There are many 21st century skills that are important for students to have learned about in order to be prepared for their futures and careers. Some of those skills include collaboration, core subjects like math and reading, critical thinking, and technology literacy. I had a chance to take a look at the website, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/.
I thought this was a great website to go to in order to get more information about these important skills that need to be taught in the classroom. It was an easy site to get around and included some important sections like a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page and some diagrams that help readers to understand these 21st century skills. I also liked how the website had videos that show specific lessons that incorporate 21st century skills. I think that it is helpful to be able to see real life lessons and examples of how you can incorporate these skills into the classroom.
One thing that I was surprised about was the fact that Wisconsin, my home state, was one of the states that was a part of the 21st century skills initiative. I have only been teaching for 3 years, but during this time, I haven’t heard about this initiative in Wisconsin. I feel that this would be something that educators need to know about and should be shared with all teachers.
I didn’t see anything on the website that I disagree with. I feel that these 21st century skills are important to know about and to teach, and this website helped to show the value of learning the skills.
Students are learning from us and we are the ones that help get them ready for their future. In order to help them succeed, we need to understand what the job market will be like and what skills they will need for those jobs. By learning more about the current and future job market, we will be able to help prepare our students. This website is a great starting point for any educator who would like to know more about these important skills or about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Take a look at this site yourself. What do you think about it?
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Elizabeth I really liked the site (Partnership for 21st Century Skills)to. I found it very informative and easy to navigate. I think it is an excellent resource for new and experienced teachers ....the resource called "Route 21" is fantastic. Like you, I did not see anything that I disagreed with. And as more states and businesses get on board it can only get better! For a site that was created in 2002 I am disappointed that I did not find out about it sooner.
ReplyDeleteBeing in Wisconsin as well, I have heard of this. It sounds like either your district is not aware of it, or they are not doing that great of a job at promoting it. I don't think it's up to the teachers to have to know about some of these things. The administrators should be providing us with the information they either know we should be using, or they recommend we should be using in our classroom.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did not find a large amount of value in the site, I think districts in WI need to be aware of it.
Richard, I thought that I had looked at many of the things that this website had to offer, and actually did see some videos that the website had on it. I'm not sure how I missed the Route 21 part of the website though. It had a lot of great resources to look into.
ReplyDeleteBrett, I agree with you. It shouldn't only be the teacher's responsibility in knowing and learning about some of these things. I believe that administrators need to keep up to date with these things and need to share them with their staff.
Thanks for your responses!
I was also shocked to see that my state of New Jersey was also a partner. I had never heard of this initiative prior to this weeks application for Walden! Apparently, my district has dropped the ball with this.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a valuable point by stating that teachers need to be abreast about the current and future job market. I never realized until you mentioned it that many teachers, such as myself, have been so withdrawn from Corporate America that we, for the most part, have no idea what is expected of our students in their future careers. Unfortunately, many teachers fall into a rut or become "comfortable" with what they have been doing for the past ten or even twenty years they do not realize the negative effective it may have on their students' future.
All educators should become acquainted with Partnership for 21st Century Skills if they want to better prepare their students.