Building 21st Century Skills with ICTsWhat does it mean?

GEORGE SCHARFFENBERGER6 September 2006

Outline

• The Nature of Work and Citizenship

• Education Models – 20th and 21st Centuries

• ICTs and 21st Century Skills

• 21st Century Assessment

• Conclusion and Recommendations

The Nature of Work is Changing

20th Century 21st Century

1 – 2 Jobs 10 – 15 Jobs

FlexibilityAnd

Adaptability

Integration of 21st

Century Skills intoSubject Matter

Mastery

Mastery ofOne Field

SubjectMatter

Mastery

Number of

Jobs:

JobRequirement:

Teaching Model:

SubjectMatter

Mastery

Integration of 21st

Century Skills intoSubject Matter

Mastery

Assessment Model:

The Nature of Work is Changing

• In the US, a young person will have an average of 10.2 different jobs during their careers

• US corporations spend billions annually on “educating” their new employees

• Globally, the world economy will produce 500 – 650 million formal sector jobs over the next decade for the 1.2 billion young people who will be looking for work

20th Century Education Model

21st Century Education Model

- English

- Reading or Language Arts

- Mathematics

- Science

- Foreign Languages

- Civics

21st Century Skills Framework

- Government

- Economics

- Arts

- History

- Geography

Core Subjects

21st Century Skills Framework

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills• Creativity & Innovation Skills• Communication Skills• Collaboration Skills• Contextual Learning• Information and Media Literacy

Thinking and Learning Skills

21st Century Skills Framework

ICT LiteracyInformation and communications technology (ICT) literacy is the ability to use technology but even more it is the ability to

integrate the use of ICTs into more effective thinking and learning:

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving• Creativity & Innovation• Communication• Collaboration• Contextual Learning• Information and Media Literacy

21st Century Skills Framework

Personal Skills• Ethics• Leadership• Accountability• Adaptability• Productivity• Personal Responsibility• People Skills• Self Direction• Social Responsibility

21st Century Skills Framework

21st Century Content

• Global Awareness

• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurship Literacy

• Civic Literacy

• Health & Wellness Awareness

21st Century Skills Framework

The “Design Specs” for 21st Century Education:

• Core Subjects• Thinking & Learning Skills• ICT Literacy• Personal Skills• 21st Century Content

ICTs and 21st Century Skills

• ICTs have tremendous potential to contribute to the development of 21st Century Skills.

• Sadly, the focus is often limited to the development of a limited set of ICT skills

• National organizations such as FIT-ED, global organizations such as World Links and UNESCO, and multi-national corporations such as Intel have been leaders in using technology to develop a broader range of skills.

• Increased focus and more rigorous assessment are needed to enhance impact.

• The challenge in resource-poor environments is to scale up such promising approaches.

21st Century Assessment• Assessment standards and protocols for

students, teacher and school performance significantly influence behaviors.

• Assessment of success in developing 21st century skills begins with the development of a consensus on what that means in very concrete, behavioral terms

• Global skill categories need to be refined based on the local economic and social context

• Assessment practice should mirror the integrative nature of the 21st Century Skill Framework

Conclusion

Every student must be:

• An analytic thinker• A problem solver• Innovative and creative• An effective communicator• An effective collaborator• Information and media literate• Globally aware• Civically engaged• Financially and economically literate

Recommendations• Collaborate with community organizations, businesses and

higher education institutions to establish consensus on the 21st century skills needed in the nation and the community.

• Create teacher training and teacher professional development strategies for 21st century skills and provide time for teachers and administrators to collaborate and participate in learning communities.

• Integrate the measurement of 21st century skills into the full range of assessments, including high-stakes and classroom assessments.

Recommendations• Take ICT-supported project-based learning methodologies to

scale. Use projects and student portfolios as methods of teaching and assessing 21st century skills.

• Provide career awareness and internships that offer opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

• Consider identifying a 21st century skills teacher mentor in each district or province.

• Collaborate with youth development programs on complementary strategies to support 21st century skills in both traditional school settings and out-of-school programs.

Building 21st Century Skills: What does it mean?

Thank You

Contacts

• George Scharffenberger (george@world-links.org)• World Links (www.world-links.org)

• Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org)