Please post your thoughts on the following questions:
What is your opinion of this idea?
Specific to your subject area and grade level, in what ways would you change your instructional and/or administrative practices to adapt to this reality?
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The 8 Skills Students will require for their future
In a recent article, "The 8 Skills Students Must Have For The Future," Katie Lepi argues that current students will need the following skills along with the "3Rs" to succeed in a global market:
Please post your thoughts on the following questions:
What is your opinion of this idea?
Specific to your subject area and grade level, in what ways would you change your instructional and/or administrative practices to adapt to this reality?
Please post your thoughts on the following questions:
What is your opinion of this idea?
Specific to your subject area and grade level, in what ways would you change your instructional and/or administrative practices to adapt to this reality?
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Our students should be taught the 8 skills mentioned above. These skills will help students be productive in the global society that they will be entering.
ReplyDeleteAs a kindergarten teacher, I spend a lot of time with my students focusing on communication, team working and problem solving. One of the areas that I hope to improve upon with my students is digital literacy. It is important that our students learn how to use technology appropriately. As a student of EDM 510, I am learning many ways to use technology in my classroom with my students that will help me teach this skill.
I love this list. I most certainly agree that there is more to school than absorbing facts. I mean how many times have we honestly used the binomial theorem. I believe that students will benefit the most by skills like mentioned in this article. I believe the 2 most vital are leadership and problem solving. The ability to lead others and come up with solutions to the problems that they face is a skill greatly lacking in our schools. The students depend on others to provide them the information they need. Teaching students how to access the information they need and utilize it in real life situations will empower the students much more than learning a list of facts. I also believe that technological intelligence is vital as well. It is not a luxury anymore, but a necessity
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ReplyDeleteWhile I do still feel that "the three R's" are a must for students, I do see the need for educators to extend education beyond the basics. These eight skills are critical to be successful, not only in school, but in every area of life/society.
ReplyDeleteAs a preschool teacher, we focus heavily on teamwork. In their very young minds, it is still all about them. We work everyday to see that working together is the best way to be successful. This goes hand in hand with problem solving. Students know that I am not going to just give them the answer to their problems. They must come to a solution on their own or with the help of classmates. I will help as needed, but they must learn to be problem solvers.One thing that I want to instill in them that is in line with this type of thinking is communication. They must be able to communicate outside of their own world. I plan to help them do this by using media tools like Skype to help them communicate with others across the county, state, and country.
I have to agree with Mandy, "the three R'" are essential for students to be successful in their academic and future careers. However, I do see the importance of these eight skills that Katie Lepi introduces in her article "The 8 Skills Students Must Have For The Future". I particularly like her suggestion of "digital literacy". In this day and age, students must have some experience with using and creating with technology. They need to be exposed to the many technologies that are available in the world right in our own classrooms. We as educators are supposed to prepare our students for the future, and we are not doing an adequate job of that if we do not let the students have hands-on experience with different technologies. I also believe through the use of technology that many of these eight skills could be taught. For example all through the use of a wiki students have an opportunity to learn team-working skills, leadership skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, and even global citizenship. Many of these skills could also be learned through the use of a blog like this one. I believe digital literacy is an area that I could improve on my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteWithout teamwork, one would never survive in any kind of job. Digital literacy is key to becoming successful. Communication is key to any job or friendship. Without these eight skills listed in this chart, people would not survive in the world. Without digital literacy, we would not survive this class. These skills are so important to being a successful person.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that many of these skills are those that professionals in the workplace are looking for. The ability to work in a group and communicate not only in person, but globally through technology is extremely important. The ability to find one's way around new technologies or the openness to learn is also extremely important.
ReplyDeleteIn order to change instruction to support this idea, I would focus on the communication aspect. I aspire to be an Autism Specialist and am currently working towards my Collaborative K-6 degree. I do not have any doubt in my mind that all students are able to communicate in some way. It is my duty as an educator to find the most comfortable form of communication for my students. Through the use of technologies, this goal has been made easier. There are many programs available now to educators and other professionals whether it be picture messages, typing out a response, or digital communication boards.
I believe that taking a step in the direction of encouraging communication from all students, whether verbally or through technology, takes a step in the direction of team work and other skills. Without communication, you do not have much. All people need to be able to communicate their wants and needs, as well as what they are willing or able to do.
