21st Century Skills Framework

Recently, a teacher I know suggested that I look at a website she had discovered. The website is entitled the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. According to the website "Every child in America needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders in the 21st century." While this comment is stating the obvious, their framework for transforming schools to meet the ever-changing needs of our current students is very interesting. http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

I especially like the conceptual Framework for 21st Century Learning they have created. I believe it illustrates the various layers of knowledge and skills middle schoolers will need to be successful. It has been said that students who are currently in k-12 will have at least 5 different careers in their lifetime. In addition, the jobs that some of them will do have not been created yet. Consequently, there are serious implications for educators and the schools where students attend. We must continue to provide each child with a solid foundation of the "basics", but also teach skills that will allow them to continue to learn and adapt for a lifetime of change.

It is sobering to think that the students I have in my school today will be the doctors, lawyers, politicians, nurses, teachers and entrepreneurs when I retire from education in 15 years.

This coming year, our school will be infusing parts of this conceptual framework into our daily practices. I am looking forward to seeing how our staff will use this information to help our students meet the wonderful opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century.