21st Century Skills in the Middle School Classroom by Mallory Byrd https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills Middle School Tech Skills en-us 2019-03-21 19:15:02 UTC 2026-01-16 00:30:59 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Pictureland.png What are 21st Century Skills? mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980370 21st Century Skills are those skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century.
The three categories that all 21st century skills fall into are (1) learning and innovation, (2) Information, media, and technology, and (3) Life/career.
Within the framework of those categories, there are four main components to the mastery and success of 21st century skills.
- Critical Thinking Skills (problem solving)
- Creativity (thinking outside the box)
- Collaboration (working together)
- Communication (convey ideas)

These skills are crucial for learners to master in order to keep up with technology induced pace of life. According to Applied Educational Systems, "While 21st Century skills have always been important, they’ve become essential in a worldwide market that moves faster by the day. These skills all double back to one key focus. Someone’s ability to enact and / or adapt to change. This is because any industry is capable of changing at a moment’s notice. Industries are now regularly disrupted with new ideas and methodologies.Those industries that haven’t been disrupted aren’t immune though. They just haven’t been disrupted yet. With that in mind, the world has entered an era where nothing is guaranteed. As a result, students need to learn to guide the change that’ll inundate their lives. At the very least, they need to learn how to react to it.
Otherwise, they’ll be left behind."


Source:
Applied Educational Systems, Inc. (n.d.). What Are the 4 C's of 21st Century Skills? Retrieved March 22, 2019, from https://www.aeseducation.com/career-readiness/what-are-the-4-cs-of-21st-century-skills 

]]> 2019-03-21 19:29:31 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980370 Why are 21st Century Skills important? mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980477 21st Century Skills are important due to the weight they carry for success in the future. There is a meme/YouTube video that has been circling the internet for the last year or two that states: “We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist... in order to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet.”

As we prepare learners for this ever changing/growing way of life 21st century skills come into play as we prepare for what we do not yet understand. Therefore, being ready by being able to problem solve, communicate effectively, work together, and think outside the box allows for the potential of success.

Source:
Fadel, C. (2008, May). 21st Century Skills: How can you prepare students for the new Global Economy?[PDF]. Paris: OECD/CERI.]]> 2019-03-21 19:29:46 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980477 Learning/Innovation mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980604 Learning and innovation skills provide the student with various types of reasoning skills. These skills, that are a part of the crucial framework for mastery of 21st century skills, supply the learner with the capability to analyze situations, make judgements and decisions, solve problems, think creatively, work together with others, and implement new innovations! Students walk away from these learning situations and will have experienced a key aspect of 21st century living.

How can this be implemented in the classroom?
Skill: Critical thinking and problem solving
6th Grade Social Studies Standard: Ancient Civilizations- Greece
6.52 Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Persian Wars. 
Objective: Once students have learned about the causes and course of the Persian Wars, students will infer the consequences of the wars. 
  • Once students have made their inferences they will compare their thoughts will the factual consequences of the Persian Wars
  • Students will interpret factual information by explaining how the consequences of the Persian Wars effected the people of Ancient Greece. 

Source: 
Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills: Definitions. (2017, May 09). Retrieved March 22, 2019, from https://www.imls.gov/issues/national-initiatives/museums-libraries-and-21st-century-skills/definitions

]]> 2019-03-21 19:30:05 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980604 Information/Media/Technology mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980705 Information, Media, and Technology skills provide the learner with different elements of digital comprehension. According to Battelle for Kids, "People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-driven environment, marked by various characteristics, including: (1) access to an abundance of information, (2) rapid changes in technology tools, and (3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. Effective citizens and workers of the 21st century must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media, and technology." Due to the high expectations society places on these skills it is imperative students not only acquire the skills but master them.
The skills that are incorporated into this framework are accessing and evaluation information, analyzing media products, creating media products, and applying technology effectively.

How can this be implemented in the classroom?
Skill: Creating media products
6th Grade Social Studies Standard: Ancient Civilizations- Greece
6.54 Explain the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture.
Objective: Students will create an iMovie trailer to portray the accomplishments and rise of Alexander the Great. 
  • Students will create the iMovie trailer with the thought that the movie highlighting the life of Alexander the Great will be modeled after the trailer. 

Source(s): 
Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills: Definitions. (2017, May 09). Retrieved March 22, 2019, from https://www.imls.gov/issues/national-initiatives/museums-libraries-and-21st-century-skills/definitions

FRAMEWORK FOR 21st CENTURY LEARNING DEFINITIONS[PDF]. (2019, January). Frameworks for 21st Century.
]]> 2019-03-21 19:30:23 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980705 Life/Career mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980800 Life and Career skills provide the learner with the basic skills that allow them to be successful when working with others and navigating through different life experiences. The skills that this framework provides are flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, and leadership and responsibility. As students master these life skills they begin to bleed over into professional settings.

How can this be implemented in the classroom?
Skill: Leadership and Responsibility
6th Grade Social Studies Standard: Ancient Civilizations- India 
6.26 Outline the social structure of the caste system and explain its effect one everyday life in Indian society.
Objective: Students will enact leadership roles based on assigned level of the Indian Caste system. Students will then apply the same hierarchical mindset to todays class system. Students will identify responsibilities and sub-responsibilities associated with each modern day role. ]]> 2019-03-21 19:30:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343980800 Additional 21st Century Skills Resources mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343981991 2019-03-21 19:33:43 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/343981991 Additional 21st Century Resources mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344344323 2019-03-22 18:13:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344344323 Visible Thinking Routines Resources mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344348641 2019-03-22 18:23:30 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344348641 Additional Visible Thinking Routines Resources mbyrd1 https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344352142 2019-03-22 18:31:26 UTC https://padlet.com/mbyrd1/21stcenturyskills/wish/344352142