The 21st Century Skills website is a great tool for educators and other people to view on the skills that students should be taught and need in order to be a successful adult.
The website provides a framework for the skills students need in this everchanging society. Personally, I believe that this website is a great tool for educators and for parents to learn about the challenges and the important ideas and concepts students need. The skills are divided into themes- for core subject: global awareness, financial literacy, civic literacy, and health literacy.
These seem like practical core subjects that would truly address the issues people are having when they graduate. I believe Social Studies would fall under the "global awareness" umbrella. I think that a lot of the information that students are currently being taught is a waste of time for educators and the students themselves. To change the entire format of education would be difficult, to say the least. I think that the way people and society view "what they learn in school" as being useless, often times. However, people need skils to be successful, the skills that are necessary would be taught under what the 21st century group has put together.
Below is a list of these skills the group has set:
Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
Mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential for students in the 21st century. Core
subjects include English, reading or language arts, world languages, arts, mathematics, economics, science,
geography, history, government and civics.
We believe schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting
understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary
themes into core subjects:
• Global Awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Health Literacy
Learning and Innovation Skills
Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life
and work environments in the 21st century and those who are not. They include:
• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Communication and Collaboration
Information, Media and Technology Skills
People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-driven environment, marked by access to an
abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools and the ability to collaborate and make
individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and
workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills, such as:
• Information Literacy
• Media Literacy
• ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy
Life and Career Skills
Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. The ability
to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age requires
students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills, such as:
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
• Productivity and Accountability
• Leadership and Responsibility
2 1 S T C E N T U RY S U P P O R T S Y S T E M S
Developing a comprehensive framework for 21st century learning requires more than identifying specific
skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies. An innovative support system must be created to help
students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century. The Partnership has
identified five critical support systems that ensure student mastery of 21st century skills:
• 21st Century Standards
• Assessments of 21st Century Skills
• 21st Century Curriculum and Instruction
• 21st Century Professional Development
• 21st Century Learning Environments
Overall, I see several implication with teaching this way,
First, several people will not want to do things the "new" way.
Parents will be confused and unsure as to why their kids need this and they did not, several year ago.
But, I see several benefits with teaching our students these skills, first they will be more prepared for the workforce and the ever changing world. Secondly, they will learn better, students have changed and the ways they learn are different. Students need a new approach to learning, this is a wonderful opportunity and resource for teachers to give them the encouragment they need to continue.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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5 comments:
I always thought teaching with the 21st century tools would be beneficial and motivating for all, myself included. After taking this class, I can see where I have a long way to go on learning how to fully use these tools myself, before I try teaching them to my students. You mentioned how some educators will not want to try a new thing, which is true some have their day-to-day agendas made out way in advance. It is critical to access our strengths and weaknesses and fill in the gaps with professional development and teacher collaboration that will help everyone feel more comfortable with moving on to teaching the New Literacies. In addition, you mentioned parent uncertainty and confusion. It will take a lot of collaboration with some parents to get them to understand the importance of these skills. Many parents do not see the world changing as fast as it is. They have lived in one community all of their life and cannot see out of that so-called block. Partnership for the 21st Century is a good place for parents, teachers, districts, and states to get a starting point on educating our students for the global world they live in.
Thanks for the comment, I really like the 21st century website and am hoping that it will soon be implimented in all schools across the United States.
Shaina-
I think that using the 21st century tools are a great way for many teachers to get on the same page. I think this website is a great tool to share with all teachers so we are able to get a good core of technolgy and understand what the students are learning from year to year with each teacher. This is a great place for a first step! Have a Great Week!!
21st century tools are very beneficial and the step in the "right" direction. This being said, I have the same concerns as you do. How are the parents going to react and adopt these tools? Also, there will be many teachers who will refuse to advance their knowledge and this will take time to adjust to the 'new' tools. Teachers do need to do what is best for their students and get on the same page as the world. Those are not harsh words, just words of reality. Great post!
As a social studies teacher who believes the most important part of my job is teaching citizenship, I love the emphasis on civic literacy. I can't wait to share this information with the instructional facilitators at my school.
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