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9/22/17, 8:14 AMRefreshed Pedagogy for the Contemporary Learner

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Chapter 1.RefreshedPedagogy for theContemporaryLearner

contemporary (adj.)—1630s, fromMedieval Latincontemporarius, fromLatin com- "with" (seecom-) + temporarius"of time," fromtempus "time, season,portion of time" (seetemporal (adj.)).Meaning "modern,characteristic of thepresent" is from1866.

—Online Etymology

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What do we cut? What do we keep? What do wecreate? What does learning look like now? How doesthe contemporary teacher determine what to holdonto from the past? What experiences do we createto keep learning fresh and vibrant, resonating withthe times in which we live? How does a teachermanage a range of learning environments bothphysical and virtual? How can leadership transformthe previous versions of school into new, dynamiclearning systems? To begin our exploration of thesequestions, we look at modern roles andresponsibilities that should inform relevantpedagogy. In this chapter we do the following:

Explore the nature of pedagogy by consideringthree classifications: antiquated, classical, andcontemporary

Consider the remarkable impact of globalaccess, digital tools, and technologybreakthroughs on learning and learners

Declare new roles for contemporary learnersand discuss the implications for educators andour institutions

Meaningful Pedagogy to InformPractice

A fundamental issue in modernizing our approach toteaching is to consider a meaningful pedagogy thatinforms practice. The roles of teacher and studentand the relationship between the two are the heartof the learning experience and classroom life.Consciously or not, how teachers perceive theirpurpose will be the backdrop for all the decisionsthat follow. If the "job" is to disseminate, then theteacher is a disseminator and the student areceptacle. If the "job" is to encourage innovation,then the teacher must delve into what motivates and



reaches the hearts and minds of learners and createenvironments ripe for risk taking. The learner'sresponse is to take risks and create. Pedagogyresults in actions.

The original pedagogues of ancient Greece sharplycontrasted their roles and responsibilities fromthose of the subject teachers (didaskalos). Accordingto Young (1987), pedagogues were slaves andfrequently foreigners whom wealthy families wouldtrust to mentor their sons by walking them throughthe streets, sitting with them in "classes," andsharing meals. The pedagogues were devoted totheir charges from age 7 through adolescence andwere dedicated to teaching them what it takes to bea man.

This idea of nurturance has been sustainedthroughout history as an overlay to the teacher-student connection, in stark contrast to the notion ofteacher as pedant, with the students as passivevessels taking in information. It is noteworthy thatpresently in Denmark the term "pedagogue" isactively used to describe early childhood educators.According to Matheson and Evans (2012),

The aim of a pedagogue's work is to enable thechildren, young people and adults they workwith to contribute to society in an active,responsible and constructive way. The focuson the whole person means that practicingpedagogues require a very broadunderstanding of the individual and theirrelationship to others and their community.

They also need a wide range of skills tosupport their role in caring, nurturing andlearning. In Denmark, for example, traineepedagogues study an array of areas thatreflect what is valued in their culture.

Educational theory (including psychology,anthropology, sociology, philosophy and healthsciences)

Danish language, culture and communication



The individual and society

Health, body and movement; expression, musicand drama; or crafts, nature and technology

Practice-based training

Practice and theory in: children and youngpeople; people with physical and learningdisabilities; or people with social andbehavioural difficulties

Inter-professionalism (p. 4)

We find it noteworthy that the Danish approachexamines education theory in disciplines relateddirectly to the human condition, with a strong focuson the individual in a society and the need forcommunication skills. All areas of human endeavorare significant, whether academic, physical, oraesthetic, and these are connected directly tostudying the implications for teaching individuals ofgreat diversity and with special needs. We find the"inter-professionalism" tenet a critical and engagingphrase that points to the formal examination ofmodes of teaming and collaboration with otheradults, educators, parents, and the learners. Thisteacher-preparation example underscores the beliefthat if roles are clear in a pedagogical commitment,then resulting programs will have equal clarity inactions.

Given the challenges it is timely to ask thesequestions: What roles will we assume as ourlearners are making significant shifts in the waysthey learn? How will these shifts affect learningsettings, and what are the teaching responsibilitiesaligned with those roles?

Three Clusters of Pedagogy

The values of a culture have a direct impact on thevalues of an educative setting. Throughout historythe opportunities and resources available ordirected to educators shaped the conditions forlearning. The zeitgeist of time and place—a society'sbeliefs about what matters most—has governed thedefinitions of pedagogy. Classrooms with four walls,



intended to hold a certain number of students andfeaturing a chalkboard at the front, dictated thetypes of relationships that might be possiblebetween learner and teacher in the agricultural andindustrial eras.

