Are Traditional Teaching Methods Right for Today’s Students?
8 ways to teach to the domains of competency
Who is today’s student? In order to determine the best way to meet the challenges of teaching 21st Century students, we need to take a closer look at who they are:
Not college ready
37% of first-year students have a hard time adjusting to the demands of college
and university
More tech savvy
Want to acquire knowledge quickly as well as skills that can be transferred to the
workplace
Less traditional
Leading busy lives, often with family and work
responsibilities outside of the demands of school
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Today’s students expect that their college or university experience will:
• Prepare them for their careers
• Relate to job competencies, job seeking and success
• Be supported and enhanced by technology
• Focus on application and transferable skills rather than just acquiring knowledge
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A growing body of research has shown that meeting the needs of today’s students and preparing them for education, life, and work means addressing three domains of competency:
CognitiveDomain
IntrapersonalDomain
InterpersonalDomain
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The CognitiveDomain
Creativity
Knowledge
Reasoning & Argumentation
Critical ThinkingCognitive Processes & Strategies
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The Intrapersonal
DomainMetacognition
(the ability to reflect on one’s own learning and make
adjustments accordingly)
Intellectual Openness
Work Ethic & Conscientiousness
Self-efficacy (one’s confidence in the ability to control his/her own motivation,
behavior, and social environment)
Persistence & Grit
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The Interpersonal
DomainConflict Resolution
Communication
Collaboration
Leadership
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How to teach to the domains of competency
1. Provide clearly delineated learning goals and a model of the learning process.
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2. Represent content and concepts in various ways accompanied by activities.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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3. Encourage elaboration, questioning, investigation and explanation.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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4. Engage learners in challenging tasks, while supporting them with appropriate scaffolding.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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5. Teach with examples and case studies that bring home real-world relevance and show concepts at work.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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6. Prime student motivation by connecting with student interests, experience and aspirations.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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7. Engage students in collaborative problem solving or other collaboration with a learning purpose.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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8. Provide meaningful feedback and invite students to assess their own progress.
How to teach to the domains of competency
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References1. National Research Council. Education for Life and Work: Developing
Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, 2012. Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills, J.W. Pellegrino and M.L. Hilton, Editors. Board on Testing and Assessment and Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
2. Education for Life and Work. Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. National Research Council of the National Academies of Science, 2012. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13398/education-for-life-and-work-developing-transferable-knowledge-and-skills.
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