I must admit I was a little overwhelmed with the site at first. There seemed to be so much information that I was unsure of where I wanted to start, but like the first day of summer when the pool is still a little cold, sometimes you just have to jump right in!
The first place I choose to explore was “About Us”. I was surprised to see the variety of companies that were represented by the board members. How is it that I have never heard anyone mention this site and concept before? When I saw that my state was not included in this program (why am I not surprised?), I realized that may be the reason I have not heard of the site.
I was impressed by the extensive list of skills presented on the site. It seems as if no stone has been left unturned. The skills range from learning and innovation skills to life and career skills. I was glad to see that core subjects such as math, science and English were included and pleasantly surprised that the arts were included in the list of core subjects. The interdisciplinary themes kind of reminded me of electives we have in high school and included such things as global awareness, civic literacy and health literacy.
Further exploration took me to video clips of schools where innovative teaching was taking place. Being a math teacher, I was drawn to the section on Critical Thinking/Math and Science. Viewing the clip at http://www.edutopia.org/mountlake-terrace-high-school I was impressed by Reeder’s students and a collaborative 6-week project they complete that involves designing a high school for the year 2050. Reeder incorporates many areas into the project, from architecture design to financial needs to community involvement.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills seems committed to success of students. The “partnership” has created open lines of communication between education and business. When educators are aware of what students face when entering the “real world”, they can better assist the students in being more prepared.
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I could understand being overwhelmed when entering the Partnership for 21st Learning Skills site. However, like you, I felt that the information contained on the website presented a thorough outline and clear picture for educators, parents, and other on how differently our classrooms need to be structured in delivering effective and relevant instruction that encompasses knowledge our students will need to prepare them to become aware and literate in global awareness and other interdisciplinary themes needed for our students when they enter the workforce to succeed.
ReplyDeleteAfter browsing the site and the tremendous amounts of information I found that my state was one of the states participating in this effort. I was a bit surprised at this because my school has very little technological resources at this time. If not for this class I don't believe that I would have come across this site. In addition I wouldn't have even questioned how transforming our classrooms and instruction to meet the skills used in society and the business world could make such an important impact on the quality and success of our students. I believe that my state has developed a good overall plan in providing 21st Century Learning skills to our classrooms but I have seen limited efforts so far in applying these changes. How do you think we can prepare them for "the real world" without the proper tools?
As pointed out in the information provided from this group, our students success is dependent on our ability to provide them with the proper skills, distributive thinking, and collaboration skills. Much of these skills they will find in the workforce. They will need to be able to work with others where in the past we were taught to be independent thinkers. Don't you agree that this site addresses that point and ultimately rejects most of the traditional teaching methods in the past?
I know what you mean I was a little ovewhelmed at first as well, in fact I took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on some other site without knowing it that was a pay site. I was a little put off at first thinking the Walden had some audacity sending us a site we have to pay for. Fortunately I realized my mistake before joining.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about your school but mine would never let me teach a six-week project. We are rooted in tradition no matter how antiquated. Although I must say that when I shared the blog idea with my department there was interest amongst my colleagues. Of course they are waiting to see what my success rate is.
I should have looked at the "About Us" first but that happened to be the last area I explored, which negated my initial question as to why the NEA hadn't supported such an organization. Luckily before posting I did peruse "About Us", only to discover that the NEA does indeed support it. The site offers such an immense amount of information that can apply to every level and subject. Some of the courses through Walden I have found frustrating becasue the materials do not apply to what I teach. This site was finally a great find.
I am looking forward into looking more into this site and finding out why my state is not on the list. I would like to think that any time that you can bring schools and businesses together to get on the same page, states would be jumping at the chance to get involved. I also liked how they bring all of the classes together. I think that they are on the right track.
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