Clearly it is different now. Through globalconnectivity, a Skype session with an expert teacheron the other side of the world is just one example ofshifting opportunities. When a question arisesrequiring a search for information, a studentsearches the Internet, opening up hundreds ofsources. In creating a video documentary project forreview or commentary, the use of social mediaexpands the sources of feedback. The "classroom" isa web page that Johnny can peruse late at night toreview a lesson using Khan Academy videos as muchas it is Room 206 in Wheaton Middle School. Multipleplatforms and portals are now available, explicitlychanging the actual and possible roles for all of usengaged in the formal educative process. We neednew pedagogy for a new time.

To help clarify the discussion, we propose threeoverarching pedagogical clusters, which we label asantiquated, classical, and contemporary. In her bookCurriculum 21: Essential Education for a ChangingWorld (Jacobs, 2010), Heidi raised three questionsregarding curriculum decisions: What do we cut?What do we keep? What do we create? Each questioncorresponds to one of the pedagogical clusters andcan assist in an examination of them.

Antiquated pedagogy: What do we cut?

Antiquated pedagogy refers to dated approaches toteaching and learning that are not designed toengage the learner—the teacher as pedantexpounding knowledge in a space shared withstudents. When the teacher spews information atstudents with no intent to engage them, the learneris not only passive but a passer-by. Students willbypass the content because there was never a realdesire to bring them into the study. The underlyingbelief system suggests that the role of the student is



to simply be in a room absorbing information,whether the material is relevant or not and whetherit is designed to be engaging or not.

Sometimes we confuse the nature of the classroomspace with the notion of antiquation. The stereotypeis that the large lecture hall is notoriously boring andunengaging, and yet many of us can recall beingenthralled by a teacher's presentation. In fact, thedesign of a lecture hall is based on the ancient Greeknotion of the amphitheater as a structure to focusthe group—the point being that antiquatedapproaches can appear in a boring, low-level onlinecourse as much as in a vapid, older-style classroom.

A description often associated with antiquatedinstruction is "the teacher covered the lesson," asopposed to "discovered" or "uncovered." Thedescription suggests no intention directed at thelearners; their role is to be a receptacle. As PauloFreire wrote in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, thetraditional antiquated approach is a "bankingmodel" because it treats the student as an emptyvessel to be filled: "Education thus becomes an actof depositing, in which the students are thedepositories and the teacher is the depositor.Instead of communicating, the teacher issuescommuniqués and makes deposits which thestudents patiently receive, memorize, and repeat"(1970, p. 72).

The antiquated approach is explicitly out of date,irrelevant, and a precise response to the questionWhat do we cut? The following are descriptions ofroles for the learner that we would identify asantiquated:

Learner as receptacle

Learner as placeholder

Learner as robot

Learner as obedient receiver

Learner as follower

Learner as nonentity



These roles should not be confused with classicalpedagogical approaches, which have place andpurpose in our teaching.

Classical pedagogy: What do we keep?

Classical pedagogy responds to the question What dowe keep? To be classical is to be both timely andtimeless. When we consider meaningful traditionsand practices in our education as teachers, wewould do well to highlight what we want to keep.Classical definitions of pedagogy point to the fusionof the ancient Greek notions we mentioned earlierof the pedagogue, or paidagōgos, the slave wholooked after his master's son (from pais, "boy," andagōgos, "leader") with the discipline specialist orteacher. This role includes being a guide tocultivating knowledge based on the training andreadiness of the "nurturer." Arguably these roles arecontinually fused in today's classically trainedteachers. Such teachers are sensitive and adept atcommunicating effectively with the individual andthe groups of students in their care. They are skillfulin making instructional decisions related to pacing ofpresentations, knowing how to sequence material,determining when to encourage the student to workindependently, grouping learners to match the taskwhether in pairs or small groups, creating dynamicways to engage a large group, using analogies, andmaking use of the learning spaces available. Classicalpedagogies support and help students to becomemore confident, self-directed learners.

