Partnership for 21st Century Skills

What is happening in Mrs. Bissett's classroom this week?

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

This website Partnership for 21st Century Skills (http://www.p21.org/) is new to me.  I explored the website and familiarized myself with their mission, the members of the partnership, and the information available.  This website includes key elements of 21st century learning, and steps to build momentum.  Leaders in business and education are creating a vision for educating our students for the 21st century, and launching a public awareness about the need for change.  I am very excited about the wonderful national dialogues this website is opening up on the need for curriculum and assessments to reflect 21st century realities. 

The vision that the partnership lays out not only includes standards, assessments, and accountability measures, but also the skills needed for the 21st century.  I love how they clearly outline six key elements: 1)emphasize core subjects 2)emphasize learning skills 3)use 21st century tools to develop learning skills 4)teach and learn in a 21st century context 5)teach and learn 21st century content and 6)use 21st century assessments that measure 21st century skills.  Further explanations of these elements can be found on the following link: http://www.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf.   I would like to address the fifth key element in particular.  Business leaders know that students coming into the workplace need to have global awareness, financial, economic and business literacy.  This content needs to be included in the curriculum.  I think this is important for high school and college aged students.  I teach 2nd grade, so not so much for them.  My students, however, have much more global awareness than I did as a child.  Also, I completely agree with element number six.  We absolutely have to have 21st century assessments to measure 21st century skills.  Our current assessments only measure core subjects.

Our students today are immersed in 21 century technology skills, at home.  Even my 2nd graders know how to search the web for information, use email, play video games, use iPods & iPads, and text.  The upper graders connect with friends on social networks, use digital cameras and download their photos, and make PowerPoint presentations.  Youth today are quite fearless at using technology.  The implications all of this has on educators is that we need to keep educating ourselves about the many uses of technology out there.  We must keep teaching core subjects, but also integrate 21st century tools and content into education.

Some states are integrating ICT literacy into their curriculum and core academic standards.  I was surprised to find that my state, California, was not on the list.  California is usually on the cutting edge of business, and many new innovations.   

Reference List

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Retrieved from 

http://www.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Reports.pdf