Partnership for 21st Century Skills

·         My reaction to the website

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills is an organization that promotes the idea that every student must possess the skills needed for today’s changing workplace. The site provides an explanation of its mission and framework for learning. It also lists council members and partner organizations. In addition to a great deal of useful information, the website offers tools and resources that may be downloaded and printed in PDF format. I agree with the premise of the website and with the fact that our students need to be prepared for the workplace. It all sounds great in theory; however, there were some aspects of the site that were questionable to me. My biggest concern is how this vision will be accomplished with diminished state funding and the stress put on state assessments.

·         Information on the site that surprised you or helped you develop a new understanding of the issues surrounding 21st-century skills

Some of the information that surprised me on this site was included in the Framework for Learning. I can identify with most components of the framework such as the core subjects, learning and thinking skills, life skills, and ITC literacy. However, I am left with some questions about the 21^st century content and 21^st century assessment (these questions I will explain below).

I was also amazed to see that there were only 15 out of 50 states participating in the program. I am wondering why more states are not on board and how much of that has to do with funding.

Another surprise was the fact that some of the resource publications, reports, overviews, and skill maps have not been updated since 2006. Maybe I am being overly critical, but I would think an organization based on 21^st century skills would update content a bit more often.

·         Information or opinions on the site that you disagree with along with an explanation of why you disagree

Some of the questions I have are things that I do not necessarily disagree with, but I fail to see how they would fit into curriculum. For example, listed as part of the 21 century content is financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy. As an elementary teacher, I cannot envision trying to teach students about business or economics at such an early age. It just seems a bit intense for my 4^th graders.

Another question involves the 21^st century assessments. I understand the need to assess students to see if they are retaining what is being taught. However, with the many state assessments that are already given in math, reading, writing, and science, I am not sure how a technology assessment can be crammed in there too.

• The implications for your students and for you as a contemporary educator

As an educator, I am aware of the importance of teaching students the skills mentioned on the Partnership website. I constantly strive to include skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation in my instruction. However, I think that for the vision of the Partnership website to become a reality, all states must participate and be on board with the program. If not, the United States may continue to struggle to keep with other countries in the global economy. As for now, I will continue to teach my students with the technology and curriculum that I have and continue to hope that changes will come down the road.

Blogs in the Classroom

     I am a reading teacher for grades 3-6. I work with readers who need that extra nudge in the right direction to become proficient readers. I would use blogs in my classroom in two ways. I would have one blog for the students to access to publish their work. They would publish book responses, answers to comprehension questions, new vocabulary words (definition, use in an original sentence), and they would be allowed to post reviews on the books they've read. I would like to see them interact with each other, to just talk about reading in general.
     I would also have a blog that parents and students can access at home. I would have assignment lists, due dates, a list of helpful reading strategies, links to good reading websites, and a list of recommended books for the students to check out. I would also include an explanation on what my students are working on each week so that parents are aware of the weekly skill or strategy to focus on at home.

THE TEST.....YIKES!

With the PSSA (Pennsylvania's state achievement test) looming ever so close, we are all feeling the heat at my school to get our students ready. We have been working on PSSA skills for so long now that our students are getting burnt out and we the teachers are getting burnt out. Is anyone else out there feeling the pressure?

Hello Bloggers!

Hello there, I hope I am doing this right. I am very new to blogging and may need some guidance along the way. I am a very vocal person, so I will be always willing to share my thoughts and feeling with you all.