Today I explored a new website, http://www.p21.org/index.php. The site is sponsored by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. I can not believe that I was unaware of this project until recently, as the scope of the partnership is rather extensive!
The program was created to encourage the teaching of the skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century. I agree with many of the skills and ideas the program advocates, and I think that we are lagging behind in the process; there needs to be a greater push for these abilities to be taught, and I think this group does a great job of that.
I was surprised to learn of the number of corporations and groups affiliated with the project; businesses from Apple to Microsoft to Verizon to Disney are involved. Additionally, I did not realize that several states have embraced the program and are incorporating the skills into state standards and expectations. My own state, New Jersey, is pushing for 21st Century skills to become a part of the curriculum in all subject areas, and I did not realize that this was encouraged by The Partnership.
Though I don't necessarily agree with everything on the site-for instance, there is a general support throughout of No Child Left Behind, which I find in many ways to be unrealistic-I thought the site was informative and thought-provoking. I would definitely encourage my fellow educators to take a look!
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“Today’s education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how students live and how they learn” (Partnership for 21 Century Skills, n.d.). It wasn’t that I was shocked that 21st century projects have been established, but the fact that many corporations, including Apple are supporters for these advanced learning skills in schools. I feel that Apple is beginning to dominate the virtual world and I hope that Apple plays a critical role in our classrooms soon or before I retire, which wouldn’t be for at least another 40 years. I agree that educational systems “needs to be pushed,” but who is to do the “pushing?” Researchers have experimented and have laid out the facts, so it up to the teachers to prove that these 21st century skills including technology work effectively and hopefully their results and desires would become contagious? Or will administrators unblock and invite these technological learning tools into our classrooms? Richardson (2009) once stated in the book, Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, “We cannot honestly discuss twenty-first century learning skills four our students before we first make sense of that for ourselves.” It is important that each teacher reevaluate his or her instruction and pedagogies. I think teachers should place all the 21st century skills and their subject in a blender and teach our students a nutritious curriculum to increase their readiness for success.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC.
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
I notice on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website where it mentioned No Child Left behind. I myself have a major problem with "No child left behind" but I do agree witht he core subjects that it does identify. Our children have to master those skills and concepts before before they can master the other emerging concepts that the site has identified. Before students can move on to new concepts like Civic literacy and information and technology literacy they have to master basic reading skills. There is a process and the chart they had on their pdf makes a lot of sense. For once I can see how NCLB can work with their program.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteLike you I agree that P21 can effectively support some of the goals of NCLB. The standards can be blended with the initiatives of the partnership to help students become more well-rounded communicators and problem solvers.
I was at a dinner with friends last night, two of whom were university professors and another who taught high school Spanish. All of us were bemoaning the fact that students today do not seem to be self-directed problem solvers. While they all can text and use Facebook for hours, when given a complex task many seem to be stuck in a “spoonfeeding” mentality. In my classroom, I might give a cooperative learning activity with detailed instructions. So many of my students do not read the instructions and ask me, over and over and over, “What do we do now?” My response is always the same: “Read the instructions again with your teammates. Try to solve the next step yourselves. Then, if you still have problems, ask me again.” Some day in the not-too-distant future, when they are working on a computer and collaborating with someone halfway around the world on a complex problem, they will have to figure out what to do next on their own. It’s never too early to teach students how to think independently.
In my opinion, P21 is a step in the right direction to help students face the challenges of a global workplace.
Robert Newell
www.mrnewell.edublogs.org