As educators, we need to be aware of 21st-Century skills that our students will need to succeed in life after they have finished school. It is important to find time in your day to teach these life-long skills to your students. I know there is already a lot of pressure for teachers, some of which can include busy schedules, standardized testing, set curriculums, and pacing. However, I found out that I am already teaching some of these important skills and I did not even realize it. I recently explored the website “Partnership for 21stCentury Skills” to explore which skills were important and to research effective methods of teaching them.
After checking out this website for a while, I was very impressed. Just the format alone and home page were very eye-catching and it is organized for easy navigation. One of the very first things that jumped out at me was that this organization has a Twitter account. I think this is a great idea because it will keep people updated even if they do not visit the site. The top of the website also has a mission statement which basically states that the organization was developed to get every student prepared for the 21st century (Partnership, 2011).
The website also offers a nice graphic to help explain the student outcomes and support systems. The four outcomes are life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, information, media, and technology skills, and core subjects. The four support systems are standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and learning environments. Looking at this picture on the website really helped me to understand what this organization is striving for and how they plan to achieve it.
I could not really find anything I disagreed with on this website because I think it is a great organization with great ideas. I was a little surprised however to see that there were only sixteen states that are a part of the Partnership for 21st Century Learners (Partnership, 2011). It was nice to check out each state and see the level of their involvement. I also liked how there was information given on how a state can become a partner. I wish there was a section on this website that gave information on which states were in the process of becoming a member. I feel like if this information was made public, and on this website, then states may receive more help from people who view the website. Who knows, it could expedite the process of a state becoming a partner, or even just get started.
After exploring this website, I felt much better about teaching 21st century skills to my students. It is nice to know that this kind of organization is out there and that they realize the importance these skills have on our students future lives. Without these important skills, they could struggle to have a successful job. I am excited about this website and all they have to offer. I hope that it starts to get more positive press from the media so more states can become involved. This website and organization is truly dedicated to helping all students achieve important skills to succeed in life.
References
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills.
Washington DC
I felt as though I was already teaching some of the 21st century skills as well but what I could not determine, after reflecting a bit, was if I was teaching them successfully. There was no measurable aspect of these taught skills except for brief moments when I would see a new sense of maturity in that student or when old students came back and told me of life skills they learned and not just math ones. I have realized that this is not good enough. For a teacher to takes accountability for the 21st century skills, there must be measurable objectives just as there is with the content in the subject. Though it may take more preparation, weaving them into preexisting project based assessments that are already in place can be accomplished by creating a rubric for the students with these skills on them. More direct observations would need to take place but this is where technology can come in to assist. Instead of the teacher watching over each group to make sure there is positive collaboration taking place, he/she can use a blog discussion board to actually read though the collaboration as it is happening. As you mentioned, the support systems on the website can be helpful for teachers as they learn to take more accountability with these skills.
ReplyDeleteThe point that really impressed me about the report was its overall unifying vision that was presented in a clear and sequential manner. The members also honed in on more specific noteworthy ideas. For instance, there are few things more important in the work force than honorable behavior. If it was more prevalent than the rare commodity it actually is, the financial crisis would never have occurred as derivative finagling, junk bonds and subprime mortgages would have been viewed as distasteful, maverick distractions. So I was happy to see ethics among the highlighted learning behaviors. I also agree that everything, at all times comes down to the individual teacher. Tech tools need to be allocated to lessons that will profit by their inclusion. They are not necessary for every exercise. Therefore, creativity, personal charisma, discernment of the pupils learning strengths and interests as well as mastery of appropriate multi sensory approaches fall into the category of complex decision making. This is a strictly human endeavor and so, despite our progress, the teacher, updated and continually informed, is irreplaceable.
ReplyDeleteDennis Tierney