Examining a few examples of classical approachesclarifies their timeliness. Consider the Reggio Emiliaapproach to learning, which originated in Italy afterWorld War II and now has adherents worldwide. Thefounder, Loris Malaguzzi, working with teachers andcommunity members in the villages in the area ofReggio Emilia, developed an approach that wouldcreate "amiable schools" and support productiveand useful lives deliberately integrated thoughtfullywith family and community. In The HundredLanguages of Children, Malaguzzi elaborates:



[W]e know it is essential to focus on childrenand be child centered, but we do not feel it isenough. We also consider teachers andfamilies as central to the education of children.We therefore choose to place all threecomponents at the center of our interest. Ourgoal is to build an amiable school, wherechildren, teachers, and families feel at home.(Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998, p. 64)

In the last hundred years, we have seen a steadyeffort to develop instructional strategies thatstimulate creative and critical thinking in ourlearners. To this day we see the influence ofresearch by Paul Torrance (1970) from the Universityof Georgia on creativity. The following criteria, whichhe used to define creative behaviors in children andadolescents, continue to shape our understandingand principles of teaching:

Fluency, the production of a large number ofideas

Originality, unusualness, or uniqueness ofideas

Abstractness of titles, verbally synthesizingelaborated drawings

Resistance to quick closure, maintaining anopenness to new information and ideaspermits the emergence of original solutions

Colorfulness of imagery

Humor in titles, captions, and drawings (p. 358)

Certainly models and approaches developedthrough the early 21st century to promote criticalthinking are considered classical and timely,informing our current discussions on teaching forinnovation. Educators commonly accept the notionthat we must support higher-level thinking, criticalanalysis, and synthesis. For example, the work ofDavid Perkins and Howard Gardner throughHarvard's Project Zero and their productive teamhave had a profound effect on instruction fordecades, with groundbreaking research on



cultivating critical thought in everyone from ouryoungest learners through adults. Certainly RobertEnnis's work at the University of Illinois on thenature of reasoning and on the actual design ofreasoning tasks is built into the fabric of curriculumplanning (Ennis, 2001, 44–46). Just as the cognitiveaspect of critical thinking is a classical and respectedpillar of program planning, so, too, is thecomplementary element of social and affectivedevelopment. Art Costa and Bena Kallick's Habits ofMind continue to be a mainstay in our classrooms.They identified 16 habits that remain timely, if notmore essential than ever, whether a child isdeveloping the habit of responding with wondermentand awe or the habit of taking responsible risks.

The relationship among the cognitive, the affective,and the physical is articulated in a well-knownclassical phrase, "education of the whole child,"which is basic to our field. Can we imaginediscussing the education of "part of the child"? Inshort, every educator can identify key thoughtleaders and models reflecting the timeless andtimely notion that classical pedagogy must be prized,preserved, and sustained in planning for the modernlearner.

To clarify the difference between antiquated andclassical roles for students, the following is a list ofpossible classical roles:

Learner as critical thinker

Learner as collaborative team member

Learner as project-based planner

Learner as creative thinker

Learner as researcher

Learner as knowledge organizer

These skills and many others are of continuingvalue. We don't want to lose them because of"technology"; rather, we hope to sustain them. Yetthe tools we have available to us now as educatorshave changed learning dramatically. What are newroles and responsibilities that have evolved from the



classical? What is this new pedagogy?

Contemporary pedagogy: What do wecreate?

Contemporary pedagogy responds to the questionWhat do we create? The word "contemporary" isappropriate for the purpose of developing arefreshed look at pedagogy because its definitions,"belonging to the present time" or "characteristic ofthe present time," imply that contemporarypedagogy will always be evolving. Without formaldeliberation, the roles and the relationship betweenteacher and student were being launched in newdirections in the last century, taking a sharptrajectory into our present century.

The timeline in Figure 1.1 highlights particulartechnological inventions that have had a directimpact on teaching, learning, curriculum,assessment, and school institutions. The cumulativeimpact has been so seismic that the word "shift"seems inevitable. Indeed, the effect of thesedevelopments on education is nothing short ofbreathtaking, and we are all still trying to figure outthe implications for our field of practice. With theanytime/anywhere search capabilities of Internetbrowsers and the availability of digital media andtools for sharing power, the notion of classroomwalls has been disrupted. The implications for adeliberate pedagogical shift in roles andresponsibilities are glaring, yet the system holds fastto past models. If we educators think in terms of anindividual child in our care at any age from toddlerto grad student—be it Sara, Keisha, Dan, José, Abdul,Raymond, or Rosie—the choices become immediateand real. How do we prepare our learners for rightnow and into the future?

Figure 1.1. Timeline of Key TechnologyDevelopments in Education

1950—Univac 1101 was the first computer



developed and released by the U.S.government with the ability to store andrun a program from memory. Theimplication for education was immediatelyevident, given the storage capacity.

