As I began exploring the website, Partnership for the 21st-Century Skills, my immediate reaction was that my state of West Virginia must be involved with this. As I discovered the states already on board, sure enough, West Virginia was on the list. This was not a surprise to me. Although WV's teachers rank among the lowest paid in the nation, we always seem to be up-to-date with the latest trend in education. Our governor and state education leaders have been preparing us and encouraging us to change the way we teach. Teachers can be a tough sell, but I think our state has been patient and continues to offer professional development for all teachers in 21st century skills. Over the past few years, my state has made the shift to project-based learning which promotes these skills. I am proud to say my school is a leader in our state promoting 21 century skills. I will admit this change has not painless, but we now understand the importance of preparing our students, as much as we can, for the job market they will enter.
The Partnership for the 21st-Century Skills is comprised of the US government, the business sector, and the educational community. Just as in WV, all must work together to change the way we educate our children and prepare them for what is ahead. This organization is promoting the necessary skills for the business world and helping teachers understand what our students must know and be able to do. Input from major corporations is necessary so that we, as teachers, understand what is expected of future leaders.
Combining the 3 Rs and the 4 Cs is the focus of the 21st century skills and that is the challenge for me as teacher. The 4 Cs, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation, have been the center of my project planning. It has been exciting for me to see that every school year has brought another teacher in my school closer to the understanding of the importance of Project-Based Learning. Incorporating the 4 Cs is crucial for our students. A major shift is about to take place in WV and I feel that the teachers at my school are ready to join the country in the Common Core Standards. I am sure it will not be without a few hitches, but as we make the necessary changes, we will be preparing our students for the 21st-century.
My only problem I see that our students still struggle with the 3 Rs. The graphic used to show the framework for 21st Century Skills is centered around the 3 Rs. That looks great on paper, but the reality is that some of our students have difficulty moving through the 4 Cs because they have not mastered the 3 Rs. This is exactly why some teachers are slow to change the way they are teaching. The argument is if students cannot remember their times tables or other basic information, how can we expect critical thinking and problem solving skills to be mastered.
As a contemporary educator, I am thankful for groups like the Partnership for the 21st Century Skills. I found the skills maps provided for each core subject to be very helpful .I downloaded the Common Core Toolkit and subscribed to the site so that I will receive up-to-date news and information. Next year my state will begin implementing the Common Core Standards and while WV is very good at giving teachers tools and support, this website will be an important resource for me. Ready or not, I must change the way I teach my students. When my career began, I became weary of my own voice. As a facilitator, I can step back and allow my students to guide their own learning. This kind of education is much more exciting for us all!
I am happy with you Shelley that your State government is actively involved in this wonderful partnership and that you are given all the encouragement and support for success in this drive towards the 21st century. In a few years time, I am sure your state and in fact educators will reap the dividend of this laudable investment.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the 4 Cs and 3 Rs, I share your concerns. There may be the need for a merger of the new and the old so that our students can have the best of it all, because we cannot afford to overlook any aspect of their learning but we can use the new approach to ratify the old content. What do you think about this Shelley?
I am glad to see that your state was on the list and that your state is up-to-date with the latest trends in education. As I teach in New York I was a little dissappointed to not see my state on the list. We too have adopted the new Common Core Standards. We are actually implementing them into our curriculum this year. I went to some training about the Common Core for a week over the summer and was asked to be the chair for my school and be in charge of bringing my fellow colleagues up to speed with all the new information that goes along with the new Common Core. There have definitely been a few hitches with it already this year, but I am confident that this new shift is what we need and necessary to bring our students up to speed and prepare them for the future. I know you said that you have not begun to implement the new common core yet, but I was wondering if you you or anyone in your district has gone to any "training" or anything about it yet.
ReplyDeleteI too have found that our students struggle with the 3R's, so I understand where you are coming from. With the new shift in the common core I have found that the older teachers (teachers that have been teaching for 25+ years) are very reluctant to want to change what they have been doing. How do the teachers at your school feel about this new shift? Is everybody on board or what is the vibe that your sensing from them?
Thanks for the comment, Damilola. I do think it is the goal of the Partnership of the 21st-Century Skills. In my state of West Virginia, we are incorporating the 3 Rs as we facilitate the project-based lessons we are required to teach. Sometimes, though, it seems that we gloss over the basics and I think the answer for that problem is more teacher training.
