As a product of the 21st century education and an educator in the 21st century, I have witnessed how the education has changed throughout the years due to several factors that needs to be considered in order to cope in this fast phasing world. These educational transitions were both a challenge and an opportunity especially for a developing country like the Philippines. Technology became an important tool for teaching and learning that should be incoporated to cater and develop the skills students needs to learn in this highly globalized world. During the pandemic, the shift in the different modes of delivering lessons posed a significant challenge in the education sector. The continuity of learning must happen regardless of the distance that the pandemic has brought. I can still clearly remember how sudden my college life has changed because of the pandemic and even after graduating from my bachelors degree, the pandemic is still there.

The educators teaching digital natives must be equipped with knowledge and skills to understand which strategies to use, who will benefit, how those strategies work, and when they are most effective. Research shows that digital-native educators need competencies not only in technology, but in information management, critical evaluation of sources, and ethical use of digital tools. For example, as noted in 10 AI Skillsets for the Digital Native Educator, teachers are urged to develop strong information synthesis and analytic capacities to guide learning in a technology-rich environment.

Our professional identity and quality as educators should not remain stagnant but must evolve continuously to better meet student needs. Studies of early-career university teachers demonstrate the way identity is strengthened through growth, reflection, resilience, and conversely how identity can drift or weaken when educators do not adapt. The shift toward blended, flipped, and online learning modalities requires significant shifts in instructor identity and pedagogy.

Theories offer guidance, but pedagogical approaches are practical levers that enhance teaching and learning by promoting deeper student understanding, engagement, and the development of critical 21st-century skills (e.g. critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration). Approaches like project-based learning, flipped classrooms, collaborative learning, and contextual learning have been shown to increase student motivation, engagement, and retention while fostering these higher-order skills .

RSIS International. (2024, February 1). Exploring 21st century innovative pedagogy paradigms in higher education: NEP 2020. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrsi/articles/exploring-21stcentury-innovative-pedagogy-paradigms-in-higher-education-nep-2020/

SpringerOpen. (2025, January 30). Identity, teaching drift, and resilience: A study of early career university teachers. Smart Learning Environments. https://sfleducation.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40862-025-00329-w

SpringerOpen. (2021, October 12). How are digital technologies in education being understood? Exploring literature on the role of technology in teacher identity. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-021-00304-8

Waters, J. (2023, November 8). 10 AI skillsets for the digital native educator. THE Journal. https://thejournal.com/Articles/2023/11/08/10-AI-Skillsets-for-the-Digital-Native-Educator.aspx