Lifelong Learning IN Illinois for 21st Century Teachers
American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler stated “the illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." Over the past two years, I-LLINI Partnerships: Lifelong Learning IN Illinois for 21st Century Teachers (I-LLINI Partnerships) has explored the means by which we come to know in an age of transformation. The 21st Century is a time in which we are discovering that we need to relearn how we think about where learning occurs, how it occurs, and who is learning. As a result, professional development activities have become a significant vehicle for supporting teachers in meeting the needs of 21st Century learners. In classrooms today, teachers are facilitating the learning of students considered “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001). Powerful technological tools which teachers now may have access to are affording opportunities to meet the needs of students with a wide range of learning styles and abilities in ways that were previously not possible.
I-LLINI Partnerships continues its mission by providing innovative, needs-based professional development programs; by creating enhanced learning environments in math and science classrooms in high-needs schools through the effective and creative use of new media and digital technologies; by improving student learning and developing 21st Century skills such as higher-order thinking, communication, inquiry, and innovation; and by strengthening partnerships among all stakeholders in teacher preparation to transform teacher education through the use of information and learning technologies.
The theory of change that has been the foundation for I-LLINI Partnerships is that student performances in math and science will improve as a results of teachers employing pedagogical strategies and techniques acquired through customized professional development activities emphasizing data driven decision making and digital media and technologies.
