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New research shows students not getting the right skills for work and life

Key findings from the ITL Research showed that when educators develop learning activities that require 21st century skills, students demonstrate them. However, more than 50 percent of learning activities scored the lowest possible score, suggesting that many educators are only in the early stages of teaching these skills. It also showed that educators need clear definitions of these skills, examples of how to develop them through teaching and learning, and a way to measure their success.

In addition, the research showed that technology is part of the equation. When educators have technology in the classroom — as opposed to in a lab or library — it is more likely they will use it as a tool for teaching 21st century skills.

Filed under  //  21stcenturyskills   edtech   learning  

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New Advanced Placement programs to focus more on critical thinking, less on regurgitation

A preview of the changes shows that the board will slash the amount of material students need to know for the tests and provide, for the first time, a curriculum framework for what courses should look like. The goal is to clear students’ minds to focus on bigger concepts and stimulate more analytic thinking. In biology, a host of more creative, hands-on experiments are intended to help students think more like scientists.

The rollout of “the New A.P.,” as the board describes it, will actually start this year with a new curriculum taking effect in two smaller programs, German and French language. Major revisions to physics, chemistry, European history, world history and art history will follow, with the hope of being ready for exams in 2014 or 2015.

“We really believe that the New A.P. needs to be anchored in a curriculum that focuses on what students need to be able to do with their knowledge,” Mr. Packer says. A.P. teachers made clear that such a shift was impossible unless the breadth of material covered was pared down. Courses in English and math are manageable, Mr. Packer says, and will not be revised until later.

The new approach is important because critical thinking skills are considered essential for advanced college courses and jobs in today’s information-based economy.

1. Be prepared for the inevitable complaints that A.P. courses are being 'dumbed down.'

2. Iowa legislators are trying to move in the wrong direction? [see http://bit.ly/ebq5oz]

Filed under  //  21stcenturyskills   education   learning   teaching  

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