Week 6 Philosophical - 21st Century Learning

Blog Response #1  

    The critics of 21st century skills put up very good points invalidating these new teaching strategies. I would have to disagree with some of their statements though.  The first article claims that for the past century, our schools have been obsessing over critical thinking skills, projects and cooperative learning, and that the education system has been failing to focus on interdisciplinary work. This is true, but I myself have been a student in a public education system within the past 10 years, and although critical thinking has been a focus, for some teachers I had, that still did not stop them from integrating the lesson to teach their main interdisciplinary subject. In fact, the way it was taught (whether it be in a group, or as a project), helped me understand better how math skills, literature skills, or even science relates to the real world. Why can’t both types of learning happen at the same time?
    The second article goes on to criticize 21st century skills by saying that schools fall victim to “all at once syndrome” where school reforms must happen on all levels at the same time. The author then compares the the 21st century skills movement to the financial crisis which doesn’t make sense. The use of 21st century skills is voluntary as far as I know, so no one is forcing teachers to use this method. The use of 21st century skills when used appropriately can be a very useful tool. I don’t feel as though this needs to be a “movement”. A lot of the scrutiny that come out of this I feel is because it is tagged as a “movement”. Instead of giving it that stigma, teachers should just try and involve some of the skills this system calls for. I do not feel as though this is a fad, or should become a fad, rather than permanently integrating some of these skills within our teaching styles.

Blog Response #2

    I feel as though teachers make sacrifices everyday to their curriculum. Schools are killing creativity and something needs to be done about it. New ways of teaching need to start happening, because kids are being bored to death by force feeding subject matter in the old lecture/homework form of teaching. Classes like dance, music art and phys ed.  Can make learning fun again. Teachers need to get creative and integrate subjects like math and English into music and art subjects. Unfortunately with the state of the economy,  there might not be art or music in the near future. Kids need that for of creativity to express themselves.