Podcast: Will Richardson - Discussion with Julia and Pat

21st Century Skills

In this foreword by Ken Kay he discusses how the skills to succeed in the workplace, higher education, and life have changed over time. Kay states that “only people who have the knowledge and skills to negotiate constant change and reinvent themselves for new situations will succeed” (xvii). In the past it was common for workers to stay at the same job for the majority of their working years and many received pensions. Today this is not the case. People will change careers multiple times over their working years and very few people will receive a pension.

In the past individuals who pursued a college education had a greater chance at securing a good paying job with health benefits. Today a high percentage of people pursue higher education, however, many are faced with the reality that even though they are licensed in a particular field of study this does not guarantee them a position. Especially in the teaching field, numerous certified teachers are forced to find employment in other fields due to the fact that the number of certified teachers far out way the available positions. Kay points out that “Doing well in school no longer guarantees a lifelong job or career as it did for previous generations Americans (xvii).” 

Kay mentions that “technology has replaced workers who perform routine work while it compliments workers with higher-level skills and empowers them to be more productive and creative” (xxviii). Although, I do agree that school should be more aligned with students’ daily lives and prepare them to compete in our global economy I struggle with how best to incorporate technology to reach these goals. One thing I found interesting was Kays comment about “many people equate technology-rich classrooms or modern schools or rigorous core subjects with 21^st century learning, regardless of whether students are mastering 21^st century skills” such as “global awareness, health literacy, learning and innovation skills, life and career skills, or even media literacy skills” (xxviii). This comment made me stop and think about the fact that increasing the availability of technology in classrooms does very little for the “Big Picture” if the technology is not used in a way that addresses higher order thinking, problem solving, and critical-thinking skills.

The current learning standards mainly address knowledge and understanding levels which require lower level thinking skills. I agree that students should be challenged and learn to become better problem solvers and critical thinkers, I just question how to bridge this gap. Do you change the learning standards altogether to require students to analyze, synthesize, and create using higher order thinking skills? If so, what happens to those students who already struggle with knowledge and understanding skills? 

Honestly I feel for todays’ students. They are faced with the pressure to perform at an even higher standard than in the past, at an increasingly fast-pace, all while being under the internet microscope which showcases their adolescent lives and beyond for the world to see. By the looks of things, counseling might be the job to pursue in the near future.