The Partnership for 21st Century Skills presents a holistic view for preparing students for the 21st century. The site outlines the skills, knowledge and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21stcentury (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation), as well as the support systems needed for students to be successful. P21 advocates for state and federal policies that develop skills needed for the twenty-first century in every school.
I was surprised to find that my state (Maryland) was not one of the listed states having a partnership with this initiative. With the way Maryland is embracing the new Common Core Standards, I would have thought Maryland would have been on board with the P21 initiative. However, I thought the Common Core Tool Kit on the teacher tools portion of the site would be an excellent resource as my school begins using the Common Core Standards. In particular I like how it includes lesson vignettes that demonstrate “what it looks like” to align instructional practices with both the common core and P21 skills. This will be an excellent resource as we begin to plan lessons using the CCS.
In addition to the Common Core Tool Kit there are numerous resources on the sight of beneficial substance. Having links to news regarding P21 and the CCS makes current information and opinions about both topics easy to find access. I also found the website to provide many types of professional development, through webinars, videos, and manuals. I found the video “Above and Beyond” a great resource to show what a P21 classroom could look like. The only real downside of the website I found is that many of the resources listed you need to pay for to access.
The implication for educators is to ensure we are preparing our students for the twenty first century by developing skills necessary for the 21st century (the 4 C’s and 3 R’s). Creating an authentic learning environment in which students engage in project based and inquiry based learning experiences is the direction in which education must move.
Reference
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2011). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2011). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org
KalnoskeC,
ReplyDeleteI also find the site highly resourceful with so many links and hints. One may safely say that this site is not just to create the awareness, which it is doing quite well but also to equip education stakeholders for the 21st century.
The need to pay to access some resources may be necessary to keep their vision running, however I believe the cost should be minimal bearing in mind that teachers may need to pay by themselves. How good will it be if teachers of partner states have free access as a part of their patnership agreement?
I also loved this website and all it has to offer. I see myself going here more often to find ways to integrate technology in my classroom. I also loved the "what it looks like" section. This helps me becuase sometimes I feel as though the lesson plans I see online are not clear enough.
ReplyDeleteChelsea--I so agree--project based and inquiry based instruction targets those skills we really want to see students develop--projects are typically grounded in authentic, problem-solving contexts and require self-directedness and collaboration. This is what employers hope to see in the workplace today--where team efforts are prized and workers need to take the initiative in solving problems.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting to the blog.
I definitely agree with you, Chelsea, that this website is a great tool for us as contemporary teachers. It is curious that it did not occur to me to find out Maryland in the states' list (maybe I am still mentally stuck in Puerto Rico's education). Reading your blog made me want to research more inside this website (I am really interested in watching that video you mention "Above and Beyond." As soon as I do so, we might be able to exchange reactions about it.
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