My district recently defined 21st century skills as a high-impact instructional practice. We debated on how it should be defined and which strategies should fall under the 21st century skills umbrella.
As the team was working on this, we asked ourselves the question, "What do our students need to know after they leave our district?" We know we are working to prepare them for jobs which don't exist and for skills we're not sure they will need.
Our first strategy identified was making real-world connections. We wanted to make sure learning was connected to the world around us. We also wanted to note the importance of connecting not only around our state, but also our country and the world. We want learning to be relevant!
Another strategy we identified was multimedia. Technology is all around us and if we are not having our students use multiple devices, then we are doing a disservice to them. We also noted the importance of students creating projects to show understanding rather than taking multiple choice tests.
The last strategy I will note here is digital citizenship. Our hope was digital citizenship would become embedded in every lesson and every conversation rather than an "add-on" lesson or activity with no relevance.
As educators, I believe, we all want to prepare our students for the future in whatever career they choose or path their future takes. By teaching the same lessons with the same strategies for 25 years is not preparing our students. We have to get out of our box (or even throw the box away) and our comfort zone and challenge ourselves as professionals to move education in a direction which is more rigorous and relevant.
Great post, Mandy! I recently read Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz and he dedicated a whole chapter to 21st Century skills! He lists 34 skills in 11 categories. It seems like a lot, but they all seem so important and necessary to teach our students.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Kerr