1. 21 stCentury Learning Skills District 30 InstituteMarch 2, 2009

2. The Growing Gap

There is a growing gap between the knowledge and skills students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21 stcentury communities and workplaces.

Specifically, our students will spend their adult lives in a multitasking, multifaceted, technology-driven, diverse vibrant world.

3. Framework for 21 stCentury Learning

The Partnership for 21 stCentury Skills has developed a unified, collective vision for 21 stcentury learning that can be used to strengthen American education.

4. 21 stCentury Student Outcomes

21 stcentury student outcomes are the skills, knowledge and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21 stcentury.

Core Subjectsand 21 stCentury ThemesLearning and Innovation SkillsInformation, Media andTechnology SkillsLife and Career Skills 5. Core Subjects and 21 stCentury Themes

Mastery ofcore subjectsand 21 stcentury themes is essential for students in the 21 stcentury. Core subjects include

English, reading or language artsArts

ScienceEconomics

MathematicsHistory

World languagesGeographyGovernment and Civics

Cores Subjects and 21 stCentury Themes 6. Core Subjects and 21 stCentury Themes

In addition to these subjects, schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving21 stcentury interdisciplinary themesinto core subjects:

Global awarenessCivic literacyHealth literacy

Financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy

Cores Subjects and 21 stCentury Themes 7. Learning and Innovation Skills

Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21 stcentury, and those who are not. A focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration is essential to prepare students for the future.

• Creativity and Innovation Skills

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

• Communication and Collaboration Skills

Learning and Innovation Skills 8. Learning and Innovation Skills: Creativity and Innovation Skills

Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work

Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others

Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives

Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the domain in which the innovation occurs

9. Learning and Innovation Skills: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills

Exercise sound reasoning in understanding

Make complex choices and decisions

Understand the interconnections among systems

Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions

Frame, analyze and synthesize information in order to solve problems and answer questions

10. Learning and Innovation Skills: Communication and Collaboration Skills

Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively through speaking and writing

Demonstrate ability to work effectively with diverse teams

Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal

Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work

11. Information, Media & Technology Skills

People in the 21 stcentury live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by access to an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools, and the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. To be effective in the 21 stcentury, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology.

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy

• ICT Literacy (Information, Communications & Technology)

Information, Media & Technology Skills 12. Information, Media and Technology Skills Information Literacy

Access information efficiently and effectively, evaluate information critically and competently and use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand

Possess a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

13. Information, Media and Technology Skills Media Literacy

Understand how media messages are constructed, for what purposes and using which tools, characteristics and conventions.

Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points of view are included or excluded and how media can influence beliefs and behaviors.

Possess a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

14. Information, Media and Technology Skills ICT Literacy

Use digital technology, communication tools and/or networks appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge economy

Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information, and the possession of a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

15. Life and Career Skills

Todays life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills.

• Flexibility & Adaptability

• Initiative & Self-Direction

• Social & Cross-Cultural Skills

• Productivity & Accountability

• Leadership & Responsibility

Life and Career Skills 16. Life and Career Skills Flexibility & Adaptability

Adapt to varied roles and responsibilities

Worki effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities

17. Life and Career Skills Initiative & Self-Direction

Monitor ones own understanding and learning needs

Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore and expand ones own learning and opportunities to gain expertise

Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level

Define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct oversight

Utilize time efficiently and managing workload

Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process

18. Life and Career Skills Social & Cross-Cultural Skills

Work appropriately and productively with others

Leverage the collective intelligence of groups when appropriate

Bridge cultural differences and using differing perspectives to increase innovation and the quality of work

19. Life and Career SkillsProductivity & Accountability

Set and meet high standards and goals for delivering quality work on time

Demonstrate diligence and a positive work ethic(e.g., being punctual and reliable)

20. Life and Career Skills Leadership & Responsibility

Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to influence and guide others toward a goal

Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior

Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind

21. 21 STCentury Support Systems

21 stcenturystandards ,assessments ,curriculum and instruction ,professional developmentandlearning environmentsare the criticalEDUCATION SYSTEMSnecessary to ensure student mastery of 21 stcentury skills. They must be aligned to produce a support system that produces 21 stcentury outcomes for todays students.

21 stCenturySupport Systems 22. 21 stCentury Support Systems Standards

Focuses on 21 stcentury skills, content knowledge and expertise

Builds understanding across and among core subjects as wellas 21 stcentury interdisciplinary themes

Emphasizes deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge

Engages students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life--students learn best when actively engaged in solving meaningfulproblems

Allows for multiple measures of mastery

23. 21 stCentury Support Systems Assessment of Skills

Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with effective classroom formative and summative assessments

Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into everyday learning

Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative assessments that measure student mastery of 21 stcentury skills

24. 21 stCentury Support Systems Assessment of Skills

Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of 21 stcentury skills to educators and prospective employers

Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational systems effectiveness at reaching high levels of student competency in 21 stcentury skills

25. 21 stCentury Support Systems Curriculum & Instruction

Teaches 21 stcentury skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21 stcentury interdisciplinary themes

Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21 stcentury skills across content areas and for a competency-based approach to learning

Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use of supportive technologies, inquiry- and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills

Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school walls

26. 21 stCentury Support Systems Professional Development

Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21 stcentury skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice and help them identify what activities they can replace/de-emphasize

Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods

Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem-solving, critical thinking, and other 21 stcentury skills

Enables 21 stcentury professional learning communities for teachers that models the kinds of classroom learning that best promotes 21 stcentury skills for students

27. 21 stCentury Support Systems Professional Development

Cultivates teachers ability to identify students particular learning styles, intelligences, strengths and weaknesses

Helps teachers develop their abilities to use various strategies (such as formative assessments) to reach diverse students and to create environments that support differentiated teaching and learning

Supports the continuous evaluation of students21 stcentury skills development

Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners, using face-to-face, virtual and blended communications

Uses a scaleable and sustainable model of professional development

28. 21 stCentury Support Systems Learning Environments

Creates learning practices, human support and physical environments that will support the teaching and learning of 21 stcentury skill outcomes

Supports professional learning communities that enable educators to collaborate, share best practices and integrate 21 stcentury skills into classroom practice

Enables students to learn in relevant, real world 21 stcentury contexts (e.g., through project-based or other applied work)

29. 21 stCentury Support Systems Learning Environments

Allows equitable access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources

Provides 21 stcentury architectural and interior designs for group, team and individual learning.

Supports expanded community and international involvement in learning, both face-to-face and online

30. 21 stCentury Learning Skills January 18, 2008