Blog #4: 21st Century Skills and Lifelong Learners

As I researched 21st Century Skills and Lifelong Learners, the one word that was noticeably missing was ‘student’. I have been mulling this over in my head for several days and came to the conclusion that I torn about its omission. There is no doubt that the skills that are necessary for today’s learners are nowhere similar to the ones I needed back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The word ‘student’ implies a limited time a person is in a role, whereas, ‘lifelong learner’ implies personal responsibility that is unending. In some ways, I must admit that taking the word ‘student’ almost feels as though I my role has been diminished, whereas, in reality, I am empowering these lifelong learners. The skills that do overlap have also changed. As the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness (2004) lists the skills needed for success after high school; Information and Communication Skills, Thinking and Problem Solving, Interpersonal and Self-Direction Skills, Global Awareness, Financial, Economic and Business Literacy and Civic Literacy, combined with the four categories of skills listed by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (2007); Digital Age Literacy Basics, Inventive Thinking, Effective Communication, and High Productivity Prioritizing, is causing my head to swim. I was required to do much of the same, but the scales and importance of students truly integrating them into the core of who they are, has not only greatly increased, but must be mastered at a much younger age! The parts they I missed in my undergrad years included anything and everything digital. I remember when the first hand-held radio came onto the market. How far we have come!!! But as I seriously consider not only what I need to do in my classroom, but what I will do, inspires me to be a better teacher. As a Family and Consumer Science teacher, I do not need to worry about the actual State testing per se (I reinforce skills, but my name does not appear next to the subject area as the teacher), so I can have fun with my students and experiment quite a bit with what I do. On the Welcome Page of my school Webpage, the first thing I state includes learning while having fun in a relaxed atmosphere. That has always been my motto and what students always remember about being with me. That was also true when I taught middle school math. I am a big believer in school should never be boring!

With these criteria in mind, how can I address what these students really need? For a WebQuest on ‘Internet Use and Safety’ that I am creating, I am integrating critical thinking questions, taking students to sites in which they must look at warranties, only to find it is clearly stated there is not one, effectively communicate through a student-created presentation, work with a partner or a small group (interpersonal and self-direction), and demonstrate learning of the information desired. I plan on re-evaluating every lesson to ensure that I am meeting at least three of the criteria our life-long learners need to succeed after high school.

In this Ken Kay video, President of 21st Century Skills, I was challenged to think about what I need to be doing for my learners.







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eGHAuV5yLo

References

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2004). Twenty first century children. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2008). 21st century skills education and competitiveness. A resource and policy guide (--). Retrieved August 15, 2009 from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/21st_century_skills_education_and_competitiveness_guide.pdf