Filed under: Education
As a requirement in a master’s course which I am currently taking I was asked to explore the website titled: The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/). This site was formed to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community, and government leaders. I found this site to be very informative, well-designed, and easy to navigate. It offers several articles and focuses in on key states that are taking the initiative to incorporate 21st century skills in their educational systems. I was surprised to find that one of the key states taking this initiative is my home state of Kansas. As states across the nation acknowledge the skills their students are learning in school currently do not align with 21st century communities and workplaces I believe more will join this initiative.
I agree with this site regarding the 21st century skills that should be applied in each classroom. Some of those skills include information and communication skills, thinking and problem solving, and self-direction skills. I know that the implementation of these skills in the classroom is a gradual process which may take many years, but as educators we must start somewhere. Some implications that I may face in my own classroom with applying these 21st century skills would include lack of resources, and implementing them effectively in a second grade classroom. If I were given training or introduced to curriculum in which these skills were intertwined I would feel more confident I was implementing these skills effectively. I also feel that some of these skills (such as collaboration, problem-solving, and self-direction) are taught in my classroom on a daily basis, incorporated into the subjects that I teach.
I look forward to educating myself on these 21st Century Skills more in-depth, and taking small steps towards preparing my students for the 21st century.
It was interesting to read that you were surprised your state was one of the states included. I wonder why your district has not informed its teachers of this. Since you live in one of the states that has adopted this plan, do you know what kind of training is involved for educators? Are teachers being trained in a timely fashion, or just expected to teach these skills?
You mentioned that you already teach some of the skills in your classroom. I think most teachers probably do to a certain extent. I live in Illinois, and my state is not one of the states included. However, I address many of the skills listed in my classroom. I would love for Illinois to become a state to teach The 21st Century Skills. Like you, I look forward to preparing my students for the 21st century!
I like your idea that we must start somewhere. My question for some discussion would be this: is it better to start somewhere without a proper plan or appropriate funding or does the fact that we are getting the ball rolling more important that proper preparation? I am just posing this question because I agree with you that changes need to be made. My conundrum is that should we rely on the federal government to provide states and schools with a basic foundation, such as that provided by 21stcenturythinking.org, or should we just do our own thing, in our respective classrooms and states?
I would like to believe that our representatives in Washington understand this crisis that we face regarding the lack of technological integration into our classrooms and the uneven balance of funding within our respective districts & states. You say that we need to get started somewhere. That is true, but where? I compare it with lesson planning without research or proper time allotted. Is is better that you randomly “wing it” just to be doing it or is it better to risk a day or two at the sacrifice of a great extensive lesson?
Thanks for your posting.
Karen,
I do not live in the state of Kansas anymore, I relocated to Tennessee 7 years ago. Therefore I cannot answer any of the questions that you have posed. When I did mention this initiative to some educators I know in that state they were unaware of the program. It may be that some districts are more active in the initiative than others.