This week I reviewed a website directed at teaching students to use critical thinking and advanced communication. I was very impressed with the information that was provided on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. It was very organized and easy to navigate through. This national organization’s goal is to prepare students for the competing global economy that they will face in the future. I liked how the outlined frameworks included the expected outcomes for students, along with references that can be used by educators, to teach 21st century skills. It was interesting to see how different states have aligned the new skills with their current core subject curriculum.
I took the MILE Guide Self-Assessment Survey to evaluate my district’s inclusion of 21st century skills. It was attention-grabbing to see that my district is still in the early stages of implementing these skills. Our educational support systems are transitioning towards a 21st century education, but overall we have a long way to go in improving the ways that we prepare our students to use information and communication technologies. I was also surprised to learn that there is a 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act which provides federal funds to support states that are teaching 21st century skills along with the core subjects. The program has shown increasing improvement in student learning in the states where it is used. I would think that these two factors alone would interest other states in adapting 21st century skills into their curriculum. There was not any information on the website that I would disagree with. I think that we need to provide students with the necessary skills to keep up with the changes in technology and the economy.
Implementing 21st century skills in my classroom will help my students to transition from a standard form of literacy to becoming more literate through information, media, and technology. My students will learn to communicate globally using high-level thinking to get a better understanding of the core subject concepts. Learning 21st century skills will help my students to develop the life and career skills that they must have knowledge of in order to be successful in their future workplace. As a contemporary teacher, the 21st century assessments will allow me to be able to evaluate my students’ understanding of these new skills so that I know how to direct future instruction. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills explains that, “Developing a comprehensive framework for 21st century learning requires more than identifying specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). Our district and state must work together to create a support system when including these skills in our curriculum. Our support system must include standards, assessments, curriculum, and staff development. More importantly, we must create a 21st century learning environment that promotes success for our students. I hope to be able to incorporate 21st century skills into my daily instruction in the future.
Resources
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised to learn about the 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act. It also was a little shocking that only 14 states in the United States are under the state initiative plans for 21st Century Skills, Georgia (where we both teach) not being one of them. Also, to see that there is evidence of student improvement in these 14 states should be a great incentive for other states to join in. My school does not have any type of technology coordinator or teacher. Does your school? I would like to talk to my principal to see who exactly in my district would be someone to talk to about this state initiative plan. Meanwhile, it sounds like you are doing a great job bringing technology and 21st century skills into your classroom. Thanks for posting your ideas!
Tiffany, You stated, "I was also surprised to learn that there is a 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act which provides federal funds to support states that are teaching 21st century skills along with the core subjects." Do you think this is because many schools don't know about the Partnership and its goal, or that states just aren't seeing the importance of technology in our educational system? Can an individual school apply for the Incentive Fund, or must it be done by the state? Keep sharing ideas like this with your principal and superintendent. It's possible they aren't even aware of the resource.
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