Standards for the 21 st Century Learner

New dimensions Exponential expansion of information Ever-changing tools Increasing digitization of text Heightened demands for critical thinking and communication Collaborative problem-solving Rapid-paced Global society Access high quality information Diverse perspectives Make sense of this information Make own conclusions or create new knowledge Share their knowledge with others Multiple literacies – digital, visual, textual, and technological High expectations Focus on the learner Strong school library media program Up-to-date resources Dynamic instruction Culture that nurtures reading and leaning throughout the school

1Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge

2Draw conclusions, make informed decision, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge

3Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society

4Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

- Process skills are best learned in the context of content learning- Students are more likely to be successful in developing the skills and dispositions of learning

when they are given opportunities to construct their own understanding and develop skills through guided practice

- Integrating all learning modalities (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing) is also helpful for students with different learning needs

- SLMSs have the opportunity to include all three forms of assessment into their instruction (D, F, and S)

Skills

Develop essential information literacy skills to evaluate and make sense of the rapidly proliferating, but often biased and inaccurate, volume of information being published

Determine the intended meaning and to understand it in context Inquiry based learning is explicitly recognized as one of the common beliefs The learners themselves are engaged in asking questions and finding answers, not simply

accumulating facts Any time they are questioning, finding answers, discovering new ideas, and constructing their

own meaning they are drawing upon their skills of inquiry Skills are best taught through an approach to which the teacher guides the learners to construct

their own understandings and to apply these understandings to any learning experience The acquisition of learning skills is complex and developmental To facilitate the coherent and continuous development of 21st century skills, specific

benchmarks are set

Dispositions

Learning will be used and applied Learning requires a capacity to learn that reflects a range of dispositions: to be curious,

resilient, flexible, imaginative, critical, reflective, and self-evaluative Dispositions are shared Dispositions are developed over time/experiences

Responsibilities

Learning requires active participation Actively pursues information and ideas both in print and digitally, drawing conclusions and

developing new applications Learners experience pressure to be independent in their information searching because they

often are using information tools when available Learners must follow ethical and legal guidelines, respect the principles of intellectual freedom

and pursue multiple perspectives and a balance of viewpoints before making decisions or drawing conclusions

Practice safe behaviors in the use of social tools Seek opportunities for pursuing personal and aesthetic growth Connect their learning to real-world issues and ideas Contribute to the exchange of ideas in a learning community Respect the ideas and experiences of others Use information and knowledge in service of democratic values Teachers are responsible for combining direct instruction with opportunities for guided and

independent practice

Self-Assessment Strategies

Learners must take charge of their own learning to be able to sort through and make sense of the overwhelming amount of available information and to use the information to fulfill personal and academic needs

Reflection must become intrinsic to learning so that learning is not defined as an accumulation of information, but rather as the thoughtful processing of information to produce, apply, and create knowledge

Looking backwards, looking at the present, and looking at the future Students develop their own voices and become empowered to be independent and socially

responsibly learners Models of exemplary performance enable students to internalize a solid understanding of

the expectations and to compare their performance with the model Student self-assessment may be most effective when students learn to question themselves

throughout the learning process

Common Beliefs Reading is a window to the world Inquiry provides a framework for learning Ethical behavior in the use of information must be taught Technology skills are crucial for future employment needs Equitable access is a key component for education The definition of information literacy has become more complex as resources and

technologies have changes The continuing expansion of information demands that all individuals acquire the

thinking skills that will enable them to learn on their own Learning has a social context School libraries are essential to the development of learning skills