I am taking a class about Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Through my class, I was introduced to the website of a group called the Partnership for 21st Century Skills whose mission is to “encourage schools, districts, and states to advocate for the infusion of 21st Century Skills into education.” The student outcomes that they target are the 3 Rs (which we should all be familiar with …Reading, (W)Riting, and (A)Rithmetic) and the 4 Cs (Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity) along with Life and Career Skills and Information, Media, and Technology Skills. A lot of the information reiterated what I have been made more aware of these last few weeks… we are not preparing our kids to compete in today’s or tomorrow’s global economy. I was surprised by the states that have adopted the initiative, 16 of them to be exact, and the fact that it is endorsed by the US Department of Education. I was surprised to see that West Virginia, a state not usually associated with educational reform, was mentioned several times as being a state that has gone so far as to change their state assessments to incorporate critical thinking and problem-solving. I am also surprised that I have never heard of the 4 Cs. Our district is much more focused on the formal, high-stakes tests, especially now that there is a push for teacher accountability for scores. What I didn’t agree with was the blatant E-Learning endorsements that were given though many of the resource links. Public schools are in competition with cyberschools and there is not enough data to support whether online learning really is an effective teaching tool for the core subjects, let alone to support that online learning is a better way to teach the 4 Cs. What this means for us public educators is that we need to integrate more technology, critical thinking, STEM skills, and collaboration into our core curriculum should we want to produce students that are ready to compete in the global market. The website did have a number of great ideas about incorporating 21st Century skills in the classroom. Check it out for yourself: http://www.p21.org/
In my comments I also mentioned how surprised I was to see 16 states adopt this initiative. These skills are necessary for our students and it is disappointing that so few states see the value. However, as I hear and read more about the Common Core, it seems as though these skills are embedded into the standards. Just in math, students will need to be able to communicate effectively, collaborate, and use technological tools. Many school systems are too focused on the standardized tests. Education needs to be reformed. Those in charge need to realize that we are inhibiting our students. They need to have the opportunities to extend their learning and to creatively demonstrate their knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI also have never heard of the 4 Cs that were mentioned in the website and my school district is also very focused on the standardized testing, especially when our district status and possibly state and federal funding are tied to those test results. Of those 4 Cs, the two that really stand out as being crucial are critical thiking and creativity. Students need to be encouraged to think outside of the box and be creative contributors to society. They also need to learn critical thinking skills so they are able to look at problems and find solutions. Of course they still need the basic skills (the 3 Rs) but the new 21st century skills that the 21st century partnership is promoting are an essential set of skills that students will need to be successful in todays working environment.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point in discussing the number of states, where the P21 initiative has been adopted. Perhaps I overlooked this information, as I am a Canadian and teaching in Europe. Nevertheless, the importance of 21st Century skills for education are undoubtedly a global issue, affecting schools all over the world. So what does a teacher, or a school, do if they would like to teach 21st Century skills and are in a state that has not adopted the P21 initiative? Can they override state funding laws and apply for P21 support? This cannot be an easy process, which surely costs precious time.
ReplyDeleteThe other good point you discuss is the competition between public schools and cyber schools. I understand that where online learning is popular, this results in reduced student numbers in public schools, which spirals lower into the reduction of state funding for the public school. Unfortunately, we all know that this translates to budget cuts for new technology to enhance learning of those 21st Century skills. I must admit, I do prefer to see children learning in schools supported by a true learning environment (technology included). But there are cases where online learning is a savior for children living in remote regions, such as the Australian outback. Online learning will probably not disappear, judging from the momentum of technology. I suspect many online students will return to the school classroom when schools begin to satisfy the needs of these students leaving the system. Online learning has just arisen due to the dissatisfaction in the present state of the education system.
Alexi
I agree that it seems the common core will hold studnets to a higher standard, and think this will help us develop critical thinkers. I know in my school system we are really focusing on Math Workshop where students must be able to communicate and prove their mathematical thinking using story problems and model drawing. This is currently found in our process skills that I think often go unnoticed. Our conuty has also placed a big emphasis on higher order questioning and increasing the rigor of our teaching and activity.
ReplyDeleteThe 4 Cs were new to me as well. I think the two most important of those are critical thinking and collaboration. In the career world, these are two very crucial skills. Many jobs today involve working on teams to solve complex problems. Working collaboratively, whether just within your office or working globally, is how much of today's business is done. Unfortunately, in today's heavily tested schools, even in kindergarten, there is very little time to learn how to work as a group, in play or in academics. It is a skill that is being pushed aside for drilling subjects that are tested.
ReplyDeleteYou commented on how only 16 states has initiatives involving 21st century skills and how you were surprised that West Virginia was talked about so frequently on the site. I was surprised that California was not on the list. They have been at the forefront of educational reform for years and in the last several have lost the edge to the devastating budget cuts the state education system has seen. It is discouraging to see how difficult it is for school to gain access to new technologies. Fortunately there are grants, but even those do not cover everyone.
I agree with your comment that the 4 C's are important. The thing that I find frustrating is that when we as teachers are forced to teach new curriculums every year. We can't be master teachers when we are forced to make that many changes. In essence, we are learning new things too. I think that we should figure out a way to stop changing things over and over and work on what we know works. It seems that everything is cyclical and always comes back to the same thing. Research shows this...no now it shows this...now it shows this,...oh no it's back to the first thing. How can we be strong individual teachers when we are expected to learn new programs, new curriculum and new ways to teach???
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