Partnership sessions focus on building 21st century skills
Results of a new nationwide poll shared by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills revealed that Americans are deeply concerned that today’s students are not prepared to compete in the global economy.
An overwhelming 80 percent of voters believe the skills students need to succeed in today’s work force are much different from what they needed 20 years ago. The partnership reported that despite recognizing these needs, a majority of Americans do not believe schools are keeping up with changing educational needs.
In five different sessions, members of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills discussed the global shift occurring in the work force and the importance of ensuring that all students have mastery of 21st century skills with .
These skills include creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.
At a Saturday morning session, Melissa Bartlett from the Center for 21st Century Skills in North Carolina and Bob Hale of the Madison, Conn., board of education shared strategies on how to successfully implement the partnership’s Framework for 21st Century Learning.
John Box of Junior Achievement and Ken Kay of the partnership highlighted some current best practices featured on Route 21, an online resource for school districts, and discussed statewide initiatives that are empowering students with the skills they need in an increasingly interdependent and competitive global marketplace.
During another session on Saturday, partnership members Stuart Kahl from Measured Progress and Margaret Honey of Wireless Generation offered recommendations on how to how to create effective assessments to measure student mastery of 21st century skills and how to determine where students need intervention.
Bartlett, along with Barbara Stein of the National Education Association and Pam Birtolo from the Florida Virtual School will speak at 8:45 a.m. Sunday on how to embed 21st century themes into professional development and the core curriculum.
During a Sunday session on global awareness, at 2 p.m., Karen Cator of Apple, Jenn Flynn from EF Education, Paul Sandrock from the Wisconsin Department of Education, and Vivien Steward of the Asia Society will talk about the importance of global awareness.
A 2006 study of Fortune 500 companies found knowledge of foreign languages, cultures, and global markets is becoming increasingly important for future graduates entering the U.S. work force. The presenters talked about the 21st century competencies of today’s students and began to map out what skills are needed to fully understand and implement global competition and cooperation.
Cator also will speak at 2 p.m. Monday on innovative practices for creating a 21st century classroom, along with Hanne Odegaard of Lego, Charles Fadel of Cisco Systems, and Steve Stone of Davis Publications.
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