1967—Logo was developed by SeymourPapert and others as a programminglanguage focused on student learning andgained widespread use.

1980—Namco released Pac-Man in Japan,and it immediately became a worldwidesensation as electronic gaming transcendedlanguage and acquired mass appeal.

1989—The World Wide Web was inventedby Tim Berners-Lee about 20 years after thefirst connection was established on theInternet. The impact on education wasseismic, as knowledge sharing and buildingcould be immediate and open to millions.

1994—Netscape, the first graphical webbrowser, forever changed what it means to“look up” information.

1994—BellSouth released what wastechnically the first smartphone, the Simon(Simon Personal Communicator), whichcombined cell phone capability with theability to send and receive e-mail messages.

2003—Skype was released by two of itscreators, Janus Friis from Denmark andNiklas Zennstrom from Sweden, tosimultaneously communicate live webcamimages and point-to-point voice callsbetween individuals globally. Theyconnected with Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu,



and Jaan Tallinn, the cocreators in Estonia,where the majority of the company is stillbased. Certainly telephones had madeimmediate communication a staple inmodern life, but now the ability to see anindividual made the connection palpableand more powerful.

2006—Sal Khan initiated the KhanAcademy, providing an array of videos onmany subjects, giving teachers theopportunity to provide direct instruction tolearners 24/7 from their own website.Khan’s popularity helped make the “flippedclassroom” a reality.

2010—Apple released the iPad, whichrevolutionized computing by using touchaccess to share information, employapplications, and mimic the effectiveness ofthe laptop. Perhaps one of the mostpowerful effects of the tablet has been onvery young children, who no longer needkeyboard access and facility with thealphabet to participate in digital learning.

We have continually developed technology thatallows us to function more effectively. On the otherhand, a reluctance to change established behaviorsand work habits is understandable. Leaders in ourinstitutions can pave the way for the transition.Consider the three priorities suggested by DerekBok, past president of Harvard, for improving thatinstitution's approach to pedagogy. He encouragedhis colleagues to deliberately shift their practice tomaintain the best of the classical approaches whileadapting and employing contemporary possibilities:

Faculty members should lecture less and



experiment with new, more active methods ofinstruction.

The faculty should participate in developingreliable methods of assessing student progressto determine which forms of instruction aremost effective in helping students learn.

Departments need to help restructuregraduate education to acquaint future facultywith what is becoming known about howstudents learn, what methods of instructionare most successful, and how technology canbe used to engage student interest and helpthem progress. (Hauser & Hauser, 2011)

Bok points to taking a deeper look at both classicaland contemporary approaches to instruction andhow to engage the modern student. We need suchcalls to action.

Drawing from classical roles toestablish contemporary approaches

In the classical approach to determining the roles ofteacher and learner, the issue of control is central,and the teacher is in command, whether providingdirect instruction or providing students with choicesand options. The teacher is the director of learningexperiences and dictates the curriculum material,the pace, the sequence, and the grouping ofstudents. The teacher chooses the types of activitythat the students will engage in, whether small-group discussion, large-group lecture response,individual seat tasks, or a walk on the playground.Thus, the student has the role of follower and theresponsibility to comply with the teacher's directives.Even when a student is encouraged to work on an"independent project," it is because the teacher hassupported this effort.

Certain aspects of the classical model can inform ourpresent work, but we believe that we need languageto clarify new approaches. There are certainlyestablished classical approaches to learner-centeredinstruction focused on individualized instruction and



differentiation, where making adjustments tostudent needs is a critical part of the planningprocess. Added to the mix more recently ispersonalized learning, which we see as a criticalconsideration for new pedagogical practice. Weexplore the possibilities and natural place ofpersonalized learning in modern curriculum andinstruction in Chapter 3.

Contemporary Roles

In the contemporary learning environment, wepropose five roles for learner and teacher—self-navigator, social contractor, media critic and mediamaker, innovative designer, and globally connectedcitizen—with corresponding responsibilities. Theroles are not presented in a hierarchy, nor do theyconstitute an exclusive list. Rather, we present themas a starting point to provoke discussion byeducators to develop the capacities necessary forthe design of meaningful and timely learningexperiences.

