DEMO: Teaching the 21st Century Student

I. THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE BOOK What happens when teachers ask students a question? Teachers’ most common answer to this question in the previous century would have been “silence”. In recent years, however, matters have changed. In the age of information technology, the internet, and social media, the students’ si- lence has a new meaning. Instead of diverting their gaze down or out the window, many of them grab their smart gadgets in the hopes of finding the answer there. New teaching approaches must be used to keep up with the phenomena of the information and communication era. Students’ active engagement needs to be maintained, and critical thinking refined. This book offers a set of techniques to help both new and experienced teachers change their pedagogy in the face of 21st century challenges. Who can use this book debate and professional exchange of know-how for effective instruction in the digital age. The publication builds on the latest findings in the are- as of modern teaching, such as Reading and Writing to Critical Thinking 1 (RWCT), second language acquisition 2 (SLA), or (Business) English as a lin- gua franca 3 ((B)ELF). It also reflects on modern concepts of practical lan- guage education adopting a functional approach accenting communica- tion and intercultural competencies, such as Content-Based Instruction 4 (CBI) or Content and Language Integrated Learning 5 (CLIL) as part of the current language and competence policy of the EU 6 . The approach described in this book is suitable for most subjects taught across the educational spectrum as it focuses on developing communica- tion and study competencies necessary for tackling educational tasks and challenges. It can be adapted to the very early stages of education; from pre-school or elementary learning, to the highest educational degrees. The publication is designed for all teaching professionals who are interest- ed in and motivated to incorporate modern teaching and learning meth- ods into their classroom interactions. It offers a student-centered approach which helps tackle classes of varied sizes as it presents a variety of work- ing arrangements for classroom management. These make teaching more interactive. The book is suitable for teachers of varied subjects because The book aims to create a shared space for practical application of the theoretical concepts relevant for 21st century higher education. It provides the teaching community with theory and practice for modern ap- proaches to instruction, ultimately promoting a social

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