T21-2 Stimulus

21st Century Skills

This section is the equivalent of the "readings" section commonly found in online classes. We still have readings but we also have audio and video presentations. It might look like a lot to cover, but most of the documents are fairly short.

1. Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills introduces the partnership and comments on some misunderstandings about 21st century skills in this short video embedded below.
   
   
   
   Use this link if the video is not embedded.
   
   
2. This short video from ASCD provides a few glimpses into classroom activities that promote creativity and innovation.
   
   
3. Required reading. This document from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills,  21st Century Skills Education and Competitiveness Guide provides a rationale for change and proposes a series of changes for education in the USA. If you live in another country, the statistics will not be directly relevant to you, but don't forget Tom Friedman’s “flat world” concept. What is significant for employment in the USA just might be significant in your country too.
   
   
4. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed this Framework for 21st Century Learning. It includes a diagram summarizing their view of 21st century skills that you may have seen many times before.
   
   
5. Not everyone is enamored with the proposals of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Read the following three short articles.
   Matthews, Jay (2009) The Rush for 21st Century Skills
   Matthews, Jay (2009) The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills
   Rotherham, Andrew (2008) 21st-Century Skills Are Not a New Education Trend but Could Be a Fad