We have one more homework assignment to get through before our next meeting on April 1. Please read this article, "21st Century Skills." Think about our other readings, the list of capabilities and our past discussions as you read it.
After reading the article, share your thoughts or questions in the comments section.
The one constant in our world is "change" and education should not be the exception. In its infancy the focus in the U.S. was on agriculture; a strong back and long work hours. One room school houses met the educational need at that time. Then came the Industrial Age and our schools changed accordingly to meet the general needs of many workers for factories. Once again major changes are happening in our world and should be changing the focus of education. No longer are "strong backs" and "mindless tasks" (in general) a top focus, but the cultivation of "Intellectual Capital" is needed to compete in the world market. Supporting large populations by a country can be a challenge, but the flip side is the more people, the greater the possibility for "Intellectual Capital." In order for our students to compete in the world market, we as a country must be open to embrace the capabilities needed to be successful. Our goal is to not only identify what those capabilites might be, but expect educators to implement those capabilities with their students to provide the foundation for success for life.
ReplyDelete"Critical thinking" was identified multiple times at our February meeting as a potential key capability. This capability is also noted in the most recent homework article and described as "higher order thinking." Why might this capability be more or less important than other noted capabilities?
ReplyDelete"there is a corresponding relationship between the amount of experience in a complex environment and the amount of structural change in the brain—in other words, learning
ReplyDeleteorganizes and reorganizes the brain.”
I feel this quote from the article speaks to the importance of providing challenges and creative control to students, teachers, and the workforce. Working with others and allowing for creativity especially within the new technologies that are becoming available will be very motivating.