“If teachers are to be effective in supporting the development of the 21st century skills of their students, they must be well versed in these skills themselves […] Thus, as life-long learners, it should be evident that teachers can also benefit from participating in learning strategies that mirror those of the 21st century classroom. Reinforcing the notion that if it is good for students, it can be good for teachers.”

– Dr. Camille Rutherford

In this article, Dr. Camille Rutherford talks about how the 21st century learning is good for our students, it is something that us as teacher candidates and teachers should use as well in our own learning. With how diverse we are asked to be in our classroom by way of differentiated learning and IEPs, the “cookie-cutter nature of most teacher education programs, additional qualification courses and professional development (PD) sessions, [leaves] teachers with limited first-hand exposure to having their own learning experience differentiated or personalized” (Rutherford, 2015). Essentially what she is saying is that teachers and teacher candidates need to be a part of the classroom that 21st century learning is creating – we have to learn in an inquiry-based environment, with access to as much tech that we would have in our classroom (if not more so that we can be prepared for anything), and we must be well versed in the skills of creativity, communication, and creative/critical thinking (Rutherford, 2015).

Rutherford, C. (2015, March). 21st century learning: What’s good for students is good for teachers [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/blog/dr-camille-rutherford/2015/03/1/21st-century-learning-what%E2%80%99s-good-students-good-teachers