Learning in 21st Century

Inspired learning

Learning in the 21^st century presents new challenges and opportunities. New technologies are breaking down classroom walls and creating global virtual classrooms. As technology improves and new discoveries are made, our students will have unprecedented access to information and they will be judged by how they use what they know.

Students starting school this year will probably be working until the 2070s. We know that the rate of change in technology and in society is so fast that if we are going to prepare young people to live, work and be successful in the 21^st century, they will need the ability to think both creatively and critically, problem solve and work collaboratively.

So if this is the world our children will live in, the value of their education is even more important. We know that in the future simply finishing high school will not be enough; post school qualifications will be the minimum.

We need great teachers in our classrooms to inspire our young people to achieve.

Great teachers know the content of the subjects they teach and have a deep understanding of how learning happens.  Great teachers have a rich repertoire of teaching strategies and know when to use specific strategies to optimize student learning.

Great teachers work in highly collaborative ways, reflect on their practices and learn from others. Great teachers are always looking at ways they can use new data and research to become even better teachers.

Great teachers are passionate about the subjects they teach, and use this passion to inspire a thirst for knowledge and love of learning in their students.

Have your say

I welcome your input. Here are the questions that may help form your response.

• What knowledge and skills will our children need to thrive in the 21^st century?
• What makes a teacher inspiring?
• What should students expect from their teachers?
• What should parents expect from their child's teacher?
• How can teachers, parents and students work together to raise expectations for student outcomes?
• What are the clear messages from Australian and international research about how to support the best teaching and learning practices in our schools?

Eight Questions

Management is very important aspect of any business, and can be a very rewarding role to play. It’s not always plain sailing, though, and you sometimes have to deal with people who cause difficult situations for you.

For example, you may be in a situation where you find it difficult to deal with a team member. This can be caused by many reasons, including differences in positions and interests,motivations, personality styles, perceptions, cultural backgrounds, experience and many others.

Here are some questions you may like to consider to isolate the source of these differences and help you consider a way to deal with them:

• How is your perception of the situation different from the other person?
• How might their motivations differ from yours?
• What do you find difficult about the other person’s style?
• Does the other person’s communication style differ from yours?
• What is the other person’s interest in this matter?
• Are they taking a position that you find hard to deal with? 
• What experience or background does the person have that might be influencing they way they consider the situation? 
• Are other people involved in the situation, whose views you may have to consider?

Having answered those questions, what conclusions can you come to about the source of the difficulty?

The answers to these questions will give you a clear view as to why the difficulties are occurring in the first place, and give you a firm foundation on which to build a solution-focused conversation.

Randy Pausch - Points on How to Improve your Life

This is amazing, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book ‘The last lecture” before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind… 

In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow. May you be blessed by his insight.

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

Model you can use

7s Model was developed in the 1980s and is still valuable as a management model today.

It can be used in situations where you are trying to align various aspects of your business,especially where you are going through rapid and uncertain change.

Developed by the McKinsey Group, the 7S model involves seven factors which can be categorized as either “hard” or“soft” elements:

Hard Elements would include your strategy for change, the structure of the organization and the systems you use. 

Soft elements would be the shared values that you and your team employ, the skill-sets that you need, the style you adopt and the knowledge and abilities of your staff

“Hard” elements can be identified and influenced more easily:
They would be driven by the organization charts and reporting lines within the business and they may include the systems you use to get work done.

“Soft” elements are, by their very nature, more difficult to manage and may be affected by the culture of the organization.
But you have to apply yourself to these as much as the hard elements, as they provide the support structure for the successful implementation of any change, and they are all interdependent on each other.

You need to ask yourself where you are now and where you want to be in the future. The model will help you assess these elements with these searching questions:

Strategy:

* What is our strategy, in real terms?
* What are our strategic objectives?
* What will we do about the competition?
* What will our customers demand from us in the future?

Structure:

* How is the company set up?
* What is the organizational structure?
* How do the teams work together to achieve goals?
* How do the team members work together?
* What is the quality of communication?

Systems:

* What are the main systems we use in the company?
* How do we monitor and measure the systems?
* What processes do we currently use?

Shared Values:

* What are the values we keep to within the business?
* What is the corporate culture?
* What is the strength of these values?
* How are we communicating those values?

Style:

* What style does the management team adopt?
* How effective is it?
* How would we rate the teamwork among our staff?

Staff:

* How do our teams specialize in their roles or are they more general in their responsibilities?
* Have we the right people in the right places?
* What development do they need?

Skills:

* What are the strongest skills we have in the company?
* What skill gaps are there?
* Do we have staff who can do the job competently?
* How do we measure and reward success?

