A key responsibility of 21c teachers is to prepare students for the world outside the classroom. The shift toward the emphasis on a knowledge based economy will be central to this task.
John Houghton and Peter Sheehan expand on this idea in their paper A Primer on the Knowledge Economy, suggesting that we
'are living through a period of profound change and
transformation of the shape of society and its underlying economic
base ... The nature of production, trade, employment and work in
the coming decades will be very different from what it is today'.
Technology is now integral to the majority of jobs our students will be employed in after their schooling journey and this is applicable amongst all levels and industries of employment from manufacturing to commerce. It is imperative therefore, that we are able to assist students in gaining these new level skills, the ability to adapt quickly to change and provide an understanding of the new workplace. In this way we can best help prepare them for success in tomorrows workplace.
As a final point, it it reassuring to consider that part of this job will be easy in the context that today's students are already technology junkies. Teaching them technology is engaging them in what they love and research shows that best learning outcomes are achieved when students are engaged.
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Success in any workplace is probably more to do with emotional maturity/adaptability than any other skill set! And of course, the curriculum has no deep claim to address those aspects of self-hood that might better enable one to participate in mainstream economic activity.....
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