21st Century Knowing

21st Century Knowing Part 1
Theva Nithy

Can we afford to be stuck in current Education Systems, regardless whether they are the much hyped International School Systems, or the multitudes of National School systems used worldwide? What must happen to ensure not just the success and sustainability of our students, but also countries, and ultimately, the planet and all its life?

The global advocacy movement for new curriculums and standards is growing daily, with some of the strongest advocates coming from The UK and US. In Malaysia, it remains in the rhetorical stages, and this is jeopardizing the future and potentials of the diverse talents of our learners. They are becoming irrelevant even as they climb the educational ladder to greater heights of knowledge – knowledge that is already irrelevant as they “learn” it. Outdated and meaningless approaches to Learning and Knowing, and the exposure of our learners to non-existent classroom representations of real world learning models; are taking us backwards instead of forwards.

A major part of the problem is that education systems are preparing students for higher education only, when they should actually be preparing students for higher education, life and the workplace – which together constitute the real world. There remains the old problem of there being no clear link between educational content in schools, with workplace skills and requirements. Even more disturbing, education is no longer developing citizens with strong values and principles, who are ethical and morally upright. Is this a trend for the human race or is this simply an indication that education systems have taken a wrong turn somewhere?

The big question is – is it the core content of knowledge that is the vital component of intelligence or is it the ways of knowing of content that is crucial? It might look as if there is a play of words here, but the basis of the questions I pose is this.

The traditional way of doing things in schools globally is to provide the industrial age based, so called core subjects that provide a fixed quantum of knowledge. These are languages, the sciences, math, accounting, commerce subjects, religion even, country based-agendas of versions of history, geography, general knowledge that the powers that be decide SHOULD be general knowledge, with some music and the arts thrown in.

I would propose that no student in any country anywhere needs to be told about general knowledge, religion, morals, personal histories and on top of that, memorise facts of science, ways of doing math which should be based upon understanding but is more usually based on memory, and after all this, be brainwashed into believing one sided perspectives of history and geography – crucial topics that affect learners’ acceptance of diversity and inclusivity in all its forms and glories. The most important of these is to be able to see through clear eyes and minds that treat everyone as equal human beings.

One of the big objectives for me as far as a learner’s life is concerned, is that it should be full of Eureka moments, when all the learning and knowing he has been exposed to come together and he goes into high gear, ready to take on the world. Educators must come to realise that it is important that they understand how learning occurs for every one of their students, so that every student will experience that Eureka moment. Neuroscience and Educational psychology has taught us that, at the very least.

Our world is transforming at a breakneck speed that should be forcing us to ask the question, “Is our Education system working for our children?” Revolutionary ways of conducting life requires radical changes in education, and these will happen whether education changes or not. The only people who will suffer should changes not occur are our children.
In this crazy, crazy world where information and knowledge is changing every second, we must educate students to know how to know, to know how to learn, and to know how to turn the data that is now completely and freely accessible and ubiquitous, into wisdom, and how to track and research their own learning with a critical eye.
I would also propose that everyone asks the following questions:
1. If moral and religious subjects that have been taught the past 50 years are being taught for the sake of our morality and piousness, why is it that these are the very qualities that are missing in the world we live in today?
2. If history and geography has been taught to enable us to see different perspectives and to understand the world we live in, and even more so the countries we live in, why is it we do not see and certainly do not accept the diversity of the world, and even more so, the diversity of our country?
3. If the Sciences, Math and Arts are supposed to have been taught to stimulate creativity, innovation and thoughtful, reflective thinkers, why is it that the graduating learners are becoming dull, unthinking robots who wait for instructions, unable to think and behave independently?

AND FINALLY, ASSUMING THE ABOVE ARE TRUE…

4. If the rule of the day - in research, government, organisations and other units of administration – is to throw out concepts, things and rules that have been proven not to work, why are we still using the same education system?

Assuming that I am in the general vicinity of hitting the nail on the head, then what might be the alternative to a new education system? I will try to present a logical progression of ideas to a conclusion and construct a final list of the 21st century subjects that might function to form bridges to knowing. Needless to say, a huge basis of the problem is that we are already in the 21st century, and it is almost too late for us.

