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Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Professional Development Affiliate

 

The Institute for School Innovation (ISI) is a Professional Development Affiliate member of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). P21 serves as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of United States K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders. http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

The premise of P21 is that every child in America needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders in the 21st century. However, there is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school, and the knowledge and skills they will need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.

To successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges and a globally competitive workforce, U.S. schools must align classroom environments with real world environments by infusing 21st century skills as represented in the graphic below.

Framework for 21st Century Learning

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents
/framework_flyer_updated_april_2009.pdf

The P21 framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century.

The graphic represents both 21st century skills student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and 21st century skills support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom). While the graphic represents each element distinctly for descriptive purposes, the Partnership views all the components as fully interconnected in the process of 21st century teaching and learning.

Project CHILD®'s Connection to the 21st Century Skills Framework

Project CHILD is designed to specifically teach 21st century skills in order to produce positive student outcomes. These important skills must be intentionally embedded into the instructional process to get results. They cannot be casually approached as incidental to learning. That is why the CHILD system uses specific tools and strategies to build 21st century competencies.

The Project CHILD embedded skills related to the P21 framework are:

• Information and communication skills (information and media literacy skills; communication skills). Project CHILD students use computers and other current technologies every day to build information and communication skills. They access the Internet as a resource for information, application and communication.
  
  
• Thinking and problem-solving (critical thinking and systems thinking; problem identification, formulation and solution; creativity and intellectual curiosity). The daily differentiated station work teaches thinking skills and problem solving skills. CHILD students learn a system called "ask three before me" to solve their own problems by consulting with classroom resources and peers prior to teacher intervention. Several of the learning stations, such as the Challenge Station and Exploration Station, foster creativity and intellectual curiosity.
  
  
• Interpersonal and self-direction skills (interpersonal and collaborative skills; self-direction; accountability and adaptability; social responsibility). Project CHILD students work collaboratively at the learning stations, and have many opportunities to build leadership skills through the Station Patrol system. And the Project CHILD tools that include Passports and Task Cards teach self-direction skills such as goal-setting, time management, following directions, following through, and reflecting upon one's learning.

The Project CHILD embedded support systems related to the P21 framework are:

• 21st century instruction. The Project CHILD instructional strategies are designed to empower students to take ownership for their learning. The teacher moves beyond the didactic role as the "sage on the stage" to become a learning partner as the "guide on the side." CHILD students take an active role in their own education and are highly engaged in the learning process.
  
  
• 21st century professional development. CHILD professional development provides extensive interactive professional learning and collegial coaching, with opportunities to become part of a wider professional learning community. The annual Project CHILD National Conference also offers a face-to-face forum to network, learn, and grow professionally.
  
  
• 21st century learning environments. Project CHILD transforms the standard classroom paradigm by creating a more engaging learning environment that encourages active participation and collaboration. The CHILD cross-grade clustering design fosters long term relationships among students and teachers, as well as building subject area expertise within the teacher team. CHILD teachers feel ownership for their students' long term success, and experience a sense of efficacy as they see their students' progress over time.