When I was examining the web site for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they include arts in the list of core subjects to be mastered. If creative problem solving is a key 21st century skill, it makes sense that the arts is a core subject. Even students, and I was one of them, who do not consider themselves artistic, can benefit from developing their creativity. This theme has been emphasized lately in my school. During an in-service for differentiation, my school's gifted program coordinator pointed out that art has been very important in reflecting cultural values of our society. Just yesterday, my principal noted that my English department has diverse personality styles, which can help us be better problem solvers as we restructure our curriculum maps. So, I would say that the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is dead on correct to identify creative problem solving as a key skill.
I also agree with the site's identification of understanding global issues. In today's world, we are working with colleagues from a variety of nations and backgrounds. Collaboration is a necessary skill to learn. This means that as a teacher, I have to guide my students' understanding and use of collaboration. I have a responsibility to learn how to help my students be effective contributors in groups, not only when they are in the same room, but also when the group members are across the world. This means I must learn how to use technology such as blogs and wikis myself and teach the responsible use of them to my students.
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Global awareness is so important for our students. I was so glad to see this included on the site. My students do not experience a great amount of diversity as far as race, ethnicity, and language. Many of them would benefit greatly by becoming more aware of and developing an appreciation for other cultures. Increasing awareness of life outside our community and country would benefit many of my students.
ReplyDeleteI was also glad to see that the site has identified the importance for financial literacy. There are many links provided by the site to get further information. My students would also benefit greatly in learning the importance of planning for their financial futures.
I completely agree that global awareness is important. My students, also, come from a very homogenous population and would benefit from an awareness of diverse ideas and cultures.
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