With the turn of the New Millennium, the world has witnessed phenomenal growth in technological advancement. Pursuant to this level of development, it became very clear that the education sector had an obligation to catch up with the changing times. As we entered the 21st century, it became apparently evident that the lag existing in the teaching and learning processes needed to be addressed. Choosing to ignore the shift in ways of doing things will often times lead to the continued churning out of deficient learners, learners who are experts at passing their examinations, yet they are never bringing any meaningful development in communities in which they hail from, let alone the country at large. The advent of the 21st century also ushered in new teaching and learning approaches that differ in manner and style to the teaching and learning methods and approaches of yesteryear. Teaching and learning then, was Teacher-centred, where the teacher was deemed to be all-knowing. The system of education by then emphasised on the establishment of a curriculum that sought students to learn similar topics regardless of differing immediate environments. Examples where drawn from communities that were far removed from what the student knows. The Student then, had been subjected to limited information that is steeped in the choice of the teacher, with books stored in a physical school library. The subject syllabi being the preserve of the teacher, who often times locked it in safes lest the student got hold of it and realised what they ought to learn and become inquisitive. Teaching and learning before the advent of the 21st century emphasised on students to memorize information. It did not afford students any room to fully analyse information with a critical and objective mind set. The Teacher-Centred approach also emphasised on students working towards finding correct answers to questions they were asked in examinations. There was never any room for student objectivity. The system never realised the fact that given problems had the potential to have limitless solutions. Before the advent of the 21 century, the method of instruction was such that the teacher was deemed to be all-knowing. They were regarded as the sole repositories of all knowledge. Knowledge by then was deemed to start and end with the teacher. Frantz Fanon aptly summed it thus: “The Teacher teaches and the student is taught.” Students ended up learning passively, with limited learner input in the process. The content that was learnt was also very much divorced from reality, the content at most times was absurd, without any relevance to communities leaners lived in. Teaching and Learning by then started and ended in the brick and mortar classrooms without any reasonable learning outside that room. The teacher used the blackboard and chalk to aid his instruction. Teaching aids, where they were sporadically used, were mostly of paper charts pinned to walls. This made learning mostly boring and hardly engaged the learner in the process. In the 21st Century, need to take a paradigm shift and adopt 21st century Teaching and Learning methods has arisen. Unlike Teacher-centred approaches of old, the 21st Century approach is student-centred. In this approach, Leaners are afforded the opportunity to study content in a manner that reflects synergies between different subjects, unlike the old methods that treated different subjects as divorced from each other. Student-centred 21st Century approaches to teaching and learning encompass a holistic approach to education. Emphasis is now put on application of a variety of concepts to real life scenarios. This leads to the development of a complete learner endowed with the ability to solve life’s challenges. In this 21st Century approach, the teacher only acts as the facilitator. The teacher is there to guide the leaner in their quest to developing their knowledge base. The assumption here is that the student possess assumed knowledge. As the learning process is implemented, it becomes a connecting one. Unlike classrooms of old, 21st Century learning spaces and environments are punctuated by pieces of technological hardware that aid in the teaching and learning process. The blackboard and chalk are fast being replaced by the whiteboard and whiteboard markers. Interactive Boards (i-Boards) are used, creating a cybernetic environment. In such an environment, learning becomes involving, enriching, fulfilling and enjoyable. It is learning that carries the learner all the way. ICTs are also dominant in the 21st Century classroom, with the use of computers and computer applications, Internet Connectivity, use of projectors and mobile technologies in aiding the learning process. Instant Messaging has also become tools of teaching and learning. Mobile Applications that have made the wave, such as Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, and most recently Telegram App are yet to be harnessed to aid the teaching and learning process. These applications possess great potential to be used as teaching and learning platforms. When they shall finally be harnessed, learning will be brought outside the confines of the classroom. Adopting the 21st Century Student-Centred approaches to teaching and learning places the teacher and the learner at an equal footing, with equal charge for learning and achievement. By so doing, the leaner ends up being motivated to work hard. Learning in such an environment is enjoyable and creates a complete, well-rounded student who graduates heavily endowed with life skills. Such an environment also permits learners to develop futuristic goals that breed deep learner understanding. Learners in a 21st Century teaching and learning environment are afforded opportunities to apply their skills and unmask their talents. Their potential is never limited nor constricted. Rather, they are afforded space to discover, nurture and grow their potential. The teacher aids in discovering learner talents and helping in nurturing them. They also permit learners to discover and construct their own knowledge and apply it in different situations. This approach also accords learners permission to collaborate with their peers, in so doing, permitting knowledge from diverse environments to be shared by students. That alone, enhances learner involvement and participation. Adopting the 2st Century student-centred approaches to teaching and learning will not only develop a complete, well-rounded learner. It will, by and large lead to learner self-discovery, thereby ushering leaners into ideal, well-fitting career paths. The author of this article is a Teacher at Emmanuel High School in Nyanga and can be contacted on: Email: takaziki1980@takaziki.itgo.com Web: http://www.takaziki.itgo.com Mobile: +26377245702
