Authentic Assessment of Compulsory Subjects in Primary Schools: A Case Study in the Western Area of China

This article discusses a case study that explores the relationship between 21st century learning and curriculum alignment. It investigates three compulsory subjects: Chinese, mathematics, and English. By inquiring the survey on individual perspectives on curriculum content and authentic assessment in different schools within the scope of western Chinese primary schools, this article concluded that 21st century learning skills are well developed in primary schools. Although authentic assessment from parents’ perspective is diminutive, it is progressive for some students. Numerous factors can influence the actual practice of authentic assessment as teachers and pedagogies significantly contribute to students’ learning outcomes. The authentic assessment in China still has a long way to go in order to boost these learning skills to a higher level.

Teachers Perceptions of Google Classroom: Revealing Urgency for Teacher Professional Learning

As the use of educational technology is at the forefront of today’s educational revolution, it is imperative that educators are employing online learning environments such as Google Classroom to enhance 21st century pedagogy and student learning. Through this mixed method research study, it has been concluded that using Google Classroom will assist educators in creating learning environments which boast organization, accessibility, mobility, and 21st century learning skills. This research reveals there continues to be gaps between the possibilities of eLearning and the training of teachers to use it and develop their teaching practices within a technological mainstream that moves beyond positivism about its value. The researcher recommends that teachers receive immediate and sustained professional learning regarding the use of Google Classroom. This learning should focus on the pedagogical side of technology integration in order to enhance 21st century learning.

The Development of Reflective-Scientific Learning Model to Improve 21st Century Learning Skills In Historical Learning

<em>This research aims to develop the Reflective-scientific Learning Model to accommodate 21st-century learning skills in learning history. The ADDIE instructional design was used as the research method to develop the learning model. The research participants were 120 senior high school students. The Reflective-scientific Learning Model consists of five learning stages: historical engagement, critical-exploration, communicative-explanation, creative-elaboration, and reflective evaluation. The research results prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed learning model in improving students' 21^st-century learning skills in the learning history process. It means that the developed learning model can accommodate the needs of the 21^st-century learning skills and the learning history objectives. Based on this research, the authors highlight that the elaboration of the learning model can provide a space for synchronizing learning history objectives with other educational concepts from various disciplines. Thus, further research and development in the history education landscape should provide more opportunities for elaborating the learning models to amend the role and impact of learning history in the 21^st century</em><em>.</em>

Comparing project-based learning and problem-based learning to foster 21st-century learning skills in agricultural seaweed product

This study examined the effect of 1) learning strategy [project-based learning (PjBL) and problem-based learning (PBL)] on the ability of seaweed product diversification; 2) 21st-century learning skills [critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity (4Cs)] on the ability of seaweed product diversification; and 3) the interaction between PjBL, PBL and 4Cs on the ability of seaweed product diversification. This study was a quasi-experiment with a 2 × 4 factorial design, namely two learning strategies (PjBL and PBL) × four types of 21st-century learning skills. The research subjects were college students of a public university (n = 70). Data were analysed using the two-way analysis of variance. The results indicated that (1) there were significant differences in students’ ability to diversify seaweed between groups which were taught with PjBL and the one with PBL, (2) there were differences in the ability of students’ to diversify seaweed between the ones in the groups with different 21st-century learning skills and (3) there was an interaction between learning strategies and 21st-century learning skills towards the ability to diversify seaweed products. This study indicates that the implementation of PjBL brings a better effect compared to the implementation of PBL in fostering 21st-century learning skill. Keywords: Project-based learning; problem-based learning; 21st-century learning skills.

Digital Storytelling

Storytelling has been widely used as a strategy to develop language-related skills. Storytelling and learning are interwoven since composing a story is an inseparable component of the meaning-making process. Serving as a link between the act of imagination and perceiving the world, storytelling has been applied to promote effective language learning outcomes. Storytelling offers a language-based approach in literature by means of its activity-based, student-centered, and process-oriented nature, and storytelling supports students' negotiation of meaning by engaging and motivating them within the creative learning process. By this definition, the purpose of this research study is to initiate a scholarly discussion on innovative techniques in digital storytelling to support second language writing instruction along with significant strategies that employ 21st century learning skills.

The Role of Educational Technology in Fostering 21st Century Learning Skills in Social-Emotional Learning

Technology is transforming P-12 education. Student-driven inquiry and thirst for technology are gradually pushing out the traditional, teacher-centered classroom. Technology is seen as a powerful tool to integrate in the curriculum to create more student-centered learning and more personalized learning for students. Acknowledging that we are all living in a digital age as well as recognizing the students who are in our present-day schools are 21st century learners, educators are examining their own mindsets of what it means to be 21st century teacher. They are assessing and considering new pedagogical methods that integrate technology to further promote collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity in and outside of the classroom.