POLOKWANE – The Curro Conversation on the 21st Century education ceremony was held by the Curro Centre for Education Excellence (CCEE) at the Fusion Boutique Hotel on Thursday.
Intellectuals, teachers and other stakeholders gathered to share ideas on improving the level of education in the 21st century.
The conversation focused on technology and the impact it has on education. “We are 15 years into the 21st century and the world we live in is changing faster than ever. It is within this rapidly evolving reality that young people need to find their way,” explained Alta Greeff, head of CCEE/.
“Learners need to be taught to think. They need to acquire the ability to use knowledge in examinations, the workplace, and in life to their advantage.
“It is a common misconception that children will learn by themselves. Deep, meaningful learning remains hard work. South African teachers need to be smarter than ever before,” she added.
According to her school is still seen as a place where educational curricula are based on teaching the required skill sets and knowledge to learners.
She said Guy Claxton, a professor of cognitive psychology in Britain, addressed some of the issues during a recent visit to CCEE.
Claxton promoted what he calls Building Learning Power (BLP) in classrooms.
“Claxton wants to go beyond educational curricula and set about creating a classroom culture to foster habits and attitudes that will help learners face difficulty and uncertainty calmly, confidently, and creatively. This requires more than scoring high marks on exam papers and instill in the learner a willingness to approach examinations with confidence,” Greeff said.
Claxton is convinced that his idea of building learning power in the classroom will go a long way towards resolving the useless qualification issue.
“It is not enough to leave school with a clutch of examination certificates. You must come away with greater confidence, competence and curiosity to face the uncertainties that life will throw at you,” he explained.
The USA-based organisation, the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21), claims that to be successful today, students must be digitally literate, globally competent and proficient. It also states that learners need to be critical thinkers and have skills like problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation.
Greeff said: “This may sound easier said than done. In all conversations in South Africa when parents discuss the problems in education, one theme is recurring; we need things to change but there is little consensus on how.”
Dr Mamikie Molapo, guest speaker, said people should learn to change with the times so they won’t be left behind. “We need to equip children with tools they can use to survive. We need to prepare them for the new world,” Molapo stressed.
