"Literacy in the 21st century means more than basic reading, writing and computing skills. It means knowing how to use knowledge and skills in the context of modern life."(Partnership for 21st Century Skills) Are we as educators preparing our students to not only be literate, but also to be employable? The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a group of major business education organizations that was specifically formed to address this. The partnerships' main goal is addressing the "profound gap between knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces." (Partnership for 21st Century Skills)
While some would argue that big business should stay out of education, I think it is one of the best things possible. Where else can we get firsthand knowledge of what employers are looking for in employees, are we not preparing students for the workplace? I found the information in The Partnership for 21st Century Skills valuable, concise and informative. As educators we must have a framework as described in this website to prepare and educate our students for tomorrow.
I was quite surprised that NC is one of the states that that is an active participating in The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Governor Mike Eisley supports this initiative whole heartedly. Since the major source of North Carolina's revenue was textiles, and we have lost much of these business, it is more important than ever than ever for NC to produce students who are technology literate and highly skilled in order to both create and fill positions in NC .
As an educator I am excited to have this map of the future in place. From an educator's standpoint, this is a perfect example of what we need to link business and education for the greater good of the student. As with any new idea, there are kinks and bumps to iron out. With school funding at an all time low, money to support the 21st Century Skills will be an issue. Hopefully, this will take precedence over less needed state money drainers such as standardized state testing models. While the Partnership for 21st Century Skills will be difficult and tedious to implement, I know it will be well worth the effort. As an educator, I try to project what my students will need in the future to become successful citizens, I feel this initiative will address may of those questions.
References
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf
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The Partnership for 21st Century Skills web site was indeed informative and their framework seems like a practical option for educators, parents, students and other stakeholders of the education system to become aware of the task to get on board with the global community. I agree with their use of integrating the core subjects into the framework which can only help to expand the skills in other subject areas.
ReplyDeleteYour insights shared on the site were similar to mine. However, I interested in the points you mentioned. It is impossible for 'big' businesses to disassociate themselves from education simply because it is education that trained individuals to become successful entrepreneurs. The members who are involved in the partnership on the web site, have been making practical and valuable contributions to expose students, parents,and teachers to become aware of the need to apply the skills that will help them to become more marketable not only in academic setting but for lifelong learning as well. After all, "if we fail to graduate students who are not able to create, sustain and participate in these networks in a safe, ehtical and effective ways, we've done them a disservice" (Richardson, 2009). Governor Mike Eisley, like other influential individuals, need to strategize ways by which they can support schools form pre- school to tertiary level to grasp the 21st century skills which should enable them to be more productive in the society.
Futhermore, since companies are expanding their global presence, our learners must be sensitized to the opportunities that the online environment offers whether for continuing education or for employment. Therefore,educators have a duty to adjust the curriculum to incorporate more sophisticated technologies that has engaing learning interaction for the learner.
Reference
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms(2nd. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Corwin Press.
K. Kerr
While I agree that businesses cannot be separated from education because “our success in building a globally competitive workforce is dependent on the ability of our workforce development systems to provide employability skills, both the basic academic skills as well as the higher order competencies required for success in today’s workplace,” (Bates & Phelan, 2002), I wanted to see more business support of these 21st century skills. Sifting through the supporting businesses, most of them were primarily either technology-based or educationally-based companies. What do other businesses – not directly associated with education and technology – want or need future workers to obtain before entering their field?
ReplyDeleteI am excited to see that The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is pushing for its awareness and inclusion in our educational system, but I hope to see a broader range of business support in the future.
References
Bates, R., & Phelan, K. (2002). Characteristics of a globally competitive workforce. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 4(2), 121.
Database: Management and Organization Studies: A SAGE Full-text collection database
Brad Feick
HS English