Of the skills listed above, the one I find most interesting is “emotional intelligence,” but it’s one that I think often takes the backseat. Being able to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions is essential to an individual’s ability to function in both professional and personal environments. In addition, individuals rely on their emotions as a supplementary mode of interpretation when trying to decipher social connections. Therefore, it is important that students are able to at least observe emotional intelligence in various settings, if not receive direct instruction on the subject. In the classroom, I think it’s absolutely crucial to model appropriate emotional responses in uncomfortable and stressful situations as well as discussing conflict resolution and providing resources for managing behavior and emotions.
ReplyDeleteAs a secondary English teacher, communication is a huge part of my content focus, and I realize that the way we communicate today has dramatically evolved. A part of my instructional plan will be to incorporate technology literacy into my overall definition of literacy; from this perspective, a literate individual not only has the ability to read and write, but can also apply those communication skills to the digital environment. Specifically, I will include technological elements in the foundation of my pedagogy in order to assist my students compete at a high proficiency level in the ever-expending global market.
(rmcmullen)
All of these are essential to function in today’s society and job market as well as in college. Yes, the three R’s are important and need to be taught. However, these eight skills are imperative for a student to make it though life. School is more than learning facts and being tested on them. Students learn life lessons and life skills through school experiences as well as academics. Students learn how to communicate with people and pick up social cues by interacting with their peers and teachers as well as emotional intelligence. Problem solving and teamwork is a part of the learning process and through peer collaboration in class and on an on. All of these skills students basically learn through their education career. It may not be because they took a problem solving or leadership course, but because they learned these skills indirectly though course projects, hobbies or even just through life experiences. In conclusion, I completely agree with the new skills the world is looking for accompanied by, of course, the three R’s.
ReplyDeleteThere are four skills that I believe stand out from the list. Communication skills, digital literacy skills, team working, and problem solving. As a school librarian, I often see students struggling with these skills. Students need to be working in teams for common goals, communicating ideas and listening to other's ideas, improving their digital literacy skills, and solving problems which seem too big at first. Using these skills requires students to use higher order thinking skills which, as educators, is one of our main goals.
ReplyDeleteI believe these 8 skills are very important for students to learn for a successful future. These are essential skills that will be used in their profession and community.
ReplyDeleteI work with students with developmental delays. In my classroom, we focus heavily on social and interpersonal skills. Most of my students lack the necessary skills for effective communication to build successful relationships. Many of them also lack adaptive skills for different environments. I think it is important for me to start incorporating more leadership activities to help promote more self-advocacy skills for my students. I also have not incorporated technology as much as I should. I plan to utilize more of these skills to better serve my students.
In the 21st Century workforce and beyond, our students need more than the 3 Rs to be competitive in the global market. Students have to acquire 8 skills mentioned in the blog to be marketable in the workforce. Industries and companies are looking for potential employees who have leadership skills, digital intelligence to research and problem solve, communication skills, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, and the ability to do teamwork. I believe our educational system is realizing that an emphasis placed on standardized test scores is not creating critical thinkers who are able to problem solve, communicate effectively, and can do collaborative work with others.
ReplyDeleteThere is dynamism in the global market, nothing seems to be static and hence, these posses as a challenge in this generation. Our students need to be properly prepared to face and overcome these challenges. I am in total agreement that students needs to be equipped with the 8 skills mentioned in the article along with the "3Rs" to succeed in the global market.
ReplyDeleteAlthough as a potential high school Biology teacher, problem solving is one of the skills I will inculcate in my students. I will encourage them not to be limited to the four walls of the classroom, but to see themselves as future scientist ready to contribute positively to solving the problems in our ecosystem. They have to work as a team, they cannot afford to be an "island" as scientist. Communication is a must if positive impact is to be achieved. Digital literacy cannot be ruled out. The world is becoming a global village now, and so if they are vast in technology, then that will be a plus in their global achievement. Global citizenship is also another skill that they need to be equipped with. They will have to be familiar with the cultures and norms of other countries.
All the skills mentioned, are tools in the hand of our students, ready to be used in the global economy.
This list was an eye opener for me. As a teacher, and I am sure others will agree with me, I am always talking with my coworkers about the types of skills that our students need for the future. I also see many examples of these skills everyday with my students. There is always a student who leads others, but I want others to feel comfortable enough to lead. Digitally I am sure they are more literate that I will ever be! As far as communication, problem solving, and team work, these are things that our students may not even realize they are doing. The three other skills are ones I have not thought about or put a name to them. Global citizenship is a work in progress. Our students are made up of so many different nationalities and I feel they are exposed to different cultures on a daily basis. The two skills that caught my attention were the emotional intelligence and entrepreneurship.
