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This book explores how educators in Southern Africa can adapt to changing work and life demands in the 21st century. It provides a detailed comparative analysis of curriculum reform in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia, moving beyond theory to offer practical ideas for implementing 21st-century learning in the classroom. It focuses on the specific skills, values, attitudes, and knowledge future-ready learners need.
The book explores crucial support systems for this transformation, including effective teacher professional development, creating optimal learning environments, and new methods of assessment. It links the specific experiences of Southern African countries to broader global trends in 21st century skills development. Offering both a global cross-cultural view and a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities in developing countries, this book is an indispensable resource for classroom practitioners. Readers will find actionable strategies for addressing cultural and economic barriers, along with unique insights from both learner and educator perspectives. This is a guide for creating a curriculum that truly prepares students for the world of work and beyond.
List of contents
Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 21st century Skills Development: the Global Perspective.- Chapter 3 21st century skills in Africa: A comparative analysis of challenges in 21st century skills development in Southern Africa.- Chapter 4 Opportunities for 21st century skills development: A comparative analysis.- Chapter 5 Zimbabwean Teachers' and Students' Conceptions of 21st Century Skills: A Deeper Dive.- Chapter 6 The Findings: Regional and Global Trends.
About the author
Dr. Ottilia Goto brings more than two decades of dedicated classroom experience to her current role as Head of Languages at a high school in Marondera, Zimbabwe. She previously taught Cambridge English Language and Literature at the college in Chinhoyi for 21 years, also holding leadership positions as Head of English (2015–2023) and Head of Culture (2023).
After a brief detour from the classroom to serve as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg, she returned to her current leadership role. This deep, practical understanding of pedagogy informs her research and professional development work. Holding a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies, Dr. Goto focuses on the intersection of education and technology. She has spent extensive time interrogating the role of 21st-century skills in African settings, questioning whether Western educational philosophies can be adopted without critical consideration of local contexts. This informs her active involvement in teacher professional development, where she specialises in higher-order thinking, critical thinking, and teaching with AI in the classroom. Her work on large language models and machine learning tackles a crucial question for the future: as technology evolves, what is the role of the teacher in the classrooms of tomorrow?
Summary
This book explores how educators in Southern Africa can adapt to changing work and life demands in the 21st century. It provides a detailed comparative analysis of curriculum reform in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia, moving beyond theory to offer practical ideas for implementing 21st-century learning in the classroom. It focuses on the specific skills, values, attitudes, and knowledge future-ready learners need.
The book explores crucial support systems for this transformation, including effective teacher professional development, creating optimal learning environments, and new methods of assessment. It links the specific experiences of Southern African countries to broader global trends in 21st century skills development. Offering both a global cross-cultural view and a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities in developing countries, this book is an indispensable resource for classroom practitioners. Readers will find actionable strategies for addressing cultural and economic barriers, along with unique insights from both learner and educator perspectives. This is a guide for creating a curriculum that truly prepares students for the world of work and beyond.
