My focus this week is around 21st Century Learning and the many components and skills involved in this movement within education. Although 21st Century Learning is open to interpretation and controversy, I discovered many valid points in my research. For example, I agree that the 4C's are critical in preparing our youth to compete in a global society. The 4C's include collaboration,creativity, communication and critical thinking (Shauffer, 2020). As a 4th grade teacher, I wanted to dive into specifically understanding the importance of creativity, communication, and collaboration and how I can consistently incorporate these critical skills into the classroom.
Although, I can reflect on times when the 4C’s have occurred in my classroom, some are more prevalent than others. For example, with a high population of ELL’s we focus on speaking and listening skills through a variety of different strategies to communicate. However, I want to move my practice more towards 21st Century Learning when considering creativity and collaboration. A challenge I face is the amount of standards and testing we are required to accomplish throughout the year. To add on, many students come from lower income households without a lot of resources. Therefore, time for creativity and innovation is provided in the classroom, and I face the challenge of getting through all of the mandated requirements. Measuring newly important skills does present challenges, but this should not be an excuse for failing to evaluate what students need in order to be successful (Silva, 2009). 21st Century Learning sparks conversations about essentials in preparing our students for the future but also brings up the question of access to education. I believe each grade should be required to teach 1-2 skills to ensure our students can be successful in our ever changing world.
References:
Daniel N. (2016). 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning. [image]. http://nccscurriculum.org/tag/4cs/ DeVoursney J. (2020, June 2). 21st Century Learning. [video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2936SvgJCug DeVoursney J. (2018). Maker Space.[video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/ojy5Ch2lm3U An Educator’s Guide to the 4 Cs. National Education Association. http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf Nikhita S. Bengarlulu India. [image]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/NsPDiPFTp4c Obama B. (2009). Obama's Remarks on Education. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamas-remarks-on-education/ Silva E. (2009). Measuring Skills for 21st-Century Learning. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170909000905 Stauffer B. (2020, May 7). What are 21st Century Skills? https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills Comments are closed.
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