This document discusses moving education from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered one using 21st century skills in multilingual settings. It introduces Ron Barendsen and Roelien Wierda as lecturers who founded MySchoolsNetwork to bring about this educational paradigm shift. MySchoolsNetwork is described as a safe, moderated social network for students ages 8 and older that uses positive psychology and blends informal and formal learning. It allows for intercultural communication in English and other languages through authentic language production, online mentoring, creative and productive learning, social community building, and online collaboration.

1. Teaching and learning
21st
century skills in a
multilingual setting
Ron Barendsen
Roelien Wierda
NHL University of Applied
Sciences

2. Introductions:
Ron Barendsen & Roelien Wierda
lecturers NHL University of Applied
Sciences
Founders MySchoolsNetwork…..
To bring about paradigmshift in education
From teacher-oriented to learner-oriented
UDL-based (see leaflet)

3. Teacher oriented education
 One size fits all
 Using yesterday’s
methods ..
 .. To prepare
tomorrow’s employees
for today’s jobs
Ken Robinson

4. Learner oriented approach
 Strengths-based
 Instilling universal key
competences to prepare
for tomorrow’s jobs and
challenges
 Learning by doing
 Using modern technology
 International perspective

5. School In Istanbul, Turkey (2011)
School in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam (2009)
Science class in the Netherlands (2012)
Education around 1900

6. ….time for change…..

7. www.myschoolsnetwork.com
 Safe educational social network (from appr. 8 years
and older)
 Moderated and mentored by student teachers
 Positive psychology
 Mix of informal learning and formal learning.
 Multilingual setting :
- English as lingua franca
- minority languages
- other languages (e.g. French, German, Spanish)

8. Some key pedagogic
features of
MySchoolsNetwork

9. Intercultural communication

10. Intercultural communication

11. Authentic language production

12. Authentic language production

13. Online mentoring

14. Online mentoring

15. Creative & productive learning

16. Creative & productive learning

17. Social community

18. Social community

19. Online collaboration & co-creation

20. Online collaboration & co-creation

21. Welcome to the global learning community of
MySchoolsnetwork!!
Questions, suggestions and comments?
Contact me via my MySN profile or
r.wierda@iec.nhl.nl
“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities;
but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant,
is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)