21st Century Themes
21st Century Themes in Education
Traditional departmentalized core subjects continue to exist in education today. There is value in reading, writing and arithmetic! There always will be. But teachers today must appeal to 21st century learners. In a July 2012 article in USA Today Greg Toppo writes "Millions of kids don't find school very challenging". In that same article Toppo quotes Florida State University English education professor Shelbie Witte as stating "The curriculum is just void of critical thinking, creative thinking". As a result students are "probably bored".
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), "schools must promote an understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects." P21 has determined five themes for 21st Century Learners are:
• Global Awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Health Literacy
• Environmental Literacy
These themes must be creatively integrated into core subjects by teachers so that students can be prepared for success and ability to thrive in today's workplace. These themes are key in building critical thinking skills in the Common Core State Standards.
Schools will no longer be bond to the walls of a classroom; teachers and students may now work virtually to explore and learn what the world has to offer. The teacher will no longer be "sage on stage", but rather a facilitator to help students turn information into knowledge and in turn use that knowledge in a responsible way to better the world around them.
Curriculum through the 21st Century is interdisplinary, project based, and research driven. This is an extraordinary time, where the face of education has changed and will continue to evolve as does the world.
Resources:
Toppo, G., School is too easy, students report, USA Today, July, 10, 2012
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