The core attributes that every learner must come to be ingrained with, would be the following.
• independent enquirers who are able to make wise, fully informed and real time decisions, thus enabling personal belief and willingness to participate not just in lifelong learning, but also the creation of new knowledge through lifelong generation of ways of knowing
• creative thinkers with a view of global dimensions and sustainable development
• reflective learners who apply creativity, critical thinking, ethics and morals to constantly self-evaluate and self-correct
• teachers of fellow students and their own teachers, as teaching represents the highest order of understanding meaning behind facts, and represents a selfless and service oriented belief
• team workers who believe in community participation and service
• self-managers who create healthy lifestyles for themselves, and have real acceptance and understanding of diversity in religion, race, culture and beliefs, with none advocating supremacy over another
• effective, action-oriented participators in national and international events and issues, and a willingness to be counted in developing and implementing the difficult but right policies and actions
• expert communicators in THE global language, that will enable them to present, discuss, debate and defend ideas and thoughts, and be influenced and influence other knowers of the world (whatever that language might be – it is no country’s, government’s or man’s decision. Global communities will decide by consensus)

The important dimensions that would contribute to the above would then be woven into and across the whole curriculum and would then become the guide-light to the creation of items that make up a learning environment. The educating and learning environment would stimulate and demonstrate the development of the following:
• a clear division between the political and educational systems, with the biggest, perfectly defined wall, barrier and border built between the two
• new ways of thinking and knowing based on new knowledge and technologies that are constantly evolving, ensuring the structure and content stays dynamic and able to change and inform of changes in a understandable manner
• programmes of professional development that help educators and administrators cope with and master new ways of knowing, and the ability to facilitate learner’s autonomy, purpose and mastery
• revolutionary approaches to content knowledge mastery that exist to provide learners stepping stones to thinking and knowing, and the mastery of which is not the expected final outcome
• brand new content that mirror the workings and demands of the real world, and not compartmentalised subject based curricula that are the norm now
• acceptable and measurable ways to collect evidence of pupils’ relevant knowledge, skills and understanding as seen in their talk, actions and outcomes
• models of manageable ways of collecting evidence that give meaning to learners and educators, at the same time meaningful and relevant to industry, citizenship and sustainability
• inclusive, individually unbiased, individually stimulating knowing environments (classrooms) that cater to the creation of a thinker and a knower

Having said all this, let’s get to the core of the issue – what would this new education system be composed off? What would be the actual material encountered by students as they sit down at their desks in school?

I am proposing that we realign our thinking so that the start point of our educational strategy is the outcomes we require in real life, the workplace and in academics. In that case, current subjects would be replaced by competencies, an example of which follows.

1. Research and Problem Solving using Logical and Creativity based Thinking and Knowing
2. Wise Decision making using real-time, accurate, meaningfully connected and relevant Knowing, enabling Leaps of Logic and Intuition.
3. Developing, Proposing, Presenting, Recording, Evaluating and Concluding Projects
4. Living with, developing, applying and shaping technology hardware and software
5. Coordinating and Teamwork in Project Scheduling and Implementation within the framework of Adaptability, Ethics, Morals and Inclusivity
6. Financial, Business, Economic and Accounting fundamentals in Planning
7. Developing optimum Minds, Health, Life and Fitness through Diet and Exercise
8. Shaping and developing futures for a sustainable financial and living model for the planet

Reflect upon the above, and we will carry on discussing this issue in the next article. In the meanwhile, we Malaysians should start realising that when everything is coming AT us, we are driving in the wrong lane, and it is time to turn around and change the direction we are heading into.

As part of the reflection process, study the evolution of Knowing diagram below, and try to make sense of it. Does it bring meaning to what you have experienced in your own lives? Shouldn’t this be what our children are experiencing in school now?







Figure 1: The Evolution of Knowing – from meaningless data to wise, informed, real time decision making. The triangle represents the learning environment of a proposed ideal field of interaction in a new Learning Space that forms a learner’s digital portfolio. A3 Knowledge is Anytime & Anywhere Access to Knowledge

Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. The School is working to contribute towards the transformation of the landscapes of the Malaysian schooling and higher education systems, to enable a world class 21st century system. He can be contacted at ntheva@gmail.com.
21st Century Knowing Part 2
Theva Nithy

