While exploring the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills ( http://www.p21.org/) I was pleasantly surprised to find that my home state of Ohio is one of 12 states that are participating in this initiative. I wholeheartedly agree that as educators, we must rethink the way students learn. This organization argues that besides learning skills, emphasis should be placed on thinking, and life skills. These are becoming more necessary to be successful in the community and in tomorrow's workplace. With the blending of the Three Rs and the four Cs (Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity/Innovation) we can be sure that our students will be prepared to compete in a worldwide economy that demands revolutionary thinking.
This website is easy to navigate and provides many suggestions as well as free resources and reproducibles that can be very useful in the classroom.
As a contemporary educator, I can focus on the skills that will be necessary for my students to be competitive, and contribute to society in a meaningful way. I will then be satisfied in knowing that I did my part in preparing my students for the future.
One thing that I questioned about this enterprise is, if the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is federally funded, why is it that only 12 states are participating in this endeavour?
Nadia,
ReplyDeleteI was a bit surprised that you were not aware that Ohio is a participant of P21. Does that mean that although they have standards in place, your schools are not participating or they have not been fazed in in all schools? It is a shame that by the time an idea/improvement is finally phased in, it is old. Although I do not necessarily believe that with P21, because these are skills that our students need to have to be successful. But....why wait?
I have to say that while I believe I am already teaching these skills, I do not believe in the entire program P21 entails. Do we really want our students to become competitive at young ages? Or do we want to teach them how to collaborate and work together to reach the end product? Yes, I understand that today's work fields are competitive creatures, but I'm not sure I would want my child to feel as though they aren't "the best" which would then hurt his/her spirit, etc.
ReplyDeleteI also asked the question, why are only 12 states participating? I would like to know the thoughts and ideas about the non-participating states.
Hi Nadia - Iowa is also a state that has chosen to become a P21 Leadership State. Each state may choose to take the initiative of designing new standards, assessments, and professional development programs that ensure 21st century readiness for every student. To become a P21 Leadership State, a state demonstrates commitment from the governor and chief state school officer, and submits an application to P21 that describes the state’s plan to fuse the three Rs and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) within standards, assessments and professional development programs. It is a lengthy process that each state's legislation must be committed to. Regardless if the legislation in a particular state has committed to aligning with P21, many districts use the benchmarks, standards and objectives as a guide to ensure they're preparing their students for 21st century learning.
ReplyDeleteHi Nadia,
ReplyDeleteI read an earlier post from you on another site questioning the type of certificate you would need to be in Technology. I recently had a meeting with our Human Resources Director and she told me to take the Technology Education GACE. (It is a test from Ga.)I researched this test and found a sample test. The test did not contain questions about websites, internet, technology advances, etc. The questions were about construction technology and others such as how much torque is needed on a 9 in wrench with 30 lbs pressure, what are the safety procedures with a lathe, explain the electrical process from a hydraulic plant (you could draw a diagram with this one), how to properly spread concrete without getting air bubbles. I am still in shock. So, my question is, will Walden help to prepare me for this test? Will these questions be in future classes? If not, I may be in trouble. I will definitely need a tutor!
I too was unaware that Ohio was a participant of P21. I'm not sure what technology is available to you and the students in your district, but I know that there is a great deal of inequality in Ohio when it comes to this. A group of teachers in my district were the recipients of a federal grant and just received netbooks for each of their students. While this is a step in the right direction, I can't help but wonder why all students aren't provided with netbooks and the other tools needed to learn 21st Century Skills. Though the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is federally funded, perhaps some states don't see the purpose of joining if they know they can't provide school districts with the technology necessary to teach these skills.
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