Learner as self-navigator

Self-directed learning is not a new concept, but theplaces for navigating have changed dramatically.Learning settings are no longer confined to aphysical building but are, in fact, available 24 hours aday, virtually. By choosing a website, a game, thepreferred pace, the individuals with whom they willcreate a project, students choose their owncurriculum and learning experiences. In this regard,the new learner takes on the role of self-teacher—and with it, the need to be mindful and makedeliberately informed decisions about next steps ona learning pathway. This interplay between the rolesof teacher and learner is evident for any educator. Inorder to teach, we dive into learning about the ideaswe wish to share with our students.

In contemporary pedagogy, becoming a new kind ofteacher suggests the need to be and to model beinga professional learner. Professionalism suggests



experience, command of technique, and excellencein a field of practice. With extensive experience inthe study of how people learn, the development oftechniques and strategies to support learning, andacknowledgment of learning achievement,educators are poised to model what it is to beconsummate learners. Being both teacher andlearner is critical to self-navigation.

Alan November poses a provocative question in thetitle of his book Who Owns the Learning? PreparingStudents for Success in the Digital Age (2012). Whenstudents are at the steering wheel and have directinput on the pathway, they do, indeed, own thelearning. But what if the path that is chosen ispotentially frivolous and of limited value? When dowe step in? For answers, let us consider the power ofthe metaphor.

Self-navigation relates to guiding oneself at sea. Nodoubt, sea captains learn a great deal from theirtravels that will ultimately inform their next journey.A learner's launch from port out onto the Internetsea provides an opportunity for a new kind ofcoaching by a classroom teacher. Successfulnavigators have a compass and know how to readthe signs from weather, birds, and water conditions;they have a context for the voyage. Thus teachersmust prepare students for their web-based choices,social media, and the situations they mightencounter. In short, students need us.

Researchers have studied the concept of self-directed learning, and the findings are revealing,though they tend to be focused on the student in aclassical classroom venue. In a fascinating study byGureckis and Markant (2012), the researchers notethat in self-directed learning, there is a distinctdifference between choosing to absorb informationthat comes from an external environment withlimited control by the individual in matters such astiming and sequence of material—an inherentlypassive experience—and engaging with self-selectedwebsites, information probes, and criticalquestioning of sources, which is an inherently activeexperience. Their work investigates the interplay



between cognitive and machine-based self-directedlearning with the research indicating that studentsare not consistently effective as decision-makersbecause of the human tendency to seekconfirmation of personal bias. The researchers state:

Given that people are not always optimal self-directed learners, one promising avenue forfuture research is to use insight gained fromthe study of active information sampling (inboth human[s] and machines) to developassistive training methods. Instead ofpredicting what information people will chooseon their own to solve a task, cognitive modelscan be used to determine what informationwould be most helpful to the individual (giventhe nature of the task and measures of priorlearning). (2012, p. 13)

Gureckis and Markant recommend continued studyof what constitutes highquality self-directed decisionmaking in a range of contexts and situations—aneffort that could lead to potentially new cognitivemodels. In short, new kinds of teaching will be abouthelping students become more effective self-navigators in active modes of inquiry. It is logical toconclude from their study that self-directed learningis meaningful when students are directly taught self-management strategies and the ability to reflectupon and to ascertain consequences from decisionsthey make.

In so many ways, coaching comes to mind as welook at our responsibilities as educators. Coachesprepare learners for independence on the playingfield or on the performance stage. What is different,though, is that the rehearsal, the drill, and thepractice are part of a decision by the teacher aboutwhat will be performed or the schedule for sportingevents. The role of the student as "player" of thesport or instrument has a long history, and theresponsibilities are well honed. With Internet-basedinvestigation, we are finding students launched intoa vast new world without established game or



performance rules. They need navigation coaches.

Learner as social contractor

Given the seemingly limitless parameters for socialnetworking—whether using instant messaging,Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram—our present-daylearners can connect immediately with othersthroughout the world. In many ways, that contact islightweight and easy. When we apply thisconnectivity to education, the word "contract" comesto mind because it suggests formal, meaningfulcommitments. The fact that social networking ispossible does not make it always conducive to orsupportive of inquiry or learning. In her book ThePedagogy of Confidence, Yvette Jackson (2011) notesthat "the pinnacle experience for students isapplication of their strengths and interests throughcollaborative production and contributions" (p. 115).She goes on to state that networking platformscreate possibilities to build confidence as the "use oftechnology becomes the epicenter for manyadolescents."

