Skils For Our Students

I was reading a blog of David Warlick's about 21st Century skills. I have discussed before the need to teach students how to learn, how to teach themselves, not simply subjects. This blog made me even more aware of that fact. Not only is technology advancing so quick, and our world is based on information, but we also have an unpredictable future. The world is moving so fast. Globalization has made our world smaller and we are gaining information at rapid speed from other countries and societies. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, let alone 5, 10, or 20 years down the road. If our students only know how to do math, understand basic science, and have learned reading and writing, how will they be able to contribute to our future as a province, country, or world? They need to understand how to think critically, assess information, determine its value, figure out how to apply the information to their own life, and problem solve. They must understand how to communicate and collaborate. Our society is no longer a place of "you do your work and I'll do mine". Rather, it is a place of sharing information and working together.
Warlick also discussed a presentation that he saw that was very interactive. Warlick said:
It’s about interaction with content.
This is something I really need to keep in mind in my teaching. Today students live in an interactive world of video-games, on-line virtual worlds, etc. What child who is so interactive outside of school wants to come sit in a desk and listen to a teacher all day? Not a single one! If I can make my classroom, my lessons, and my content interactive there is a higher chance that they will get involved in their learning and take an interest in what I am teaching. Technology, of course, is a major way to do this. Creating a Jeopardy game of science questions, having the kids make a video or comic of a scene from a book . . . there are many ways to make learning more interesting, more interactive, and allow the students to problem solve and collaborate. Education is finally beginning to catch up to the rest of the world, and I think classrooms are finally becoming exciting places to be!