http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
This a great website. In this website it discusses the importance of teaching our youth the skills needed for the 21st century. The things on the site that really surprised me were what big name supporters there were. These are large companies, such as Apple. I think this is great that companies get in involved and make sure our youth are up to date on their technology and communication skills.
The only thing that I found a little disturbing was the focus on the core subjects. I am an art teacher and the subjects that are not core, such as art are sometimes that classes that help students make connections. It is also a good place for students to learn the skills that the need to succeed, like communication. A lot of communication is done in art, whether it is verbal, written or visual.
On this website it is asking teacher to teach the students the 21st century skill using 21st century technology. The students need to understand these skills by the time they reach the college level where they have to put these skills to work.
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Shileah-
ReplyDeleteI never thought about how art was being left out, but I agree with you. I think that having classes such as art allows for students to express themselves and be creative. IT is so important for students to be able to express themselves and be heard.
I also agree that classes other than core subjects definitely are where many connections can be made, and a lot of emphasis on skills can be done as well. Such as using artwork to help with communication, like you stated in your blog. There are many opportunities to apply 21st century skills to art lessons.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that impressed me about the website was the contribution of other companies such as Apple, Microsoft, etc. I agree that it is good for these popular companies show their support to help the youth and educators of this country.
I hope that this organization continues to update, as the 21st century changes. For example, maybe some changes could be made to their emphasis on only the core subjects. Maybe someone will realize that emphasis would be just as great with other classes too. I look forward to seeing some updates and changes to the website in the future, as time goes on. I'd also like to see more states involved.
I am glad you addressed the "other subjects" besides the core subjects. Art is very important as is Music and Physical Education. How did we get so far behind as a country? Art, PE, and Music disappeared in the school district I work for from the early 1990s until 2005..... can you imagine? As a country do we need to go to a full year schedule and replace our 2 months off with various weeks off during the school year? I am beginning to think that might be in our near future.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, because Social Studies is not a standardized state tested subject, our field is in the same position as Art and Foreign Languages. To see Civics given such a high priority in this article was heartening to me. Social Studies teachers are feeling a lot of the same pressures elective teachers are feeling, job insecurity and a sense of insignificance. There is even a district in our state that only has Social Studies twice a week. I have to take students identified with low math skills to a math lab for half of my Geography class everyday. While I don't think introducing technology into our curriculum will make more room for our disciplines, it may shift the way our disciplines are viewed, and hopefully shed a new light on their significance.
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