Twenty-first Century Education: Is Kenya Heading towards the Right Direction of Improving Teaching and Learning as Prescribed by Educational Transformation Programme

Abstract

The past two decades have seen the emergence of a global movement that calls for a new model of teaching and learning for the twenty-first century. There is now a significant body of literature focusing mainly on three topics – motivations for a new model of teaching and learning, the specific competencies and skills needed to function effectively in the twenty-first century, and the pedagogy required to stimulate those capabilities. As the government of Kenya strives to transform her education system, one of the key questions that should be lingering in the minds of educators and policy makers and thus guide the process is: “Is twenty-first century education part of the overall educational transformation envisioned by Kenyan government?” If it is, this paper, based on literature review, looks at some of the developments that influence twenty-first century education in schools and discusses whether we are going into the right direction. Some of the issues discussed are the concept and framework of twenty-first century learning; instructional and learning theories; paradigm shift in the roles of teachers, learners and technology; twenty-first century skills; and a brief look at some of the pedagogies for twenty-first century teaching and learning which inform educational transformation programme.