21st Century Literacies

Currently I’m drowning in 21st Century skills. I’m learning them (call me a digital immigrant)—but really, a more accurate statement is I’m trying to stay ahead of them. Sometimes all I see are near-impossible challenges (schools have to re-invent themselves completely) and sometimes I see incredible opportunities for reaching our students.

One of many blogs I’ve read lately focused on four areas for literacy:
• It must be inquiry-driven;
• Technology should SERVE pedagogy, not the other way around;
• Technology should enable students to research, create, communicate , and collaborate;
• Learning must be networked.

Another blogger referenced Tony Wagner’s article “The Global Achievement Gap” and the seven survival skills he believes are necessary to prepare students for 21st Century literacy:
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Collaboration across networks
• Adaptability and agility
• Initiative and entrepreneurship
• Accessing and analyzing information
• Curiosity and imagination

Everything I read and study seems to meander back to the above points. I don’t believe educators have to throw out the curriculum, but they do have to rethink how they present the material. And perhaps presenting the material is the wrong phrase (because it implies teacher-centered, and I believe we need to be student-centered). For example, as an English teacher, I believe Shakespeare has a critical place in my curriculum. But do I teach the Elizabethan theater? Poetic devices? Soliloquies, monologues, and asides? Or do I take the universal themes of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth and design a critical thinking plan that embraces wikis, blogs, twitter, and supports collaboration among students. Maybe they don’t write a four-page essay; maybe students work together to solve a problem using a play as a catalyst. We need to keep students engaged by providing authentic activities.

Same old, same old. I haven’t addressed cost. I haven’t addressed educating our teachers. I haven’t addressed student safety. How will it all come together? I wish I could predict what our schools will look like in five years. I hope they will be filled with engaged teachers who love to learn and promote learning; I hope our schools will be student-centered and flexible.