Partnering for 21st Century Skills
The above titled website provided a medium through which I could explore much of the content that I have been exposed to thus far, but in a much more concise format. This is a document that I can envision referring to again and again.
The partners involved in this initiative are drawn from many of the stakeholders involved in the preparation of students for the 21st century workplace.These stakeholders include both private and public companies, computer and software manufacturers as well as stakeholders involved in curriculum and assessment development such as the Department of Education. Their mandate is powerful from researching best practices to ensuring that everyone gets on board with the program.
The majority of the site focused on explaining the 6 key elements of 21st century learning and the nine steps to building momentum. These provide a good framework for anyone who wants to know how to start infusing these 21st century skills into their classroom structure. In my country some of the core subjects listed are not emphasized such as civics, government, economics and arts and I do not believe that adding this to our packed curriculum will be beneficial. I also do not agree with the National Center for Education that the more content students are taught the more they learn and the better they perform on later achievement tests (pg 23). In St Kitts the government is embarking on a revision of the primary school curriculum because so many students enter high schools having still not mastered basic concepts and skills. It is the common opinion of many educators here that the curriculum is overloaded and hence does not provide enough opportunities of mastery.
In my Caribbean context, where resources are limited many of the steps to build momentum are beyond the capacity of schools to achieve. However, I do see areas where as educators and educator leaders we can begin addressing, for example the development of professional development plan, that ensures that all teachers in my school are versed in the use of technological tools. The sharing of knowledge and skills by one teacher to several can make a big difference. It only takes a spark to get the fire going.
1 comment:
I agree with you. I think our curriculum is bloated too. Students are entering the high school without basic writing and math skills. More emphasis needs to be placed on building middle school students capacity in math and writing. I think students should learn to write on paper before they begin using word processing. I read that a school district was going to eliminate penmanship. I think this is a bad idea. Students should be able to do simple math without a calculator. I did not use a calculator until I took trigonometry and chemistry. Technology has to be integrated into the classroom, but it has to be done appropriately at the correct time, developmental stage, and the correct place, curricular area. The best 21st century skill students can be taught at an early age is information literacy. This will help students develop some proficiency in Internet research and critical reading for accuracy, honesty, and the main ideas. Students need to be able to sift through and drill down to the important information and see past all the fluffy media and eye candy. There is a tremendous amount of data on the Internet, and students should be able to analyze and accurately interpret the data and graphs they find. Since students are expected to accomplish more and more research on their own, it is important they learn strategies to deal with the mountains of information they encounter on the Internet. The Partnering for the 21st Century web site covered some of these strategies and ideas in the blogs section.
Vincent Szilagyi
Post a Comment