Century Skills

A New Method for a New Century The world is always changing, from the environment to the economy, from stock market crashes to global warming. With so many uncertainties, one thing remains ABA solute: students will not be prepared to face the challenges presented by today's changing w oral if the schools' methods of education remain the same.The concept of the integration of 21st century skills into school curriculums has been an ongoing debate for some time now While opponents argue that such skills should not replace the current system, which focuses primarily on the memorization of content, proponents defend their contempt ray methods, advocating 21st century skills and the importance of their understanding in the fastened, intermediate society that exists today.Both arguments, however, are supported with valid facts, many of which cannot be ignored. Because of the benefits of both methods of learning, a General Education class emphasizing the understanding and integration of 21st century skills in the work force and other environments should be required for all students at College of the Canyons in order to strengthen their ability sees and create a fundamental base that will help prepare them to enter the workforce.Schools cannot ignore the fact that the very next step for the vast majority of student following the completion of their education is the securing of a Job in a career field the at functions in the modern world. In such a competitive workforce, students cannot be successful if the education they received focuses solely on the memorization of content NT rather than the application of skills. What good is an extensive grasp of facts if nothing g can be done with that knowledge? We need to ensure that all students are critical thinks RSI and problem solvers, that students can take on complex problems,† said Page Johnson, a POP board member and worldwide manager for K 12 education at Intel Corp.. This is where the benefits of 21st century ski lls come in. Such skills include learning and innovation skill Is, information, media and technology skills, life and career skills, and an all around indispensable foundation students will be able to employ into their lives following SC hollow.Where the heavy dependence of memorizing facts usually ends after one exits the SC hollow system, the need to understand and the ability to integrate 21st century skills only in creases significantly. Thirteen states have already begun to incorporate 21st century skills into their education system in different ways, such as Wisconsin, which has â€Å"overhauled its socio al studies curriculum in order to meet the criteria established by POP . As more begin to realize the importance of 21st century skills, College of the Canyons should follow in t he footsteps of those who have broadened the content of education taught at their SOHO Such skills should begin to be integrated into core classes, but to ensure that the full est. potentials of stu dents learning these skills can be met, a General Education class foci used entirely on the utilization and understanding of 21st century skills should be added a acquirement for all students.This will ensure that students will not only master the c intent of their classes, but will be able to produce, evaluate, and synthesize the information the eye have learned in order to prepare themselves for their futures. Students would be able e to experience hands on activities and learn to thrive in a modern work environment thru cough interactive projects and the like, of which will sharpen skills ranging from communicant dive to technological. Opponents are firmly grounded to the belief that older methods of learning are essential to a student's education.Richard Alienating, a professor at the University of Tennessee, advocates developing 18th century literacy, and claims that, â€Å"[t]he research, to date, has provided no evidence that having either computers or whiteboards in shoo Is has any positive effects on students' reading and writing proficiencies,† and is rooted to t belief that libraries are essential in order to develop literate students. However, prop moments are not arguing against this.Rather, they are facing the inescapable fact that educate reform has become more and more necessary as society and technology further diva once. It is true that without the understanding of the content taught in school, students lace k the basic knowledge and rigor required to engage successfully in situations in which critic thinking, problem solving, and teamwork are crucial. However, without the skills of the e 21st century, students are left with much information, but little understanding of what to do with it. 1st century skills fuse content with skill, creating the best possible foundation of lea ring for students. The application of these skills is crucial not only for the education of today's students, but for the success of tomorrows employees. Employe rs are not looking to ire encyclopedias in the guise of humans, but rather capable people who can adapt and evolve to the changing work environment and use the skills they've acquired in order to be competitive and efficient. According to Michelle L.Casts, a Whole Life Coach, speaker, and author, the top ten skills for the new world of work include communication, create pity, technology, teamwork, flexibility, and information management, along with other trade sees that all fall under the category of the indispensable 21st century skills necessary for any looking to become a valuable asset to their company. Schools need to begin to teach dents skills that will enable them to do more than achieve passing scores on multi pale choice tests, because interviews don't come with a cantors and a number two pencil The teaching of modern skills should not be a controversy in such a modern world.The incorporation of 21st century skills into school curriculum offers nothing but Ben felts, build ing upon past conceptions of learning and guiding students in order for them to adapt to today's competitive workforce. The 2013 News STEM Solutions Conference address sees the sad truth that, the natural curiosity that small kids have, where they touch everything, experiment and discover the world, is being trained out of them as they grow up Lear inning things by rote to pass tests. † Education should not hinder one's curiosity, but enable I t to grow.