The goal for every school is to raise student achievement through change.

Example:

• Get a college degree in your area of interest

• Get a satisfying, well paying job

• Live a happy life with the people you love

Change is needed to improve student performance in the 21st Century Skills so they will succeed in

College Career Life

Are school helping students becomeCritical thinkers?Information and technology literate?Problem solvers?Good communicators?Good collaborators?Innovative and creative?

What steps should schools take in order to prepare students to be successful in the 21st century?

1. Develop teacher professional development programs that focus on 21st century skills instruction.

Example: Iowa’s Authentic Intellectual Work - an initiative to improve teaching and learning through professional development

2. Integrate 21st century skills into teacher preparation and certification.

Example; -AACTE (American Assoc. of Colleges for Teacher Education) writing specific steps and recommendations that will help guide the creation of 21st century schools of education.

3. Create school leadership teams to integrate 21st centrury skills into the curriculum. The team members need to be trained and then pass on their expertise to the other teachers in the district.

Example - At Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson, AZ, the assistant superintendent works with the leadership team to implement their programs throughout the school.

4. Schools Need to Invest in Information Communications Technologies

Example: Iowa Virtual Reality Education Pathway Showcase - Schools & Partners (Rockwell Collins, John Deere, Iowa Dept of Economic Development. An innovative plan for bringin g Virtual Reality programming and learning experiences to K-12 schools and students.

4. Develop professional learning communities around specific 21st century skills.

• Use online learning communities

University of Northern Iowa uses Blackboard Learning in their Instructional Technology graduate program.

5. Integrate 21st century skills into teaching standards.

EXAMPLE The Iowa Core Curriculum have written Essential Concepts and/or Skills for

1. Civic literacy

2. Employability skills

3. Finincial literacy

4. Health literacy

5. Technolgoy literacy

6. Create a web site with lesson plans that deliver effective 21st century instruction to the students.

Iowa AEA Online - http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/

Teach 21 - http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21

Thinkfinity - http://www.thinkinity.org/

What are the 21st Century Skills?

1. Mastery of Core Subjects1. English, reading, world languages, arts,

math, economics, science, geography, history, government and civics

21st century skills bridge the knowledge, skills, and dispotitions of students from the core academic areas to real life application.

2. 21st century Themes1. Global Awareness2. Financial, Economic, Business &

Entrpreneurial Literacy3. Civic Literacy4. Health Literacy

3 Learning & Innovation Skills1 Creativity and innovation2 Criticial thinking and problem solving3 Communication and collaboration

4 Information, Media, & Technology skills1. Exhibit a range of functional skills in

1. Information Literacy2. Media Literacy3. ICT (Infromation, Communications and

Technology) Literacy

5. Life and Career Skills1. Flexibility and adaptability2. Initiative and self-direction3. Social and cross-cultural skills4. Productivity and accountability5. Leadership and responsibility

How can educators reach the goal?

1. Educators need to integrate 21st century skill into daily instruction

Use 21st century tehnology tools

Have teachers create their own learning communities

Tapping the expertise within a school through coaching, mentoring, and team teaching

Support educators in their role of facilitators of learning