The McKinsey 7Ss model can be applied to almost any issue at work. If there are any inconsistencies in some of the above elements, maybe your team or company isn’t working effectively enough. The model can help reveal these inconsistencies, and you can work to ensure these elements are matched up to help you share values and objectives with your teams that are responsible for making it happen.

Height of Miscommunication....

This is a short story written by Dr Kishore Shah....he is a gynaecologist in Pune and a very gifted writer....enjoy this extremely funny story. Here it goes

My wife is an ENT Surgeon while I am a Gynaecologist. This can lead to some complications, as I recently learned to my anguish. 

A General Practitioner called me up and told me that she is sending a patient of hers for an abortion. Unknown to me, she had also referred a female with earwax for removal of the wax to my wife.

I duly informed the receptionist to send the patient right in as she was expected (and expecting!) As Murphy lays down the laws of our hospital, it was but natural that the patient who wanted the wax removed from her ear, landed up with me. This is the conversation that I had with the patient.

"Please come in. Be seated." I said with a big smile. I always have a big smile, when I am going to earn some money. The patient gave a feeble smile and sat hesitantly on the edge of the chair. "Relax."

"Doctor, will this hurt a lot?"

"Not at all."

The patient relaxed visibly. "You know something, Doctor, we tried removing it at home, but failed."

I was shocked. "Thank God. Trying this at home can cause serious complications."

"I first tried to remove it by jumping up and down, but it just wouldn't budge."

I smiled and said, "If it were that easy, who would need doctors?"

She gave a cute smile and said, "Yeah! My neighbour tried to remove it with his finger, but the hole is so small that he used a hair pin."

"Oh my God!"

"Yes! My mother even tried a matchstick."

My blood pressure was shooting skywards. I just sputtered without uttering a word.

"Tell me, doctor, how do I avoid getting this dirt inside me?"

I knew that it was an unwanted pregnancy, but calling it dirt was too much. I replied a bit angrily, "There are tablets which can prevent this happening. Or you could use protection at night."

Now it was the patient's turn to be confused, "You mean to say that it happens only at night?"

I saw her point. "No! No! I meant anytime of the day, whenever you are in the mood, you should use protection."

She was even more confused, "It depends on my moods?" 

Again I saw her point. "My mistake. You need not be in any sort of mood. It just happens."

"My neighbour advised me to go to one of those chaps who sit by the roadside."

"You mean that pin man?"

"Yeah!"

This neighbour of hers seemed to be a very dangerous man. Besides using pins, he was sending her to such quacks. The only safety he knew was

among the pins. "You were wise not to heed his advice."

"But I tried his other advice. He told me to put warm oil inside and wait. However, that also did not work."

This was getting more and more bizarre. Her neighbour deserved to be locked up either in a padded cell or a barred one. "But have you taken your husband's permission?"

Now the patient looked confused. "Do I have to take my husband's permission? Because if you need his sign, he is working in Dubai. We were not able to meet for the last one year."

It was my turn to be shocked. I gave a sly smirk. It was one of 'those' cases. The pin-wielding neighbour seemed to me the usual suspect. I reassured her. "No! No! The husband's sign is not at all needed."

"However, I did inform him on phone."

Her husband seemed to me a very broad-minded fellow. I didn't know whether to congratulate her or to commiserate with her. So I hastily turned to other aspects. "Its good that you came a bit early."

"Actually I wanted to come early in the morning, but I had some other work."

"Oh! I did not mean early today. I meant that if you had delayed this removal, it would have started moving. Then it would have developed a heartbeat."

The patient was staring at me wide eyed as if watching a horror movie. Looking at her face, I decided that she was not fit to listen to the grotesque details. I decided to relieve her a bit. I said, "You will bleed a bit, but only for a few days."

By now, the poor patient was trembling, "how-H-How much bleeding?"

"Oh, only slightly more than your menstrual period, and it will continue only for a week or so."

By now the patient was clutching her hair in her fingers and staring at me wide-eyed. I asked her soothingly, "Why don't you lie down on the

examination table? Remove your clothes and relax."

This was the final straw. She didn't even wish me goodbye. I saw just a blur of motion leaving my consulting room at top speed.

Technique for Listening

I have conducted few seminars on communication skills. I often share my email id for after thoughts, comments etc.

I got a mail from one of the participant which went some thing like this

"Hi Nilesh,

Thanks for a wonderful course. I never knew that learning could be such fun and your enthusiasm and energy has really left an impression on the group.

I really enjoyed those active listening exercises that we completed on the course as this is an area I feel really difficult to master. I know it's only been few days since the course but I feel I am getting better at it as I am implementing the technique that you covered.

