The 7 Habits of 21st Century Teachers

1. Facilitate. Teachers today aren’t dispensers of knowledge as in the past. 21^st century teachers must help students find the answers. Teachers must question students, challenge them to dig deeper, and motivate them to persist. All of these actions facilitate learning.

2. Collaborate. Students need to learn how to collaborate with each other. In today’s connected world, students may work with other students across the globe as well as in their own hometown.  In the future, they may work with live or virtual teams, and they need to know how to do it successfully.

3. Design. Designers design objects for better function. 21^st century teachers design lessons that keep students at the center of the design. Teachers brainstorm, create, and test their ideas and ask for feedback. 21^st century teachers don’t ask, “How can I teach this?” Instead, they ask, “How will my students best learn this?”

4. Listen. Students want to be heard. Their voice is important. Find ways for students to have choice, give feedback, and share input. Students become an active part of the design process and classroom decision-making, thus increasing ownership in their learning.

5. Relate. Strong relationships are the key to successful teaching and learning. 21^st century teachers get to know students on a personal level – their likes, dislikes, interests, etc. More than ever, students want to learn lessons that are relevant. Students also want to know that a teacher cares… more about them as a person than the teachers cares about the content he/she is teaching.

6. Share. With today’s technology, it’s extremely easy to share ideas and information. 21^st century teachers seek out ways to get new ideas and share their own. Sharing with others creates vulnerability, and it raises the stakes of what happens in a classroom, even more so if the sharing takes place online. Teachers willing to learn from others are usually teachers who truly care about students and will do what is best for their students’ learning.

7. Innovate. Technology has increased the rate of change dramatically for how teaching and learning occurs today. 21^st century teachers embrace this change and find ways to innovate through the use of technology. From flipped classrooms to twitter chats to Google hangouts… 21^st century teachers are finding new ways to connect with others and transform the classroom.

What about you? Do you agree with this list? What would you have included that is not listed?