Collaborative and inquiry-based approaches underlie 21st century learning. These
approaches reflect the skills, knowledge and strategies that make for success in the
real world, and align with college- and career-ready graduates. The expansion of
“learning” outside of the classroom is a critical consideration as we explore exactly
what 21st century learning means. The Aspen Report offered a vivid vision of what
this might mean: “Kids can attend class anytime, anywhere, in courses tailored to
their own learning style, and at their own pace. We can create an education system
where instead of time being the constant with learning the variable, the constant is
mastery of content and the variable is time” (Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning
and the Internet, 2014, p. 5). We describe three research-proven approaches that
align with this vision of learning: student-centered learning, authentic learning and
problem-based learning.