A sample blog activity for teachers at HCPS

1. How to Build a Student for the 21 st Century December 18, 2006 “ This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education… whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can’t think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad, or speak a language other than English.”

2. 20 th Century 21 st Century Number of Jobs: Job Requirement : Teaching Model: Assessment Model: Why 21 st Century Skills? 1 – 2 Jobs 10 – 15 Jobs Critical Thinking Across Disciplines Integration of 21 st Century Skills into Subject Matter Mastery Mastery of One Field Subject Matter Mastery Subject Matter Mastery Integration of 21 st Century Skills into Subject Matter Mastery

3. Source: PISA, 2000, 2003 Organization for Economic and Coop Development 2000 2000 2000 2003 2003 2003 2003 OECD Ranking Ranking of G8 countries: 10 th grade math & problem solving Math Science Reading Problem Solving 24 th 18 th 24 th 14 th 18 th 15 th 15 th Why 21 st Century Skills? 30th 25th 20th 15th 10th 5th 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

4. Workforce Survey: “ Are They Really Ready to Work? Why 21 st Century Skills? Released October 2, 2006, by The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Partnership for 21 st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

5. Why 21 st Century Skills? What skills are most important for job success when hiring a High School graduate? Work Ethic 80% Collaboration 75% Good Communication 70% Social Responsibility 63% Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 58%

6. Why 21 st Century Skills? Of the High School Students that you recently hired, what were their deficiencies? Written Communication 81% Leadership 73% Work Ethic 70% Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 70% Self-Direction 58%