Skills and Roles of Teachers in 21st Century Teaching: Basis for Professional Development Plan

Abstract

Enhancing teachers' and students' 21st-century skills is a valuable goal. This study explores the skills and roles of teachers in 21st-century education across three community colleges: Opol, Tagoloan, and Salay, during the 2023-2024 academic year. The research investigates the relationship between teachers' skills and their roles in modern education and examines differences based on the respondents' profiles. The study involved 255 teachers from local government-run colleges in Misamis Oriental, using a validated questionnaire and a mixed-methods descriptive approach. Statistical analyses included mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, and correlation tests. The results revealed that most participants held units in master's degrees, with communication skills rated highest. The role of facilitator emerged as the most prominent in 21st-century teaching. Notably, creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills significantly correlated with teachers' roles. Characteristics such as age and position also influenced their skills and roles. The study emphasized Deci and Ryan’s theory, Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, and ICT integration to address the complexity of modern teaching. In conclusion, community college teachers are eager to adopt 21st-century teaching skills. It is recommended to encourage faculty to complete graduate studies, model critical thinking, recognize teachers' efforts, create engaging environments, retrain senior teachers, and support their well-being through seminars and workshops.