Blog Post 4 - 21st Century Skills and Lifelong Learning

The Partnership for 21st Century skills lists these skills as being vital to student’s success after high school (2004):
Information and communication skills
Thinking and problem solving
Interpersonal and self-direction skills
Global awareness
Financial, economic and business literacy
Civic literacy
These skills are somewhat different than the skill sets we are used to seeing in education. Watch this video to see what their goal is for education.




These skills are important because they help prepare students for the future. I have participated in several conferences and only now am I realizing that I have been hindering my students instead of helping them. Students need to be taught how to find information and analyze it. I am in the process of changing my class so that students will become engaged in the learning process so that they are ready for the workforce. Working at a small, rural school means that a lot of the students are sheltered from what is called the “real” world. They need to be made aware of what is expected of them once they are done being students.
Using 21st century skills in the classroom can also encourage them to continue their education once they are done with school. There is always what seems to be a review time at the beginning of every school year because the students have stopped learning during the summer. Encouraging students to become involved in discovering knowledge can help them discover skills that they may not have known they had. Here is a video how our brains can rewire themselves to handle all kids of things.



Twenty-first century skills and lifelong learning are tied together in that to truly be relevant in the ever-changing world, one must continue to study and research and adapt to what is happening. Here is a list of some ways that we can continue learning (Young 2008).
1. Always have a book
2. Keep a “To-Learn” List
3. Get more intellectual friends
4. Guided thinking
5. Put it into practice
See the entire list at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-steps-to-cultivate-lifelong-learning.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/michael_merzenich_on_the_elastic_brain.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QOcwXkYH6E

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2004). Twenty first century children. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110

Young, S. (2008). 15 Steps to cultivate lifelong learning. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-steps-to-cultivate-lifelong-learning.html