We argue that creating meaningful, secure, andproductive social contracts is learned behavior.Teachers can model negotiation in the shaping ofagreements to empower learners in selectingpartnerships for learning. Teachers need to contractwith learners as collaborators. Of particular interestis working with our students to find relevant andpotentially expansive points of view whencontracting the support of others for research. InChapter 3 we describe a model for creatingcontemporary curriculum quests to engage learnersin research and development of relevant and timelyissues and problems that spark fascination. Ourcolleague Silvia Tolisano, for example, used socialnetworking tools to connect her 5th grade studentsat the Gottlieb School in Jacksonville, Florida, withzoologists and veterinarians' researchers. The classhad found an animal skeleton on the grounds of theschool, and Silvia thought it was a great opportunityto use social media so her class could work as ateam with professionals (see Figure 1.2). By posting



various digital photographs, asking and respondingto questions, and using deductive reasoning, it wasdetermined that the students had found theskeleton of a possum. They were beingcontemporary scientists, working with a network ofprofessionals.

Figure 1.2. Example of Social NetworkingSupporting the "Learner as SocialContractor"

Source: Image © 2009 by Silvia Tolisano, retrieved7/20/2016 fromhttps://twitter.com/langwitches/status/642794880616562688.Used with permission.

We see this as an excellent example of how to helpstudents determine whom to contact and how tocontact them. Silvia exemplifies how teacher andstudent can become co-investigators in a study andnegotiate a collaborative learning contract.Questions regarding safe, ethical, and efficientenvironments are a natural and important part ofpreparation for creating successful networks. Thedevelopmental stage and age of learners are criticalvariables to that end. We can deepen theinvestigative talents of our learners by helping themgain independence in determining what makes agood source in an inquiry both virtually and in aphysical setting. We elaborate in Chapter 3 when wediscuss designing contemporary curriculum andassessment.

Learner as media critic and media



maker

Arguably there is universal agreement that classicalliteracy is a significant goal in education. By classical,we mean traditional reading of print materials, auralunderstanding, and written communication. Literacycan be viewed as two sides of the same coin:receptive literacy and generative literacy. Receptiveliteracy is the ability to make meaning throughreading and listening; generative literacy is thecapacity to create meaning through writing andspeaking.

Applying these two notions to a range of mediasuggests ample opportunities to support thecontemporary learner. A modern learner needs tobe supported in cultivating sophistication and know-how to be media literate in every format because weare bombarded with information from multiplemedia, including television, film, and digital sources.Our concern is that intense and widespreadexposure to numerous forms of media does notconstitute literacy. For example, distinguishing thedifference between mediocre and excellenttelevision programs is akin to doing the same withliterature. Our students need our assistance. AsFrank W. Baker (2014) notes,

I maintain that while our students may bemedia savvy, most are not media literate. Theytend to believe everything they see, read, andhear. Healthy skepticism does not exist, whilemedia illiteracy is rampant. Their K–12instruction has not provided them with thenecessary critical-thinking tools to see throughspin, recognize biased reporting, orunderstand infographics, just to name a few.(p. 5)

New media literacy applies directly to students'ability to access information and the ease with whichthey can do so. Simply consider that many students(and adults) conduct an Internet search to findinformation and select the first item that pops up on



the screen. This behavior is habituated, not mindful.Preparing learners to be critics of online sources andinstructing them in how to read a website are centralto cultivating self-navigation.

Although the study of great works of literature isfundamental in most schools and is an integralfeature of formal education, the curriculum has notgenerally included regular and dedicated attentionto the formal study of modern media. We believethat it is necessary to support serious study of filmand television for several reasons. As previouslynoted, students receive a constant flow ofinformation from these sources and do notnecessarily critique them, because they have notstudied them. Without formal study of television andfilm, the likelihood of creating high-quality personalpresentations through visual mediums is lessened.

We believe that if learners hold this new role ofmedia critic and media maker, then the curriculumshould provide them with opportunities to createfilms, podcasts, websites, and other products in aknowledgeable, technically proficient, andaesthetically pleasing way. With the plethora ofmedia-making tools ranging from Animoto,ScreenFlow, Glogster, iMovie, and Blendspace, it isrelatively easy to create media. Again, what is mostcritical is that the outcome reflect quality.

Learner as innovative designer

Is there any question that the future will requireinnovative solutions, thus innovative individuals? Theability to generate fresh ideas, think boldly, andinvent creatively requires a learning culture thatsupports generative and playful thinking, fluidcollaboration, and design opportunities. Writing inForbes, Henry Doss (2013) notes how theRenaissance-era curriculum exemplified suchattributes:

Rather than an overt, outcome-orientedcurriculum aimed at producing "workers," theRenaissance curriculum developed—for lack of



a better term—sensibility. It was based on thenotion of developing the intellect forsubstantial expression and it helped to fuel"big thinking"—the food of innovation.

