As others try to discover the next revolutionary idea to elicit changes in education, educators in the classroom are making things happen now, despite the hurdles they sometimes face. Innovative educators today are often referred to as 21st Century Teachers, and share many unique characteristics.

I believe that 21st Century Teachers:

Do what they have to for their students.

Although they may not be provided all of the tools to be successful, they find the means to do what must be done for their students.

Provide relevancy in their content.

The students don’t care to learn something because they need to learn it to pass a state exam. They have been inundated with this concept for years. This generation is about making a difference. They want to know what your class is really going to do for them.

Are transparent.

Students do not respect the position, they respect the person. For that reason, you need to be approachable and interact with the students on their level. If they can see that you don’t have a hidden agenda, they will be more inclined to trust you to put their educational needs first.

Don’t wait to master something before they implement it.

Students know a bad lesson when they are sitting through one. Let students know when you are trying something new...they may be able to help you out!

Learn alongside their students.

There is no way you can learn everything that the kids currently know. There is just not enough time in our adult days to make that happen. How about providing students with information relative to your content area and see what you can figure out together?

Don’t stop students from trying.

Just because you’re afraid to try something new, doesn’t necessarily mean you should stop your students from doing it. Making mistakes is a part of learning. Don’t automatically assume a new lesson or strategy won’t work in the classroom; give it a shot and let the students be the judge.

Get the students out of their chairs.

Students want to be challenged to learn, not see how long they can sit dormant in a chair. Give them the freedom to move about in your space and do what they need to do in order to be successful. Your job is to just provide the boundaries.

Change things up.

As long as you’re meeting the standards, why not? Make education interesting.

Consume, create, then teach their students the same.

Students no longer admire teachers because they are their teachers. They want to know what you have done and what you can do for them.

Know more than just their curriculum.

Students respect teachers who can connect the dots. Just knowing your subject limits you to just what you know and students won’t see you as a valuable resource. And isn’t that what we are supposed to be?

Know where to go to find information.

It’s okay to tell your students you do not know something. You’ll gain more respect if you are honest. They’ll be even more impressed if you can find the answer before them.

Know the standards and teach them, but trick the students into learning them.

The students don’t want to be bored with standards. For that reason, don’t tell them what they learned until after they have completed the lesson.

Acknowledge when students are more informed.

Students love when they can teach you something!

Provide students a safe environment to take risks.

Students often fear failure, but as students move from consumers to producers, we need to assist in developing a desire to try.

Allow students to use whatever means they know how to be successful.

As digital natives, our students do not value the means of a single resource. With the inception of search engines and the www, students have created their own way of generating knowledge. For that reason, we just need to be there to make sure they know what sources are reliable.

Provide students the opportunity to fail and learn from their mistakes.

Today’s students do not fear punishment the way we did when we were in school. They don’t want to be reprimanded. They want to know what they did wrong and move on.

Provide a collaborative environment where students can share their ideas.

Students no longer want to be lectured to. You need to tell them what they need to learn, create the environment, and get out of their way.

Provide students a means to be creative.

As mentioned above, this generation will consume information, but then want the opportunity to reproduce, remix and share. By allowing them the creative freedom to produce, you can be there to assist when needed, but ultimately they are the ones creating the content.

Provide students alternative means to be connected.

Students are connected through technology (i.e., smartphones). For this reason, you need to be where the students are...Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Provide a multitude of projects that warrant a result.

Students are used to multitasking and often jump around projects as their interests peak. By providing multiple projects, the students will be more engaged and not get bored.

Provide students a means to connect outside of their environment.

This generation knows how to connect. Heck, they have Facebook! But they may not know how to go beyond who or what they know. Teach them how to find others with common interests that are not in their immediate locale.

Provide students the courage to be whomever they want to be.

The students know they are our future ___________ (fill in the blank). I would feel better knowing that they are confident at what they are doing because they were encouraged to be the best at what they wanted to become.

Also read:

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: How Can I Be an Effective Teacher?

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: What Do the Students Want From Me?

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: How Do I Create the Environment?

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: What Happens In the Classroom?

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: How Do the Students Learn?

Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers: How Do I Keep the Students Motivated?