Have you got a short, sharp model that I can easily remember that I can take into EVERY situation when I need to actively listen?

Thanks again Nilesh

What you do is just great

Manjeet"

My response was something like this

"Hi Manjeet,

Thanks for kind comments!

You did a great job on the second exercise when you went into it with the mindset of "Active" listening rather then "Passive" listening.

Ok, let me give you a simple technique that you can use to become a better listener. It's called  R.A.S.E

R = Respond to the content

A = Acknowledge the feelings of what is being said

S = Show your understanding

E = Encourage further information

Let me give you an example:

RESPOND TO THE CONTENT

This is another term for reflecting back what they have said in your own terms. By doing this it demonstrates your own understanding and if you know you have to do this it really makes you listen believe me!

This is also called "paraphrasing". There is a section on there in your workbook. So, if the person says:

"You can really see the bad atmosphere within that group"

You could reply with:

"So, there are some serious going's on then with people"

This response shows the speaker that you have understood what they have said.

Then.....

ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEELINGS

So you change your focus to acknowledge what the person must be feeling:

"It sounds as though you are feeling uncomfortable about what is currently going on within your group"

Then...

SHOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND

Make your understanding real and legitimate even if you do not agree with them yourself. Remember, you are taking the speakers point of view into account and appreciate that.

"If I was in your situation I would feel uncomfortable too. I can see that you do not like this type of atmosphere in the air at work"

Then...

ENCOURAGE FURTHER INFORMATION

The final step in RASE is to encourage further discussion by asking an open ended question.

"So, tell me - what exactly is going on there?"

In Summary:

I hope that you find that model useful.

That does not mean that you use it every time as people will tend to see straight through it if you do.

Add it to your toolbox of skills and use it whenever you need it.

Thanks again and please do take advantage of our post-course email support system, it is there to help you.

- Nilesh"

Hope you find this useful. If you have any useful techniques please share.

Skills That You Need to Succeed

Recently I participated in a discussion about what are the key skills employers look for in entry-level workers. Here is a summary of points that came out. 

Entry level workers in a variety of professions were lacking in several areas, including problem solving, conflict resolution, and critical observation.

Every field would of-course requires technical skills. But apart from that you will also notice "soft skills" in job descriptions, next to demands for technical qualifications. Employment experts agree that tech skills may get you an interview, but these soft skills will get you the job--and help you keep it:

1. Communication skills

Good communication skills means your ability to express yourself well both verbally and in written communication. You need to do well in this area, whether it's writing a coherent memo, persuading others with a presentation, or just being able to calmly explain to a team member what you need.

2. Teamwork and collaboration

Most of the time working in team is a necessity. Employees are expected to work with others to ensure work is done effectively. This means one has to learn about team dynamics and how teams functions. It means able to monitor progress, meeting deadlines and working with others across teams to achieve a common set of objectives.

3. Adaptability

Changes take place all the time. One has to learn to deal with change. This involves learning new things, trying different approaches, and one has to first understand how change happens and how to cope with it.

On your resume, on your cover letter, and in your interview, explain the ways you've continued to learn and grow throughout your career.

4. Problem solving

Problem solving is very important skill. First you must be able to identify what the exact problem is. There is a very good book available on this. You will be asked 

 "How did you solve a problem?" interview question with several examples. Think of specific examples where you solved a tough business problem or participated in the solution. Be able to explain what you did, how you approached the problem, how you involved others, and what the outcome was--in real, measurable results.

5. Critical observation

It's not enough to be able to collect data and manipulate it. You must also be able to analyze and interpret it. What story does the data tell? What questions are raised? Are there different ways to interpret the data? Always provide a business summary and highlight the key areas for attention, and suggest possible next steps.

6. Conflict resolution

The ability to persuade, negotiate, and resolve conflicts is crucial if you plan to move up. You need to have the skill to develop mutually beneficial relationships in the organization so you can influence and persuade people. You need to be able to negotiate win-win solutions to serve the best interests of the company and the individuals involved.

To demonstrate communication skills, for example, start with the obvious. Make sure there are no typos in your resume or cover letter. Beyond that, enhance your communication credibility by writing an accomplishment statement on your resume or cover letter. Instead of stating, 'great oral and written communication skills,' say, 'conducted presentation for C-level executives that persuaded them to open a new line of business that became profitable within eight months.'"

The good news is that, like any skill, soft skills can be learned. 

The better news? Boosting your soft skills can not only give you a edge on a new job or a promotion--these skills have obvious applications in all areas of a person's life, both professional and personal. So make sure that you work on these skills and succeed.