The supposition in this role of innovative designer isthat learners have a natural inclination to playfullyengage in investigating possibilities that have abroad scope. Too often, however, the role of studentas problem solver can play out to be immediate andshort term. This is not to say that those types oflearning experiences do not have value; rather, whatDoss suggests is that we need to provideopportunities for students to think on a larger scale.We can actively encourage learners to seek newsituations for invention and to study the efforts ofothers who seek possibilities outside the box. It istempting to succumb to the belief that a controlledproblem-solving experience is a substitute for agenuinely larger enterprise that valuesbrainstorming and experimentation. As TonyWagner asks in Creating Innovators (2012), "Are weprepared to not merely tolerate but to welcome andcelebrate the kinds of questioning, disruption, andeven disobedience that come with innovation?" (p.242).

We purposely selected the word "designer" for thiscontemporary role, coupling it with innovation.Within the last few years, a key area in education hasbeen the field of design. Whether in architecture,engineering, or the arts, there is a playful andcreative approach to "design thinking" that can serveeducators as they consider their roles. We submitthat the word "design" connotes artisticcompositional choices made to find a creativesolution to a real-world situation, often witheconomic impact. We feature the notion of designprominently in Chapter 3 in our discussion of thedesign of contemporary curriculum quests as a wayto engage students in inquiry into timely andrelevant contemporary issues and problems. Wetake this idea of design to an institutional level inChapter 4 in our discussion of how to transition "oldschool" program models into refreshed, new



learning environments.

An informative example is the reasoning behindnaming a leading higher education institution the"Rhode Island School of Design" rather than the"Rhode Island School of the Arts." According to thecollege website,

RISD (pronounced "Riz-dee") was foundedduring the 19th-century Industrial Revolution,when the textiles and jewelry manufacturingindustries were beginning to take off inProvidence. Since it was established in part to"apply the principles of Art to the requirementsof trade and manufacture," the prescientfounders chose to incorporate the word"design" into the name of the school as ameans of signaling its importance to economicdevelopment. But they also clearly stipulatedthat their educational experiment aimed bothto teach students "the practice of Art, in orderthat they may understand its principles, giveinstruction to others, or become artists" and toeducate the general public about the intrinsicvalue of the arts to society.

Design is based on approaches to the compositionof a solution. Whether designing a building, creatinga painting, or devising an engineering solution to theproblem of potholes in neighborhood streets,sketching out possibilities is at the core of theprocess. Design thinking requires open and playfulconsideration of possibilities and the manipulationof key elements before the final delivery of acarefully structured response. The "elements" areunique to the arena for application. For example, anarchitect creating a blueprint considers elementssuch as style, proportion, and materials. A musiccomposer works with the elements of harmony,melodic line, rhythm, and various instruments. Afilmmaker considers characters, plot, setting, editing,special effects, and camera angles when crafting afilm narrative. Computer programmers reviewplatforms, images, functions, budget, and audience



when determining coding for an application.Curriculum designers shape learning opportunitiesregarding content, skills, proficiencies, andassessment products.

The contemporary learner needs to be steeped inthe possibilities for innovation when puttingtogether design elements to generate solutions.Thus, rather than marching through strict sequencesfor "following directions," the creative designer fullyappreciates that the end result will need to be athoughtfully rendered solution; but getting to thatpoint requires out-of-the-box, imaginative play. Ifour learners are to become innovative designers,then a ripple effect is set into motion. Teachers mustfollow suit, and we explore the implications for thenew role of the teacher in regard to design thinkingin Chapters 2 and 3.

Learner as globally connected citizen

Viewing students as part of the larger world is not anew idea. However, the digital reach that enablesimmediate access to the world is new—and strikinglypersonal, given the possibility of real-time videoconversations between classrooms. Becoming anactive and engaged citizen suggests beingresponsible and informed on a global scale, with anunderstanding of concerns and issues thattranscend borders and are as basic as the economy,political interactions, climate, and resources. In areport based on a project sponsored by the Councilof Chief State School Officers and the Asia Society,authors Tony Jackson and Veronica Boix Mansilla(2011) define "global competence" as "the capacityand disposition to understand and act on issues ofglobal significance." The project team ultimatelytranslated this general notion into the cultivation offour global competencies that support newpedagogy. Specifically, learners can and will do thefollowing:

1. Investigate the world beyond their immediateenvironment, framing significant problems and



conducting well-crafted and age-appropriateresearch.

