Teachers' Orientation To Teaching And Their Perceived Readiness For 21st Century Learners

Abstract

In a 21st century world where students will need mastery of both core subjects and applied skills, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the congruence of teachers' orientations to education and the 21st century learning needs of students. The educational orientation of participants/teachers was measured by the Educational Orientation Questionnaire (Quam, 1998) with follow-up interviews and classroom observations focused on exploring their perceived readiness for 21stcentury learning in the classroom and congruence of their orientation to learning and the development of 21st century skills. Study findings will raise awareness of where teachers are on the continuum of pedagogy to andragogy and the ways in which their educational orientation influences their perceived readiness for the classroom and 21st century student learning. Study findings will also aid teacher educators and school leaders in recognizing the need to provide teacher training, either pre-service or professional development, to ensure our teachers can meet the needs of 21st century learners in the K-12 educational arena.