Trainer Guide for Course 1:

Transform learning with 21st century learning design

Objectives

1. Examine the needs of 21st century learners

2. Explore the history and reason behind the 21st century learning design research project

3. Identify the 21st century skills learners need for life and work in the 21st century
4. Determine the purpose of 21st century learning design framework, rubrics, and decision trees

Resources for this module

▪ Transform learning with 21st Century Learning Design

▪ 21CLD OneNote Notebook

 Preparation for this module

Target audience

▪ K-12 educators

Timing

▪ 80 minutes

Two weeks prior

▪ Secure the location for the training

▪ Prior to the training, invite participants to the training via email

One week prior

▪ Optional: Send a reminder email about the training

▪ Ensure your location has projection, sound, and Internet connectivity

Day of training

▪ Arrive early to set up for the presentation and test Internet, projection, and sound
▪ Arrange the room for small group discussions. Organize educators by grade, division, or content area, or mix them

as you see fit

Invitation email

SUBJECT: Re-design learning with 21st century learning design

DATE: [INSERT DATE, TIME HERE, PLACE, DURATION]

Hi, educators!

I’m so excited to connect with you at our upcoming 21st century learning design session!

We’ll be exploring:

• The research behind 21st century learning design

• Its impact on learners
• The six dimensions of 21st century learning design

Preparation

• If possible, please arrive approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time
• Bring your lesson plan book. You may find it useful during the session

Have questions about this professional development opportunity? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

See you soon!

[xxxx]
Reminder email

SUBJECT: Re-design learning with 21st century learning design

DATE: [INSERT DATE, TIME HERE, PLACE, DURATION]

Hi, educators!

This is just a friendly reminder that our 21st century learning design session is coming up.

I can’t wait to explore with you the many ways we can transform learning with 21st century learning design!

Preparation

▪ If possible, please arrive approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time
▪ Bring your lesson plan book. You may find it useful during the session!

Have questions about this training session? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

See you soon!

[xxxx]
Timing Suggested talking points Presenter action

15 mins Do:
prior
Greet participants as they arrive.

Access the Transform Learning with 21st century

learning design course so you can get to the videos
quickly.

Access the 21CLD OneNote notebook and display the first

page.

1 min Say:

Welcome! I am so excited to be here with you today.

Thank you for joining and taking time out of your day
to participate in this session.

(If an organization sponsored the training, acknowledge

the organization sponsoring the event.)
1 min (If you do not regularly work with the participants,
introduce yourself.)

Say:

My name is ____ and I ________ (introduce yourself and

share your background with the audience).

(Be sure to introduce any co-presenter(s) as well.)

3 mins (If you do not regularly work with the participants, learn
a bit about your audience.)

Say:

I would love to get to know you a little before we begin.

While we don’t have time for everyone to introduce
themselves, will you please raise your hand if you are:

▪ An elementary educator?
(pause for responses)
▪ A middle school educator?
(pause for responses)
 ▪ A high school educator?
(pause for responses)

For those of you in secondary education, which content

area?

▪ Science?
▪ Math?
▪ English?
▪ History?
▪ World Languages?
▪ Computer science?
▪ Visual Arts? Performing Arts?
▪ CTE (Career and Technical Education)?
▪ Physical education?
▪ Other?

Thanks, everyone, for sharing! It’s great to learn about

the different groups in the room!

5 mins Say: Do:

 This is the first of eight sessions. In each session, we will Give participants time to open the 21CLD OneNote
focus on 21st century learning design — or 21CLD — notebook.
and learn about a different 21st century skill.
Mill around the room to make sure everyone can access the
Today, we will begin with what 21st century learning notebook.
design is, the research behind it, and why educators
need it.

These sessions are connected to a learning path created

by Microsoft Edu. We will be using the videos and
materials connected to that course for our sessions.

Now, let’s get set up with the course materials by going

to the 21CLD OneNote notebook. To access the
notebook, go to aka.ms/21CLDnotebook.

When you get there, your screen should look like mine.

4 mins Say: Do:

Alright! Let's begin with a quick check-in. When I say Give participants time to respond to the prompt.
21st century skills, what comes to mind?

(Give participants time to share their thoughts.)

 Say:

Thanks for sharing, everyone! Your descriptions of 21st

century skills are a great beginning to our work.

3 mins Say: Do:

Let’s start by watching the introductory video for the Play the Introduction to the 21st Century Learning Design
21CLD learning path. This will give us an overview of course video.
what’s to come.

(Play the Introduction to the 21st Century Learning

Design course video.)

1 min Say:

As mentioned in the video, 21st century learning design

(or 21CLD) provides a collaborative, practice-based
process that transforms the way educators design
enriching learning activities.

