21st C Teaching and Learning

A Call to Action for the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future

By Chris Dede. Commissioned for the second of NCTAF's three national summits, this paper provides vignettes to demonstrate moving into the "future" of learning: in real-world contexts while using powerful tools and collaborating with others.

Induction Into Learning Communities

"If America is to meet the needs of 21st century learners, we must move away from the norms that governed factory-era schools.... Transforming schools into 21st century learning communities means recognizing that teachers must become members of a growing network of shared expertise."

-- Induction Into Learning Communities

This paper presents NCTAF's vision for new teacher induction into strong schools that support a career of continuous professional growth. The paper examines data on induction's impact on teacher retention and emerging information on induction's effects on improving student learning, and goes in-depth on models of strong mentoring programs in the U.S. and comprehensive induction systems in other countries.

Learning in the 21st Century

A presentation on the students of the 21st Century, also called "Millennials." Cheryl Lemke, of Metiri Group, provides compelling evidence that schooling must change to match the interests and needs of millennials and the rest of society.