Abstract
Innovative instructional methods integrating 21st century competencies need to be taught strategically by educators in virtual, hybrid, and traditional classroom settings. Several challenges with engaging students in virtual and hybrid environments have emerged. However, findings have indicated that implementing innovative technology tools and teaching methods can enhance student engagement. Addressing students' social-emotional needs before expecting them to master the 21st-century competencies is crucial; therefore, understanding synchronous and asynchronous instructional tools is necessary to enhance student engagement. Because the digital divide among students living in poverty continues to grow during the pandemic, developing global connections is critical. Therefore, high-quality professional development is essential to supporting teachers to become innovators.
TopBackground
The barriers to teaching communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and technology’s impact in schools have been discussed in a broad context. This chapter specifically focuses on innovative instructional methods that integrate the 21st-century competencies. Providing specific solutions to the challenges of digitization, distance learning, and lacking equity in education can help educators bridge the learning divide and increase student achievement. The author is involved in supporting teachers with transitional kindergarten to 12th-grade education as well as teaching future educators at the university level. This unique perspective allows readers to explore the barriers to 21st-century education and the challenges of digitization.
Ongoing professional development is needed to train teachers in embedding the foundational 21st-century competencies into virtual, hybrid, or traditional classroom settings. Barriers to teaching and learning the competencies include inadequate access to resources, economic constraints, the COVID-19 pandemic, social and civil unrest, and personal views of educators and administrators (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Hironmoy et al., 2020; Sette-de-Souza, 2020). This chapter reviews practical solutions to the barriers.
The digital divide has widened as a direct result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds do not have equitable access to technology devices, reliable internet, or the basic needs that must be met before in-depth learning can occur. The growing divide between affluent societies that benefit from rapid technological innovation and those in poverty who fall further behind threatens the health of our global economy and society (Soskil, 2018). However, selecting the most effective technology tool can be challenging (Aldosemani, 2019). Motivating learners to continually engage in virtual or hybrid learning is essential to increasing their engagement and achievement in academic subjects (Saienko & Chugai, 2020; Sette-de-Souza, 2020). Closing the digital divide through increased funding to provide devices and internet access to all students is essential but insufficient. Thus, strong professional development is required to equip educators with the skills needed to feel confident in integrating technology with purpose and teaching all learners how to use technology to achieve learning targets and goals (Aldosemani, 2019; Williams, 2019).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Professional Development (PD): Ongoing, relevant learning for educators and other professionals to enhance their professional skills.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL): The student-centered pedagogy in which students solve open-ended, real-world problems to learn subject matter through experience.
Technology Tools: Tools that students and teachers utilize to facilitate learning in the virtual, hybrid, or traditional classroom environment.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): The process in which adults and children comprehend and manage emotions and develop positive relationships.
STEAM: Standing for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, it refers to the intentional integration of two or more subjects within the acronym. It also connects the subjects to real-world learning and STEAM-related careers.
Innovation: The process of creating and thinking of original ideas, methods, and solutions to problems and challenges.
Synchronous Instruction: Real-time teaching and learning either in person, on Zoom, Google Meet, or a similar live virtual platform.
Asynchronous Instruction: The teaching and learning that occurs during independent study time but does not occur during live instruction with a teacher.