I found the Partnership for 21st Century Skills site to be quite interesting. I did not realize there are already states involved in this movement. I kept thinking to myself that the message was good on this site, but how am I going to manage worrying about these standards when I have so many others to pay attention to in my current position.
I do not think I was surprised by any of the information on this site because I went in blind to what I was reviewing. I liked how it gives resources tools to be used in my classroom. I also like how there are articles posted to keep a viewer up to date on the current information.
I do not disagree with the message being sent on this site. I feel like the message is important, but will fall on deaf ears for awhile in my district. Right now, we are concerned with writing, writing, & more writing. I also noticed Colorado was not on the list. I am interested to find out why so few states are not on this site as partners.
The implications for my students and for me as a contemporary educator have been noted. I realize that i need to be incorporating more skills to my students that require them to be successful in the future world of business. I also realized how important it is for me to stay current on new technology skills for the work place.
My final thought on this topic is that our system gets pulled easily into many different directions when it comes to what is thought to be the best for our kids. My only concern is being spread to thin as an educator to do anything more than mediocre in my future classes. I am at a lose as to what our countries vision is for our students. I will continue to stick with my philosophy of doing the best I can with the time that is provided.
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Your last paragraph is so true for me! The pendulum on education philosophies seems to swing so quickly from one end to the other it's hard to know what's going to "stick" and what won't. And until it's a sure things, the states/fed gov't/veteran teachers won't truly adapt it, and those who are trying their best to stay current will end up applying it with mediocrity for lack of enough support. What I read on this site does not correlate at all to our state testing program (which is how *I* am evaluated) so I will do what I can but don't see much more than that right now.
ReplyDeleteTracey and Chris you both are so right. As educators we do get pulled in so many different ways with so much to do and so little time. I have only been teaching 3 years, but I finally have a system down that I beleive works for my students, if I change my ways to meet what todays society wants, will that help my students succeed, or just meet what 21st century is turning our educational system into? I am torn with which direction to go.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about keeping track of all of the standards. Teachers do have a ton of standards, procedures, benchmarks, etc. to follow. However, this groups standards are similar to most. Most educational groups have the same ideas except they use different wording or their priorities are in different order. I thought that the site was interesting, and I thought that it had some good ideas, but I agree with you when you said "My only concern is being spread to thin as an educator to do anything more than mediocre in my future classes." What is the point in trying to commit to the new standards when you believe that you couldn't give 100%?
ReplyDeleteI wish that you had all been part of an in-service the MCSD had for the teachers that instruct the seventh through twelfth graders in the district. The comments written above were some of the same responses and comments I was hearing from my co-workers on Friday.
ReplyDeleteWhether you all have realized it or not, this M.S. program is actually a HUGE step in the direction of implementing "21st Century Skills" (P21) into your lives, instruction, and school. We in this class we are gaining the knowledge and tools to aid in teaching our students to fulfill the standards of P21.
While I understand educators are being pulled in twenty different directions at once, it is important to take a step back and look at what is buried beneath all of the language of academia. Miners and Pascopella do an excellent job of unpacking the ideas of P21 in "The New Literacies," article.
I agree with the comment about the P21 standards being very similar to what is already done in many districts at this point in time. In the MCSD the teachers have had numerous ideas, theories, etc. presented to us. Rigor and Relevence (R4), the Iowa Core Curriculum, beginning with the end in mind in terms of unit planning, and now P21 has made it into the mix. For once, I actually see how P21, R4, and the Iowa Core Curriculum will be able to be interwoven into a dynamic learning/teaching experience for all involved.
Miners and Pascopella, list the key ideals that R4 is based on in relationship to much of what P21 is saying is important.
Miners and Pascopella state:
The new literacies...utility lies in online reading comprehension and learning skills, or 21st century skills, required by the Internet and other information and communication technologies...wikis, blogs, video sites, audio sites and in e-mail. They require...[people] to navigate the World Wide Web, locate information, evaluate it critically, synthesize it and communicate it--all skills that are becoming vital to success in this century's economy and workforce. (Miners and Pascopella, 2007, pgs. 26-27)
Most, if not all, curriculum in today's society asks these same higher-learning thinking skills of students. With the implementation of P21 teachers and students are being asked to take these skills to the next level and apply the ideals of rigor and relevance to the diverse, technological resources of 2009 and beyond.
Miners, Z.and Pascopella, A.(2007). The New Literacies [Electronic version]. District Administration 43(10), 26-27.