The website Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) is an overwhelmingly large resource of ideas, blogs, articles, lessons, videos, etc. for educators and schools looking to join the movement towards getting our students ready for the innovations of the real world. The site offers insight into the importance of the three Rs (English, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography.) and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) as well as a variety of tools and links to help educators understand what the Partnership is and how to support them through standards and curriculum. According to the website, the thinking behind this partnership stems from concerns of “a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.”
What information on the site surprised you?
I was surprised by some of the negative comments that were written in some of the blogs. A few people seemed to be defensive about the need for such a program and were not fully convinced that it was a feasible project with all the other standards schools must focus on. Not everyone seemed to understand that “integration” meant that we would incorporate the three Rs and 4 Cs into what we are already doing, making it a part of the curriculum, not something completely new. I was also surprised to learn how many states have already joined the partnership.
Did you disagree with anything on the site? Explain.
This Partnership is something pretty new to me, so I have little to disagree with right now. As I learn more about what it all means to schools and educators like myself, my opinions may change.
What are the implications for your students, and for you as a contemporary educator?
As a contemporary educator it is important for me to keep up with the ever changing world that will eventually be welcoming students from my classroom. This means that staying aware of the skills and innovations that are going on in the working world and how it relates to the skills that I am teaching in the classroom will be very important. I will have to integrate many of the skills that students will need to be efficient, collaborative, and resourceful into the lessons that I teach in order to help students be successful in life.