2. Recognize perspectives, others' and their own,articulating and explaining such perspectivesthoughtfully and respectfully.

3. Communicate ideas effectively with diverseaudiences, bridging geographic, linguistic,ideological, and cultural barriers.

4. Take action to improve conditions, viewingthemselves as players in the world andparticipating reflectively. (p. 11)

The development of these capacities is now possibleon an unprecedented level as learners gain theability to conduct online research, engage in point-to-point communication using Skype or GoogleHangout, and see satellite views via Google Earth.We can help them become responsible andrespectful global citizens as they develop the fourcompetencies, leading to meaningful action andcontributions. Most global issues can be localized—and learning about the world can start in our ownbackyard.

The need for a global classroom is crucial to eachlearner, according to Homa Tavangar (2014), whoemphasizes the need for "meaningful connectionswith the larger world." Her vast experience as aglobal educator points to the effectiveness of adistinctively personal approach to supporting hernotion of a "global citizen" as "a friend to the wholehuman race." Teachers can build learners'compassion and perspective by beginning with theidea of friendship. Homa has worked throughout theworld and notes that friendship is a universalcondition across all locations, ethnicities, economicbackgrounds, and belief systems; and when she asksthe question "What makes a good friend?"respondents mention "loyalty and respect first, andalmost as an afterthought, someone inserts fun" (p.71). When students consider their peers and thenexamine the conditions in which people live on ourplanet, they open up to new learning and gain global



awareness. Making personal connections createsempathy and understanding. Some of theseconnections can prove energizing and immediate,such as a global folktale study that links two 3rdgrade classes in Des Moines, Iowa, and Mumbai,India. Others may be disturbing, such as reading anarticle on the Newsela website about young girls insome countries who are told they cannot learn toread or go to school. No matter what the topic, thehuman element is essential to cultivating the fourglobal competencies.

What New Roles for Learners Meanfor Teachers and Schools

The implication for these new roles is a pedagogicalshift in the teacher's responsibilities and approachesto assisting students. The chart in Figure 1.3 can helpframe and focus discussions regarding acomparative view of pedagogy. In contemporarypedagogy there is a notable shift. The teacher is alsoa learner and the students can be learners andteachers simultaneously.

Figure 1.3. A Comparison of ThreePedagogies: Antiquated, Classical, andContemporary

Antiquated Classical Contemporary

Learningexperiencesentirely withinclassroom

Classroom inschool andother places

Learning withina range ofphysical andvirtualenvironments

Linear deliveryin class

Delivery in arange ofsettings

Nonlinearlearning



Set formatsand structure

Limitedflexibility instructure

Fluid andflexibleschedulingstructures

Strict, specificroles forstudents andteachers

Interactive yetspecific rolesfor studentsand teachers

Fluid roles forstudents andteachers asthey interact asboth teachersand learners.

Restrictedcommunicationtools

Limitedcommunicationtools

Open-accesscommunicationtools

Rigid, setcurriculum

Establishedcurriculumwith someflexibility

Responsivecurriculumboth ongoingandpersonalized

If students are to be self-navigators, then we mustlearn to navigate as well and assist them in plottingtheir course. We become a compass. If students areto be social contractors, then we must becomesomething like legal, business, and social networkadvisors. We need to help them devise the bestterms for a fruitful contract and find the mostpromising partners. If students are to be mediacritics, then we need to work with them to createrubrics that will help them identify thecharacteristics of valid and trustworthy content froma range of media sources. If they are to becomemedia makers, then we must become producers ofour own videos and podcasts. Our laptops andtablets can become media-making headquarters, theequivalent of the Paramount film lot. If students areto be innovative designers, then we need to be onthe design team, suggesting alternative approaches



and providing feedback on possible design solutions.If our learners are to be globally connected worldcitizens, then we need to be ambassadors andprovide passports and guidance as they investigatenew perspectives.

All these new roles for students mean that we, theteachers, are learning with them. We need to be self-navigating, social-contracting, media-savvy,innovatively designing, globally connected teachers.At the same time, teachers obviously don't work in avacuum. What are the implications, then, for schoolsas institutions? Might they strive to become self-navigating, social-contracting, media-savvy,innovative, and globally connected institutions?

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