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21st Century Learning–Can we get there from here?
Efforts to make stakeholders in education aware of how to carry schools into the 21st Century (website http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21 ) are being pursued on many levels, but the road to get there is long and winding with many barriers. Convincing administrators and teachers that there is more to education than the test is part of the challenge. I have to sympathize having been there when policy-making bodies have declared that the test is the end-all. Replacing quality instruction with coach books tailored to specific states’ standards that supposedly teach students how to take tests are not uncommon. But, I also know that we cannot fall prey to these demands!
I have opportunities several times a month to work with teachers at all grade levels. Recently, I was doing a workshop at a middle school and was sharing information about ways to infuse higher level thinking into the curriculum using multi levels of resources and differentiated task groups. The middle school teacher I was talking to was very sincere about the fact that he did not need to work on building higher level thinking. He shared that his pass rate on the state standards test was at 96% and his sole focus was to do whatever it takes to increase the pass rate to100%. He was convinced that direct instruction–a just-the-facts approach–was all the students needed. I failed to convince him otherwise.
In most of my presentations, I talk to educators about the brain and learning and how, if we design lessons to fully engage learners, we activatethe brain and encourage growth of synapses (learning). My “platform” includes trying to get teachers to see that struggling learners can access rigorous content if they build on prior knowledge, establish relevance with today’s world, and provide a path to get there that is more than a direct instruction “sit-and-listen” experience. I know that we must equip ALL students and not just the high achievers with 21st century skills.
I am particularly interested in what I refer to as the 21st century 4 C’s: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. When you think about it–in most classrooms we have a deficit of these four skills. If we are to really prepare our children (and I have four) to be our peace-makers and problem solvers–locally and globally–then we need to infuse these 4 C’s into the curriculum as we design lessons for optimal instruction. I am beginning to work on a project that will help educators analyze the degree to which these important skills are evident. Perhaps we can raise consciousness first by auditing practice–at least that is where I’m headed!