Some thoughts on language learning and the ever-changing 21st century

Hello again, Dear Reader!

Do you remember how you learnt English? Did you learn it in a traditional classroom setting, or did you learn it online? 

With all due respect to all my English teachers, I have to admit that they only managed to give me crumbs. I learnt English by being a fangirl online. (Shout out to Louis Tomlinson’s Doncaster accent.) I wanted to consume but more importantly, CREATE fan content so I had to teach myself how to use various tools on the internet AND English. (If you checked my About Me page, you know I am a nerd.)

Time is moving constantly and changing us along with it. So, why are we not changing how we teach when the way we learn has already changed? In a language classroom, our aim should be guiding our students into using the language as much as possible and integration of technology and activities that prompt our students to create is the most effective way.

To me, Dear Reader, 21st-century learning is learning how to learn, how to take our learning into our own hands and seeking knowledge outside of the classroom. As teachers, we need to be conscious of this and adjust our teaching according to it. We need to equip ourselves with the tools and skills that are needed for this fast century, so we can equip our students with them as well.

Most importantly, we need to teach our students how to keep up with this ever-changing world. It is the skill we all need.

That’s what the 21st century is all about: trying to keep up. 

With love, Bea. x