EDU 590

The issue that I am focusing my paper on is the debate over weather the 21st Century Skills Framework is a needed change in education or simply a fad. I have been researching the ideas behind the partnership, who is involved, and which states have signed on. It is fascinating. Right away when I first read about the framework I saw that it was not simply about incorporating technology into the classroom which is what I had originally thought. Instead it is a push to change classroom instruction and testing towards a more problem solving and skillbuilding framework. Technology is certainly a piece but even more so it is teaching in a way that empowers students to be innovative and creative. The idea behind it is that we don't know what the future holds. Research groups believe that many of the top jobs in the future, the jobs that my fifth graders will be competing for, have not even been invented yet. So instead of teaching them facts and asking them to memorize information we should be spending more time on helping them master problem solving skills, teach them how to access and use information, and giving them more opportunities to work collaboratively. These skills are going to be more important in an unknown future. I wholeheartedly agree. What do you think?