The core elements of the 21st century learning design

curriculum include:
 • Learning design to develop 21st century skills
and increase achievement of curricular goals

• Collegial discussion to support understanding of

the 21CLD dimensions

• Time to use 21CLD in teaching practice

• Opportunities to share your redesigned learning

activities with other educators

1 min Say:

21CLD comprises six dimensions — or skills — which

are essential to the development of capable and well-
rounded learners. Each module explores:

• Key concepts of the dimension with relatable

examples

• A rubric to help educators assign codes to a

learning activity based on the level of
opportunities it provides for developing that skill
 • And a decision tree or flow chart that guides
educators in determining the appropriate code
of a learning activity

1 min Say:

By participating in these sessions, you will

• Gain a clear understanding of critical 21st century

skills that learners need to live and work in a
globalized society, and

• Learn how to design learning opportunities that

develop those skills

5 mins Say:

So, first, let’s discuss 21st century learning environments.

How do children learn in today’s world?

(Pause for participants’ responses)

Say:
 Have our education systems kept up with the types of
skills required to thrive in a modern society?

(Pause for participants’ responses)

1 min Say:

Exactly.

Many of today’s learning environments were designed

during the industrial revolution. Back then, education
was intended to prepare children for life as factory
workers.

Our learners, however, are facing a very different future.

Learners in the globalized society of the 21st century
must:

• Learn how to access, interpret, analyze, and

evaluate the vast amount of information
distributed via the Internet
 • Be able to solve complex, multi-disciplinary, and
open-ended problems which requires active and
continuous learning throughout their careers

In short, our learners must be resilient, lifelong learners

who can quickly adapt to whatever the future might
bring.

4 mins Say:

How do you think educators can help learners prepare

for the future?

(Pause for participants’ responses)

1 min Say:

To support our learners, we need to shift their focus

from merely memorizing information to collaborating
to solve real-world problems.

We must therefore create a learning environment that:

 • Guides and supports self-directed learning,

• Fosters effective relationships, and

• Supports differentiated instruction

4 mins Say:

What are your thoughts on creating a more inquiry-

based learning environment?

Is your class currently inquiry-based?

If not, what barriers are keep you from transitioning

your learning activities to being more inquiry-based?

(pause for participants’ responses)

3 mins Say: Do:

Thanks, everyone, for sharing. Play the Research behind 21st Century Learning Design
video.
 What I hear you saying is that we know that our learners
need to practice 21st century skills but incorporating
those skills in a meaningful way can be challenging.

Microsoft commissioned a study through Stanford

Research Institute to examine what skills our learners
need to be successful in the workforce and how schools
were measuring the skills.

Let’s move on to the next video to learn more about

their research.

(Play the Research behind 21st Century Learning Design

video.)

1 min Say:

The innovative teaching practices developed from ITL

research are three-pronged:

• Learner-centered pedagogy, which is

personalized, collaborative, builds knowledge,
and encourages self-regulation
 • Extended learning, which encourages problem
solving, extends beyond the walls of the school
to provide 24/7 learning opportunities, and
develops global and cultural understandings

• Innovative ICT — or Information &

Communication Technologies — integration
where the ICT is embedded in the activity and
used at a high level by both educators and
learners for knowledge building and creativity

1 min Say:

In their research, ITL found a direct correlation between

the degree of 21st century skills incorporated in learning
activities and the level of skills demonstrated in learners’
work.

In other words, when educators provide learners with

opportunities to practice 21st century skills, they
develop those skills.
1 min Say:

The ITL findings confirmed that learning design is the

most essential element in the development of 21st
century skills.

The research also found that good examples of

innovative learning activities were few.

Many educators weren’t incorporating 21st century skills

in their learning activities, and those that did weren’t
requiring learners to practice the skills at a deep level.

1 min Say:

21st century learning design was the answer to the

problem. It bridges the gap between theory and
practice by providing a framework for learning design in
six dimensions that researchers identified to be crucial
in today’s workforce.

1 min Say:
 Knowledge construction which requires learners to go
beyond memorizing information to analyzing,
interpreting, synthesizing, and evaluating information.

They must then apply their new knowledge in new

contexts to make connections across multiple
disciplines.

1 min Say:

Collaboration involves learners working together,

sharing responsibility, and making substantive decisions
together.

At the deepest level of collaboration, learners’ work is

interdependent.

1 min Say:

Real-world problem solving involves a task with a

defined challenge for learners.
 The problems must be authentic situations that exist
outside of an academic context so learners may
implement their solutions in the real world.

1 min Say:

Skilled communication requires learners to produce

extended or multi-modal communication using
evidence to support their ideas.

At its deepest level, learners craft their communication

for a specific audience.

1 min Say:

Self-regulation requires learners to work on an activity

for an extended period of time.

It requires learners to plan their work by breaking up

their responsibilities.
 They must also have opportunities to revise their work
based on their own reflection and feedback from others
such as peers, educators, or experts.

1 min Say:

ICT for learning examines learners' use of technology

to support knowledge construction and encourages
them to become designers of ICT products that others
use.

1 min Say:

The 21st century learning design program comes with

tools and resources that help educators develop a deep
understanding of 21st century skills.

It also provides a framework to analyze (or code)

learning activities to evaluate how deeply the skills are
embedded in an activity.

Through this framework, educators also develop a

common language for 21st century skills, allowing for
 easier collaboration with colleagues from mixed
disciplines to design learning activities at the deepest
levels.

1 min Say:

To guide educators in creating effective learning

activities, 21CLD provides a set of research-based
rubrics for embedding 21st century skills in their
teaching practices.

