The Importance of Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

The Importance of Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

            We have come a long way from the days of being taught to listen, memorize, and recall information in school. We have evolved from what they called mastery of recall (Crockett, Jukes & Churches, 2011), to a learning environment that is collaborative and allows the students to play in role in how they are learning. In our classrooms today we are fostering 21st Century learners who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. As educators, it is our responsibility to foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings (ISTE, 2016).Thanks to advancements in technology, we are able to provide students with multiple tools that allow them to be challenged and process information in different ways. These tools are important in strengthening students cognitive intelligence (abstract thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity, etc.) and Emotional Intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management) (Crockett, Jukes & Churches, 2011).

 

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” -Alvin Toffler

How does this quote support the needs of 21st-Century learners?

The quote above from Toffler is a perfect example of what educators need to do to support the 21st-Century learner. It is very important for educators to make the shift, adapt to the changing times, unlearn, and relearn  Teachers have to unlearn and relearn the education system in order to assist students in being successful with the tools available to them today. I myself had to unlearn and relearn in order to align with the standard of education today. I have to shift a lot of my behavior management strategies in order to fit the needs of the students in my class today. The system that I was so used to using does not work very well for the range of emotions, behaviors, and learning abilities in my classroom today. Another area in which I had to relearn is the way in which math instruction is delivered the strategies that I learned as a child are not the strategies currently being taught. In the beginning I completely rebelled against using new strategies until I decided to actually stop and understand the new and adapt to it. Now, I find the new strategies innovative and easy  for my students to understand. Sometimes I revert to the old strategies in order to compare  the old and new and also to show students that I was taught things a different way but learned to adapt to the changes that have been developed over the years.

How will you teach your students to unlearn and relearn?

I will teach my students to unlearn and relearn by using myself as an example as well as provide them with real world examples of the benefits of changing what we feel we already know. I can show them how something that is tried and true can be retaught to incorporate new strategies and ways of thinking and we can compare the differences and brainstorm different reasons why these changes are good. Of course we will discuss the challenges as well because they certainly go hand in hand.

What are some of the benefits of teaching students to learn, unlearn, and relearn?

Some benefits of  teaching students to learn, unlearn, and relearn are that students are able to understand how the world is constantly changing and evolving. Things never stay the same and most times these changes are for the better. Another benefit is to provide different perspectives and show that there are a number of different ways that something can be done to get the intended results. It is okay to try something new. In the end all that matters is that the result remains the same.

What are the challenges?

Challenges in any profession are unavoidable. There many challenges in the field of education and in particular with learning, unlearning, and relearning. It has taken some time for educators to get to the point where we are today. There are many teachers who are aware of the shifts in education and are aware that we must employ new strategies to adhere to the changing education environment, but they are stuck in their ways. This is a huge challenge that is very important to overcome because the reality is, change is inevitable. Even though there are many teachers who understand the importance of 21st-Century education, they are stuck in their ways of doing things and fail to promote 21st century learning in their classroom (Voogt et al., 2013).

Conclusion

The 21st Century learner will someday lead the world and we as educators are here to provide them with all of the necessary tools to aid them in becoming successful future leaders. There are many different way to achieve this goal. The path that we take requires a lot of unlearning and relearning to align with the changes and positively influence our students to embrace change and use it to their advantage. 

References

Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is not enough: 21st–century fluencies for the digital age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers

Voogt, J., Erstad, O., Dede, C., & Mishra, P. (2013). Challenges to learning and schooling in the digital networked world of the 21st century. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(5), 403–413.

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