Classrooms in the 21st Century

The 21st Century learner is much different than those of the past. Attention spans for sitting through long lectures are nonexistent. The young people of today are used to watching music videos which switch frames every second, as well as playing face-paced video and computer games. It is not the kids' fault that they have a hard time sitting down and shutting up for an entire 45 minute class period while some teacher rambles on about something seemingly insignificant to their lives. It is our job as teachers to reach students where they are in order to get them to meet the desired goals and learning objectives. We must make material relevant in terms of content and the way in which we teach. If this is not done, we run the risk of alienating our students. When we do this, students react in various ways including: withdrawal, violence, disrupting, and avoidance.