To assess and design learning activities, educators

simply consult the 21CLD rubrics and decision trees to
determine whether an activity meets their learners’
current needs.

4 mins Say: Do:

The rubrics capture the big ideas of each dimension and Send participants to the Knowledge Construction section
serve as a framework for activity design. They outline of the OneNote notebook.
the criteria for each level of the dimension.
 For example, if you select the Knowledge Construction Ask them to review the Knowledge Construction rubric
section in the OneNote notebook, you will see a page page.
titled “Knowledge Construction rubric”.

Go ahead and select that page and take a couple of

minutes to look it over.

(Give participants time to access the page and review it.)

This rubric spans from one to five and each number

corresponds to a specific benchmark described in the
chart.

For example, to code a “two” in knowledge

construction, the learning activity must require students
to construct knowledge – but knowledge construction is
NOT the main requirement.

3 mins Say: Do:

In addition to the rubric, each dimension also has a Send participants to the Knowledge construction section
decision tree. of the OneNote notebook.
The decision trees are a visual way of breaking down Ask them to review the Knowledge Construction decision
the big ideas of each dimension with simple “yes” or tree page.
“no” questions.

These questions promote awareness of the type and

level of the skills incorporated into an activity.

For example, let’s go back to the Knowledge

Construction section. This time, we will go to the
“Knowledge Construction decision tree” page.

Go ahead and select that page and take a couple of

minutes to review it.

(Give participants time to access the page and review it.)

If we can answer “yes” to a question, we move on to the

next question.

If the answer is “no,” we do not progress further and

code the activity with the corresponding number.

By thoughtfully considering these questions, we are

better able to design meaningful and useful activities
based on their learners’ current needs.
1 min Say:

Both tools serve the same purpose — to provide a

framework for integrating 21CLD dimensions into
learning design, and you are free to use whichever tool
works best for you.

The specialized terms and concepts contained in the

rubrics and decision trees have been specially
developed and defined for the 21CLD curriculum.

By working through this learning path, we develop a

common language for discussing 21CLD with each
other, making it easier to discuss and collaborate in
learning design across all disciplines and levels.

1 min Say:

It’s important to note that the numbering system in the

21CLD rubrics and decision trees are codes—not scores.

Coding a “one” on a learning activity just means that

learners are not using the 21CLD dimension in the
 learning activity. It is not a judgment on the value or
quality of the activity.

While we should strive to provide learning activities at

all levels, it’s important to remember that not all
learning activities need to code at the highest level.

1 min Say:

For example, collaboration is a vital skill, but so is

independence. Just as there are times in life when we
need to solve our own problems, not all school projects
warrant collaboration.

Learners therefore need to practice and develop each of

the following skills:

• Working independently

• Working together to make substantive

decisions, and

• Working interdependently to produce one final

product or achieve one end result
 Deciding when and at which level to practice each skill
depends on the desired learning outcomes and the
current needs of the learners.

1 min Say:

Throughout this learning path, we will also be exploring

and coding anchor lessons for each dimension of
21CLD.

Please note that anchor lessons are not intended to be

examples of “perfect” lessons, because there is no such
thing as the “perfect” lesson.

The aim is a lesson that is right for your learners and

their current stage of development.

The anchor lessons are real lessons used by real

educators and were selected for the purpose of
stimulating discussion around learning design.
 We refer to them as anchor lessons because they are
used to help “anchor” our thinking around 21CLD
dimensions.

We are not making judgments on these lessons but

simply using them to demonstrate the process of
determining if and at what level an activity incorporates
the skill in question.

10 mins Say:

We can also take our own lessons and use the rubrics
and decision trees to code them.

As Becky mentioned in the opening video, we want to

practice the design concepts we are learning with our
own learning activities.

You may select one now to use throughout our

sessions, or you choose a different learning activity for
each dimension we study.
 I recommend selecting a few different learning activities
to work with throughout our sessions.

That way, if there’s an activity that works better with a

particular dimension, you’ll have it ready to evaluate
and re-design.

I’m going to give you some time now to select the

learning activities that you want to study during this
course.

You can always change your selections later, but let’s go

ahead and select at least three to start with. If you’d like
to chat with a colleague about your selections, feel free
to do that now.

(Give participants time to select a learning activity that

they will use throughout the process.)

3 mins Say: Do:

 To wrap up this first session, we will watch a video to Play the 21CLD learning dimensions and their rubrics video.
learn more about the 21CLD dimension, their rubrics,
and general guidelines for coding a lesson.

(Play the 21CLD learning dimensions and their rubrics

video.)

5 mins Say: Do:

Before we close for today, does anyone have any Answer participants’ questions.
questions related to 21CLD, the dimensions, and coding
lessons with the rubrics?

(Pause for questions)

1 min Say: Do:

Thank you for your time and attention today. You have Share the link to the Introduction course online and show
been wonderful, and I have loved learning from you. participants where the quiz is located.

If you have any questions or final thoughts, please feel

free to share them now.
Be sure to go to the online course and take the quiz
related to this course.

Thank you again, everyone! I look forward to seeing you

again on xxx (indicate the next time you will meet the
group)!