In order for students to succeed in the 21st century they
will need to have specific skills to compete in the global market.
Concurrently, teachers have to be familiar with all of these skills. Teachers
will they need to know how to help students learn and what tools to use to help
their students learn these skills. After exploring The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
website, also known as P21, I was able to learn more about their initiatives with
the 21st century skills movement. I was able to determine that this
organization is working towards the awareness of 21st century skills and the
importance of technology associated with the skills. This organization is an advocate for "21st
century readiness for every student". (Partnership, 2011) Their mission
statement is "to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at
the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among
education, business, community and government leaders."(Partnership, 2011)
After reading their mission and further exploring this website I came across
many publications, curriculum maps, and even blogs all providing information
correlating with 21st century skills. Each one of these tools offer deeper
explanations and examples of what is needed in order to successfully prepare
educators to teach these skills in their classrooms.
The maps presented by this organization outline the
skills and technologies that can be used to help teach these skills. "The maps will enable
educators, administrators and policymakers to gain concrete examples of how
21st Century Skills can be integrated into core subjects."(Partnership,
2011) Earlier this week I watched an educational video by Dr.
David Thornburg, who spoke about 21st century skills and their significance
to the learner today. The following list of skills presented by Dr. Thornburg in this video:
critical thinking, problem solving,
communication, teamwork and collaboration, information technology and leadership.(Laureate Inc., 2010)
One portion of the website that surprised me in a very positive
way was the importance of incorporating the subjects of geography, history, government
and civics. "Mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential
for students in the 21st century," geography, history, government and
civics were all included in this list of core subjects. (Partnership, 2011) In many instances these
subjects have gotten pushed to the side because literacy has been seen as more
important, without literacy students would not be able to learn and comprehend
the other subjects. Although literacy is important that does not mean that the
other subjects are not. As a Social Studies teacher I have heard educators say that
social studies is not an important subject and that it will not help students
in the future, especially because it is not a tested subject. However, this
organization points out that history,
geography, government and civics all subjects which are a part of social
studies are important for 21st century
students to master. Along with the incorporation of different technologies and
21st century skills these subjects will help students become well educated and
competitive citizens.
There are many ways that the classroom will change with
the use of the 21st century skills and the Common Core Standards. The use of
technology will be imperative in order to develop proficiency in the 21st
century skills. As educators we must become adaptable to all of the changes in
the field of education. Technology will become a part of everyday life in the
21st century classroom and the sooner we embrace the technological tools that
are now available to us the more proficient our students will become. We need
to prepare them for the ever changing work force and teach them how to succeed
in a global economy through these skills.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Skills for the 21st Century [video]. Available from Walden University.
The partnership for 21st century skills-http://www.p21.org/
