, intelligences, and interests is to use accessible materials to assist teachers in designing courses to fit students' styles, intelligences, and interests. I have to be able to assess these learners to ensure that lessons are made according to their personalities and preferences. 

For teachers to enhance this competency, a recommended method is In-service Training. In-service Training is a program that focuses on providing teachers with opportunities to learn on changing concepts about education. It allows teachers to reflect on their own learning experiences while they interact with peers who are also attending the training session. This type of training helps teachers understand how their students think so that they can better tailor lessons. Other interventions could also be attending specialized training and seminars that underscore this area of curriculum and instruction. 

Pedagogical content knowledge

Teachers are an essential component of the educational system. They play an important role in preparing students for college, guiding them through college, and assisting them in finding jobs. Teachers must have a deep comprehension of the content they are teaching in order to accomplish this successfully.

When evaluating teachers' performance, pedagogical content knowledge in the classroom is an essential component to gauge. Teachers with pedagogical content expertise may successfully teach their students and improve student outcomes. Teachers that have pedagogical content knowledge comprehend what their students should know and may utilize this information to assist prepare them for future learning.

A teacher's pedagogical subject knowledge will be useful only if they have received training on what a competent teacher should know and how to apply it. This may be accomplished by attending pedagogy workshops or just reading books produced by those who are professionals in this field.

Additionally, I have found that to be a successful educator, I must be adaptive. It is my hope that by adapting my teaching strategies and approaches with Gen Z, I can provide innovative classroom techniques that will increase learning outcomes. By participating in short-term courses under NEAP and diploma courses under partner institutions (e.g., MEXT scholarships), I hope to increase my pedagogical knowledge. I also hope to participate in free webinars, so that I can share my knowledge with other teachers across Tagum City and learn from each other’s experiences as well as their successes and failures.

Technological pedagogical knowledge

The capacity of teachers to use technology in teaching is described as their technological pedagogical competence for curriculum and instruction. This includes the use of technology for both personal and professional reasons. Likewise, the ability to employ technology in the classroom is important because it has the potential to boost student learning and engagement. When students are engaged, they are more likely to learn. 

Teachers must understand how to use technology in order to make it beneficial to their students. Teachers must be able to generate compelling and successful presentations, as well as how to analyze these presentations on a regular basis in order to improve their presentations over time. They should also be able to design interactive and enjoyable classes that are instructive and beneficial to students' learning goals.

What are these trends?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is defined by automation and artificial intelligence, both of which are becoming increasingly widespread in our society. Automation has long been employed in the industrial field, and it is now being applied in a variety of other fields, including education. Another trend is Hyper Education which refers to a learning environment that stimulates students' creativity and invention. Several colleges are using novel teaching methods such as gamification, which allows students to study while having fun. The third trend is Minerva School, which focuses on providing children with experiences outside of traditional learning environments so that they can have a greater knowledge of what life is like outside of their comfort zones throughout their school or university campus life.

The use of technological trends in education is a growing trend, and it is important to be aware of how these trends can be used to improve teaching pedagogy. There are several different ways that you can systematize the utilization of these technological trends:

• Participation in free webinars provided by educational institutions

• Participation in SLAC sessions

• Conducting action research with your students, working together to come up with ideas for new projects and methods of implementation

Established safe, secure, motivating, and supportive learning environments

Learning and education are complex processes that occur in a variety of environments. Individuals and groups interact in various settings, with each member having unique needs and abilities. Learner characteristics, learning tasks, instructional approaches, opportunities for individual choice, learning objectives, and the type of feedback provided to learners all have an impact on the effectiveness of learning environments. These also have an impact on students' perceptions of their experiences as they go through school and become more sophisticated learners. 

To ensure that learning environments are safe, secure, and motivating for all students, educators must first understand the unique needs of each group they serve within their school in order to create an appropriate environment in which all students can succeed academically while also remaining safe at school. 

This implies that the first step in creating a learning environment in the classroom is to ensure that teachers are properly taught in the appropriate techniques and processes. Teachers can learn new skills or enhance existing ones through in-service training. It is also a method of expanding a teacher’s knowledge and skill set by offering them with theoretical material as well as actual application activities. This form of training can occur during normal teaching hours, during lunchtime, or after work hours (as long as it does not conflict with workload). 

Another strategy that I may use is to participate in SLAC sessions organized by the school. SLAC workshops are brief lectures on specialized topics within an organization's philosophical area. This can be done on a regular basis for teachers to understand the changing contexts in education. 

Utilized higher order thinking skills in discussions

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is an educational paradigm aimed at improving how we teach and learn. The premise is that students learn better when they can think about knowledge in terms of how it relates to other pieces of information, and that certain styles of thinking are more effective than others.

Students can benefit from using logic to help them think more clearly and rationally about their thoughts. This is accomplished through comprehending and employing the scientific method, which is a means of collecting data and evaluating hypotheses. Students must also grasp how their personal experiences might impact how they perceive things.

To integrate higher order thinking skills into the design and implementation of lessons, I have found that there are many topics that can be explored, including:

1. The Art of Questioning: How can we utilize this expertise to ask questions in class that will assist our learners develop their critical thinking skills?

2. Developing PISA-like Questions: What are some examples of questions that correspond with the PISA framework and aid in the development of critical thinkers?

3. From LOTS to HOTS: Which tools or tactics can we employ to assist our instructors in better understanding the shift from lecturing and reading to learning by doing? What are the strategies that would elevate the discussion from lower order thinking skills to higher order thinking skills?

With my current situation, I feel that this is doable through attending free webinars, DepEd-funded training and seminars, and school-based learning action cell sessions. These can be used in the classroom with the help of my team's joint efforts.