Dynamics of 21st century learners

Those who are planning curriculum and decision makers in education have not reconciled with the traits of 21st century learners. Most time they plan with a lot of assumptions and stereotype understanding of learners as in the 18th and19th century. The learners of their focus are cognitive-dominant in learning, memorizing and regurgitating. They also dwell […]

Those who are planning curriculum and decision makers in education have not reconciled with the traits of 21st century learners.

Most time they plan with a lot of assumptions and stereotype understanding of learners as in the 18th and19th century. The learners of their focus are cognitive-dominant in learning, memorizing and regurgitating. They also dwell on affective because matter of ethics and manner were very germane and critical.

21st century learners are majorly psychomotor dominant with a spice of affective and cognitive appreciation. 21st century learners are digital generation who want to see results of their effort within the shortest possible time. They are empirical and practical.

They learn faster with graphics and pictures not abstract and theories. They feel cool working with hands than heads. They are comfortable handling tools than holding pen. They want to work in a virtual class as against physical class. They are cool learning through slides as projected as against dry chalk or marker board.

This is the reason for frustration of most learners in Nigeria and the reaction is maladjustments in the name of cultism, bullying, gangsterism, suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, gang raping etc.

The tragedy is that analogues, theorists and conservatives are preparing curriculum for digital and empirical generation that will yield nothing but undesirable results. We come to see university lecturers preparing primary and secondary curriculum excluding primary and secondary school teachers who relate with dynamics of 21st century learners.

This is the first reality the curriculum planners must immediately settle down to understand and stop preparing curriculum for learners that existed only in the figment of their imaginations.

My position is we must immediately come up with responses to accommodate the psychomotor traits of 21st century learners and that will put us on the path of solving multiple problem simultaneously.

 

Idris Ismail [email protected]