ReplyDeleteCsitts4-I am curious as to what the hitches were for your teachers. My county is just beginning to train people in the Common Core Standards. One teacher from each school is heading to a training next week. I am afraid the training will not be early enough. We seem to jump on a bandwagon without being prepared. You are right about the seasoned teachers. Many of the experienced staff is frustrated with all the changes and refocusing in the past few years. A few of us were sent to various training on project-based learning, but I think more teachers should have been trained. Staff who have spent most of their careers at my school, are extremely frustrated. Implementing the common standards will probably be met with the same lack of enthusiasm. I am in the middle of the debate because I am in my 40's but have only had my own classroom for the past six years. I am have a passion for teaching and learning. I am not sure the ones closer to retirement are. I am glad to know NY isn't so different than WV. Again, I would love to know what problems you encountered as I will be using them next year.
Shelley
Let me first by saying, "Great segment!" Your blog summed up everything that we as teachers have been saying for quite some time. We all need to be on board (the same boat!), all the governmnet facilities need to communicate together, teachers and students need to step up, and the 3R's are a major building block in anyone's education. Without them, you've got nothing.
ReplyDeleteShelley you did a great job.
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteYou are right when you say the US government, the business sector, and the educational community must work together to change the way we educate our children and prepare them for the 21st century. We need to be working with businesses within our communities so we know what are students need to know to be successful as they enter the business world.
The common core tool kit will be a great resource for us all as we begin to embrace to core standards. My school has begun to use the core standards in grade one math. Second and third grade will begin using the core standards in math next year. With the common core standards upon us incorporating inquiry and project based learning activities will only make the transition easier.
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to hear from a teacher who has already starting making changes towards teaching 21st century skills. I know with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) there are going to be a lot of changes that will be taking place. I have been kind of sitting back and waiting to see what these changes will be and how they are going to affect me and my teaching. I think that the CCSS are going to be a good change for the education system, but I am curious to see how certain ideals will be carried out.
I attended a teacher academy over this past summer to help to introduce the CCSS to teachers from each school in each county of Maryland. It was then our job to go back to our schools or county and introduce the CCSS to them. It is an overwhelming endeavor that I hope pays off.
Your comment, "my only problem I see that our students still struggle with the 3 Rs", got me thinking about the struggle with implementing 21st century skills at our school. Many teachers refuse to truly consider the shift to a 21st century learning platform because of this. What they don't understand I what I feel you are saying, that it's not a complete shift, but a gradual shift.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Shelley!
ReplyDeleteYour detailed description and analysis of the website and organization were spot on. I came to similar conclusions and was impressed by the depth of political activism and connections.
Congratulations on your state being one listed as on the cutting edge. California has traditionally been resistant to anything national. The excuse being that we are too big and diverse. I know teachers however who are taking it upon themselves to teach students 21 st century skills. Of course they are still expected to assist their students in scoring advanced on state tests. Although the same students tend to score high regardless, current assessments do not cover the wide range of knowledge and skills taught in these classes that avoid the drill and kill method.
Shelley, I completely understand--that is an excellent point--students need certain foundational skills to be able to be creative problem solvers--to be effective as a problem solver--as a self-directed learner, students need basic tools--basic declarative knowledge. I wonder how we as teachers can give them this foundational knowledge in the context of 21st century objectives? This is where I think technology can play a bit part as it provides more authentic contexts for skill development and application of concepts to real world scenarios.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing on your blog.
Susan, That is exactly what I think! When students are given real world scenarios, they have to figure it out. I had two student today writing a story and they didn't know which to use: lie or lay. I told them they had to go find out; and they did. Overall, I think focusing on the big picture, allows students to self-edit as they create. I've been using PBLs for a few years, but this I have made an effort to make the audience real for the students and it has made a huge difference in the quality of the work they are producing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Susan!
ReplyDeleteHope,
ReplyDeleteI teach in a small state so I cannot image what it would be like to get everyone on board in a state the size of CA! You mentioned the problem of teaching the 21st-century skills but still being responsible for all the content of the state test. My state may be pushing the technology and 21st-century skills, but they certainly do not include them on that end of the year test. Our students have scored lower for the past few years and while we are working hard, scores don't seem to be going up. One of my co-workers likes to say, "The only ones working harder are us!" (teachers) We have been bombarded in the past few years with big changes in methodology, including mandatory technology (that the reg. ed teacher must teach), RTI in reading and math, PBLs, and benchmark testing. I can just see the summer training this summer when they roll out the Common Core Standards. I have to say, I've enjoy most of the new ideas, but lack of training is the problem. They seem to give us enough knowledge to be dangerous, but not enough to be confident. Thank you for the feedback!
Shelley