21st Century Skills

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has a very admirable mission: “Serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders”. This organization is effectively meeting its goal. The Partnership works with public entities (U.S. Department of Education and state department of education) and many private corporations (including, Apple, Microsoft, Verizon, Ford and Walt Disney) to make their vision a reality. It is remarkable how the government and competing private corporations can come together in the name of improving education.

South Dakota, where I currently reside, is one of eleven states P21 Leadership States that officially and strategically implements 21st Century Skills into every aspect of their educational program. As a classroom teacher, I am required by my district and the State of South Dakota to integrate 21st Century Skills into every lesson I teach. This has not been very difficult to do, because the 21st Century Skills are broad in scope and can be readily applied to any teaching situation. In fact, good teaching, anywhere, and at anytime will include aspects of the 21st Century Skills. What educational program does not seek to work on the skills of communication, problem solving, innovating, finding and evaluating information, problem solving, analytical thinking, and collaboration?

That is the biggest (and only) qualm I have with the 21st Century Skills. By attaching “21st Century” before their program, the Partnership makes it sound like these skills are new and this is a ground-breaking change in educational thought and practice. While the 21st Century Skills program is both valuable and effective, it appears that good educators have included these skills throughout history. While technology has changed, people have not. If in the past collaboration, problem solving, analytical thinking, etc. were not a valued skill set in education, that just shows how things have improved and how misguided educational efforts in industrial society may have been. I am most impressed with how the Partnership emphasizes working together to make society better through education. I cannot believe how many different “big name” groups have supported this program. This emphasis on collaboration and shared responsibility has had a ripple effect on students and teachers.

Students, now more than ever, are asked to work together to solve problems. Learning is becoming increasingly social and driven by student engagement on meaningful topics. Teachers, now more than ever, are working in professional collaboration groups to enhance curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and to hold each other accountable in effectively delivering and guiding students through 21st Century Skills. Significant change in education does not happen by accident. It takes many people working together to organize and transmit ideas in fresh-new ways. The Partnership of 21st Century skills is preparing teachers and students to succeed in a changing world.

Resources:
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. www.21stcenturyskills.org