The Nuts & Bolts of 21st Century Teaching

"High school stinks!" is what Chris Lehmann says as he launches into a powerful talk on the necessity of training students to be citizens, not workers. That line resonated with me because high school has to be interesting, has to be fun, has to serve a higher goal of self discovery. "21st Century Teaching," almost by definition, has to be linked to the Internet, today's library, today's corner of civilization. Classes should be "lenses to open the eyes of students," says Lehmann. But, as Shelley Wright learns through her experience using an inquiry-based collaborative project on the Holocaust, the teacher's lenses also need to remain clear, open to change, open to redefining goals and expectations. Stepping out of the traditional role of imparting knowledge means teachers have to be in the learner's seat as well to remain effective. The real challenge, as Wright talks about, is framing the task and goal; ensuring everyone is invested; enabling everyone an opportunity to contribute. My questions are: How do we assess it? Can we fit it into the Pacing Guide? Can we test it? Those are questions from the 20th century that dog creative collaborative projects today. How do we change the lens on how to impart content and measure what was learned?