21st Century Skills – The Tipping Point in U.S. Education

Articles/Presentations:

1. 21^st Century Skills – Rethinking How Students Learn – Forward
2. 21^st Century Skills – Navigating Social Networks as Learning Tools
3. Online Video Clip – Sugata Mitra Shows How Kids Teach Themselves (Ted Partner Series; filmed February 2007)

After reading and watching the above articles/presentations I am feeling motivated and inspired to do even more in my classroom.  The first thing that struck me was the reference to Malcolm Gladwell and his book on “The Tipping Point” and its comparison to U.S. education being on the threshold of unstoppable change.  I completely agree with the statement and I think the longer we refuse to acknowledge it as a profession the further behind we are falling.  Change is inevitable and we need to recognize this and embrace it. 

Article 1:

I agree with the author that “21^st century student outcomes are the design specs for the rest of the system”.  On a side note, as an economics and government teacher, I am glad to see that the proposed curriculum includes economics, government, civics and financial literacy; which are important skills all students will need regardless of what occupation they would like to pursue.   Most school offer these as electives when it is imperative that all students become informed citizens in government and economic if we want to have a thriving democracy and economy.

I laughed at the quote “any employee who needs to be managed is no longer employable”.   It is so true, we need to teach students and adults to be self-sufficient and capable task manager and problem solvers, otherwise, and we are wasting valuable work time to constantly train employees to do things they should be able to figure out and do on their own.

Article 2: 

            I really enjoyed reading this Chapter in the book.  The following comment particularly caught my attention, “we now officially live in a world where even twelve-year-olds can create their own global classrooms around the things which they are most passionate.”  Maybe we should be focusing on modeling learning more after childrens’ passions.  We are longer educating children to do a job, we are training them to be life-long learners where they can adapt their core set of skills to meet the needs of the global workforce which will be dynamic and not stagnant.   Job security is no longer a reality and learning one skill will not guarantee you a steady paycheck.  We need to embrace technology and use student’s interests to engage them in creative activities that involve problem-solving on a regular basis. 

            I also like that the article pointed out that learning is now a global community and does not take place just in a classroom.  As teachers we should be looking for ways to engage our students in connecting with people, place and things outside their “inner bubble”.  However, as the article suggests we need to make sure we train our teachers and students to be safe and be aware of the dangers global education presents.  I don’t think I have ever been trained on this and I think it would be an excellent professional development opportunity to offer in my school district.

            Online Presentation:

            I think this video clip paired nicely with both articles.  It gave you a real-life example to go along with the theory presented from both of them.  I believe that remote schools are at a severe disadvantage and this video clip showed it in the flesh.  I also believe that education is evolving into a self organization and that the “brick and mortar” school we know today will probably not be the school of the future.  My interest was also peaked with the following question:  “Can technology alter the acquisition of values”?  I definitely believe it can and it will open the flood gates for teaching diversity, tolerance and a general understanding of what I would call “global values”. 

 I look forward to discussing this in class tonight with my peers.

Reaction to Discussion on 21st Century Learning

Important Charateristics/Themes for Educating 21st Century Students:

Personally, I think schools need to be revamped to include 21st  century skills.  In tomorrow's world students will need to be resilient, creative and comfortable with digital technology and its advances.  A typical high school should offer classes such as: social networking, creative cognitive thinking, problem solving, the art of compromise, evaluating online content for bias, etc.  Students will no longer have to take a class where they learn how to type or a class where they learn how to write legibily. 

The concept of a school will probably change as well.  I invision a virtual school four days a week and a brick and mortar school one day a week.  Students from all social and economic backgrounds will be interacting with each other in virtual school and once a week you will meet with students in your neighborhood to exchange ideas and discuss skills face to face. This will also allow all children the opportunity to take any class they want because they won't have to rely on their school district offering it in order to be able to take it.  In addition, this will greatly improve the financial situation of schools and state budgets.

The downside to this is that if we go to far, we might lose that human element that is available in overabundance in school today.  I think we need to stike the proper balance between embracing new ideas and technology and saving ideas that work today and have a place in the future.

I think it is difficult to visualize what schools will look like because technology has allowed society to rapidly change so this task is difficult but one worth thinking about because as an administrator I will be leading the change needed in education today. 

Revenge of the Right Brain

Article: Revenge of the Right Brain  


By: Daniel H. Pink

Summary:

The author of the article makes the argument that we have moved from the Information Age using the left-side of our brains to the Conceptual Age using the right-side of our brains. Ultimately the skills that are valued today are “artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture and pursuing the transcendent.”

What I liked about the article and why I found it interesting?

The following quote really made me think: “Any job that can be reduced to a set a rules is at risk.” The author made me realize that most schools in the U.S. function to teach students to conform to a set of rules on a daily basis. We teach students to follow a set of rules and procedures and look for an “expected” result when we should be teaching students to explore and come up to their own conclusions. We should be teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills. In addition, we should value innovation in students not conformity.

What questions do I have about the article?

1. I would like examples of “high-touch” activities and/or lessons I could introduce to my students.

2. The author makes the argument that we are going to bypass the Conceptual Age but he does not clearly indicate where we will be heading next, I would like to hear his thoughts on this.

3. We currently using standardized testing for students, what does the author suggest we replace it with to align with right-brain assessment vs. left-brain assessment?

What might I want to change about what the author said and why?

Personally I agree with the author and there is not much I would change about what he has presented. However, I still think we need to value teaching to both sides of the brain. All children learn differently and we need to make sure as educators, we are attempting to meet the needs of all learners not just the breadwinners of the future.