Let’s get right into the heart of the matter, after considering the new ways of knowing and thus the related new competencies that I proposed in the last article. These competencies would form the basis of content material to be presented, instead of subjects being presented and learners wondering how these subjects relate to and bring meaning to their own lives. Here is an example.
A teacher walks into the classroom and starts on a “subject” I proposed last week - Research and Problem Solving using Logical and Creativity based Thinking and Knowing. Teacher introduces a problem faced by the world now, pollution and global warming. In the course of introducing the problem, teacher will talk about the involvement of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math – in addressing and solving the problem. It might even be that the problem statement has been so expertly arranged that the chapters covered in the various disciplines, represents fundamental knowledge and are all Chapters 1 in the various books.
If this was being done at the Kindergarten stage, then the academics involved would be at an introductory level and the skills being trained would be the first steps in the process. The point is that interdisciplinary connections would be established immediately and relevance to and use in skills would also be clearly shown, together with impact on the real world.
Another example.
My 12 year old son came up me saying he had somehow removed the video device driver, and was not getting a clear display. I could have solved the problem for him in 2 minutes, but I asked him what he was going to do. He said he would look up YouTube and find out what to do. He did, and solved the problem 10 minutes later.
It is a common enough occurrence in many homes, but I wonder if you see the implications for this.
Here we have a 12 year old kid who, though tech savvy, has no real technical knowledge in software and hardware, and certainly not in solving a problem in a laptop. He is a 21st century learner though, and knew that there was bound to be a solution online. He looked at the VIDEO, learnt to understand it, and applied his new knowledge. My son's story is a powerful example of how online videos have transformed learning, as well as the role of formal education in the 21st century. We don’t need schools and teachers to be “information or content suppliers” anymore.
Think about this.
Schools and education systems were developed in the industrial age to transmit information, down a one-way street, to students. This was done at a time when knowledgeable “factory workers” were needed who really only needed to have specific skills, and were mostly required to not think too much.Now that all knowledge is ubiquitous, and in a medium that is far richer than what classrooms can offer, what is the purpose of schools and formal education?
I have already stated my belief that our learners today do not know how to research, analyse, filter and make wise decisions about issues and problems they have to deal with. The do not know how to process data and information, the very basic building blocks for the knowledge pool of the human race, and which is all displayed openly on the www.
Has the internet replaced the need for teachers? No, but our purpose and function have changed.
Teaching is no longer about Content Knowing; it is about facilitating Knowing and the building of associated skills.

We often grouse about exams that have no purpose and meaning, and that alternate means of assessment are needed. Why not consider the possibility that we don’t need assessments at all, since we are not educating students in order to judge them, but to facilitate learning. We have instead turned education systems into competitions for placements in universities and certainly in life itself too. Is that we still mean to do? I would go so far as to say that current examination systems are a form of education and economics apartheid, especially since research has shown a clear link between increased wealth, status, facilities and family reputations; and educational and career success – to put it bluntly – the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Is that what education systems are geared to do?
A digital portfolio system, replacing exams and assessments, would offer learners themselves, and their learning guides, a means to facilitate the process of learning. The digital portfolio could be evaluated anytime not for the purpose of assigning grades, but to ensure the completion of learning objectives and off ensuring that readiness for a promotion to a next academic level is primed for success. The real outcome of a portfolio would be learners are able to reflect on the process and outcomes of their works, and to pinpoint wrong turns and right ones too. They would be trained to success in the 21st century where analysis of mistakes and knowing of correct actions are the basic necessities to continuous learning.
Yes, it would be hard - rewriting the curriculum and retraining the professionals
Yes, it would be expensive – supplying new material and technology to enable the process
Yes, it would be long term – no votes to be gained because impact will not be seen for a long time
Yes, there would be sensitive issues – but everything is already “way too racial” anyway nowadays and we want to change that.
Is it worth doing? A “failed state” is at stake, and that is something real and not a metaphor. The emigration of our talents is progressing well much to Malaysia’s dismay, and getting worse and it is happening as your read this article.
Is it still worth doing? Who would be involved in the steps leading to a transformed education system and what would their responsibilities be? A structure for the delegation of responsibilities might look something like this.
Federal Government: Federal legislation will have to be enacted that will require alignment of existing education laws to support the establishment of a world-class curriculum, new ways of assessments, systems of accountability and teacher accreditation requirements; all with no political affiliations and with top management having a public-access file with proven, mandatory zero political affiliation.
State Governments: States will support and guarantee a continuous and transparent public education system for all students from preschool through postsecondary graduation, with transparent and public accountability systems by school heads in all matters pertaining to academic, leadership and co-curricular decision making. Real world learning will be incorporated into school curriculum, connecting education programs to the state’s economic activities.
Public and Private Communities and Industries: PPCIs will provide education leaders and students with access to short-term job opportunities in which they can experience knowing, knowledge and skill requirements of the 21st century economy. PPCIs will periodically assess changes and progress made by schools within their local region. PPCIs will be engaged by the Federal and State Governments as advisors and consultants to reforms and a check and balance system will be established where federal and state governments are accountable to and can be publicly taken to task by PPCIs.
Under ideal circumstances, this could be new policy that might be implemented easily, but the reality of the many unnecessary political interferences and considerations in Malaysian education will complicate matters. Straight thinking and steadfast political will will be needed to force implementation and operationalising.
If the health system is tasked to save lives, then the education system’s task is to save minds. Speaking just for Malaysia, this is one rescue mission that needs doing right this instant, because minds are being lost daily!

Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. The School is working to contribute towards the transformation of the landscapes of the Malaysian Schooling and Higher Education Systems, to enable a world class 21st century system. He can be contacted at ntheva@gmail.com.