The look and feel of the "average classroom" when I was in high school in the 1980s was completely different than the look and feel of many of the classrooms of today. When I was a student, the vast majority of my teachers lectured almost every day. The relied on the use of worksheets, the textbook, a chalkboard and the occasional "poster project" to teach the material they wanted to teach. Their students were expected to simply "sit and get" the information disseminated by the teachers, and most of the time that involved simply taking notes. Instruction was teacher-centered, and students' learning styles and interests were often ignored. 

When I became a teacher in the early 1990s, I taught classes in the same manner that my teachers had taught me. I did not know any better. Sure, I tried to incorporate more projects into my lessons and even tried to have my students work in groups, but the most technology I ever used was an overhead projector or a television. Those were the only technology-oriented tools available to me. Looking back at the teacher I was then, I sometimes wonder whether my first students actually learned anything worthwhile. 

A few years into my career, I started attending training sessions that were meant to help improve my instruction. I heard terms like "System's Thinking" and "Individualized instruction" for the first time, and I modified my methods to better serve my students. Still, I had never heard of "differentiation" or something called "the Internet," so no matter how hard I tried to interst my students in lessons, engaging students in the lessons continued to be challenging. 

Today, in 2016, some twenty-two years later, I am not the same teacher I was when I first walked into a classroom. The days of teachers standing at the front of a classroom and lecturing while students sit in desks and simply take notes are long gone. Now, I have been trained in ways to engage students, including grouping methods and assigning group roles. Now I know how to use technology to engage my students, and I serve as their guide as they take ownership of their own learning. Now I tie all lessons into real-world scenarios and make sure they have real-world applicaitons. Now I regularly have my students using technology to collaborate, investigate, question, and grow. In essence, I am not the teacher I used to be, and teaching is not what it used to be.

Unfortunately, there are still teachers today that have held on to thier 20th Century beliefs with regard to teaching. They still lecture and expect students to take notes. They still teach from the textbook and wonder why their students are bored. They still hand out worksheets and wonder why students act up. They have not grown as educators. In short, such teachers are not actually teachers-they are just pretending to be teachers. 

Students of the 21st Century have grown up knowing how to use computers. They have almost always had smartphones. They are used to having information available to them at the touch of a button. Moreover, they are constantly bombarded with images, text messages, tweets, and other forms of media. As a result, their attention spans are much shorter than in the past. This is not their fault; it is just a side effect of living in today's world. To capture their interests, though, means adjusting instruction. Student-centered lessons, ones that are tailored to students' interests, are what will keep them engaged. Treating students with respect will keep them open-minded. Using technology to enhance instruction keeps them interested. Educators must utilize every tool available to them to motivate and interest their students in learning. Only then will students learn HOW to learn.