“As much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to keep learning — and make effective and innovative use of what they know — throughout their lives” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills).
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
After reviewing the above web site I was presently surprise in the information available through The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. I specifically agree that content is important however the learning and thinking skills that they give an overview of in my opinion is even more important to the success of students today. What surprised me the most where all the corporate Board Member Organizations. I think that as educators we should be in contact with organizations that are going to be the employers of our current students.
I don’t disagree with the information on this web site, however I do find it difficult to even begin think how this is being incorporated with the ever increasing content curriculum standards that states are mandating. At every age and grade level students are being bombarded with content information and this program seems to want to include all of that on top of their other three areas of interest, which are 21st century content, learning and thinking skills, and ICT (information and communications technology). I feel that this is overwhelming as a student and an educator. I start to wonder where is all the time going to come from that I would need to redo curriculum that I just redid last year when the new content standards were released.
This program has direct implications for both students and their educators. On a positive note this program could be very beneficial to student by giving them skills that companies are looking for. The difficult part is for educators to be able to work programs like this into their curriculum without watering down the content standards that students are expected to know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I think that students and teachers need to not only get studnets ready in their content area but also they need to get them ready for the 21st century and the job they will have in the future. It is our job as teachers to get them ready for thet . That is what the 21st Century program is attempting to do . The problem with this is money. Technology is not cheap ad if money is based on test scores, many districts care more about the tests scores than what a student can do.
ReplyDeleteThere is a disconnect between what the state tells teachers what students need to know and what future employers what students to know. The Partnership of 21st Century Skills does a good job of trying to incorporate both. I think that it is unreasonable to implement curriculum like this without also having the appropriate technology. The state cannot afford to fund this, so what about the companies that is members of this program? With the economy the way it is right now, I just don't know if it is feasible.
ReplyDeleteI think that some of the corporate board members should (if they are not already) provide more funding for the inclusion of these 21st century skills into the curriculum. I agree with you, Erin, that time is precious and that there is often not enough time to teach everything that is required of us. Teachers need more training, so these 21st century skills can be woven into the state standards and what's already being taught in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteBecky DePuy