ReplyDeleteAs 10th grade English teacher I would like to think we practice most of these skills in daily lessons, but I think the key is getting more students to participate. If more students participate, then more gain experience in leadership positions, problem solving, and team work. I want my students to have a feeling of ownership and what they say does matter. While debating ideas in my class sometimes people become emotionally invested and will not listen to other ideas. This is when we talk about why it is so important to listen to others. We may not agree but we have to listen. This is why I think emotional intelligence would be a hard skill to master.
All 8 of these skills are required for success in the future of our students. Most importantly, in my classroom students have ventured away from book work and began to work on task. Task are real world application problems connected to the 7th grade Math standards. We began this inititaive on this year to prepare students for the work force. It had been brought to our attention that graduating high school seniors were familar with content material but were not able to apply the skills to word problems and real world work situations. When entering the work world all 8 of these skills are essential and neccessary. I currently utilize team work, leadership, communication, and problem solving in my everyday lesson and using the task allows me to incorporate these skills even more. Digital literacy is one skill that my students and myself are exploring more and more everyday. Global citizenship, entrepreneurship, and emotional intelligence are three skills that I would like to incoporate in everyday lessons. This winning combination of skills provides our students with the keys to success.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these eight skills are essential for our students to be productive citizens who are able to compete and work in a global workforce. As educators, it is our job to prepare them for their future. In order to teach my students these skills I will need to incorporate group activities and research projects in order to teach my students how to work together, communicate, and solve problems. Including research products and posing questions that have multiple solutions will help teach my students digital literacy and communication skills. Also assigning roles while students work in groups and changing the roles frequently will improve leadership skills and their ability to work together. Entrepreneurship can be instilled in students by allowing to create various products based on their research and working with their classmates. In my classroom I also try to teach students emotional intelligence by trying to teach them how to react to certain situations appropriately and teaching them to take responsibility for their own actions. We have may discussions throughout the year about our behavior, decisions, and how to treat other people. In order to teach global citizenship I can try to teach them about various cultures and countries and their contributions to the economy and our way of life. Children need to be taught to respect others regardless of their citizenship and culture and this can be done by showing them how to treat others. Many of these skills need to be modeled frequently and discussed with students. These eight skills are going to be needed as our workforce becomes more and more digital and spans the globe. Our students need to be capable of competing with others from all over the world for their jobs.
ReplyDeleteI believe that leadership, digital literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem solving, and team-working are all important skills for students to learn and master before graduating from high school. I think that some of these skills are already a regular part of many classrooms but others need more implementation. In my social studies classroom I think it's important for the students to be aware of current events, both local news stories and also world news. I think if they are aware that there are teens and young adults working to make a difference and being recognized for it, it will encourage them to strive towards greater achievements. Making them aware and discussing these events plays a part in teaching them about many of the above skills. I also think that doing group assignments and research assignments can help them better understand how important these attributes are. They learn communication, leadership, problem-solving, and team-working in a setting similar to what they will experience working with others outside the classroom.
ReplyDelete(ifurlong)
I think this list is great! It is inarguably important to teach students "the three R's", but there is (what I would consider and epidemic) in our country of students being pushed through school and taught the information they need without being taught how to work with other people or deal with rejection. As educators, I believe we are entrusted by society as a whole not only to teach facts and equations to our young people, but teach them how to navigate the adult world. We should be teaching students to be resilient, problem-solving, hard working adults. I think a lot of educators are dropping the ball in this respect. Schools turn out great test takers that don't know what to do next. I think this list is a great first step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteThis article is probably necessary for all educators to look at. School is more than just learning to read and how to add. It's also about developing children as well rounded people who have the necessary skills to be able to be successful in the real world. If a child can read but has no skills to be able to communicate with others or to solve problems that come up in their lives, then school didn't give that child what they needed and would probably seem like a waste of time to them. I am about to start teaching 4th grade English and Social Studies and I know from student teaching that I am a fan of center work where students have the chance to interact with their peers and learn social skills and cooperation. I also think it is important that students are given access to technology because it is something that they will inevitably have to use once they leave school. Leadership opportunities should always be made available to students and exercises that require problem solving are a must in school as well and these should start from a young age. We want to develop students into movers and shakers and without these skills, it will be harder for them to make a difference or to thrive.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great list! During professional development, data meetings, and planning teachers are constantly hearing about the things that our students need to prepare for the future. Not things just found in the classroom, but life skills as well. These eight things could help students become well rounded individuals that can be involved and positive members of society.I believe that, outside of their general education, it is most important for students to learn communication and problem solving skills. Students need to learn to be independent and they need to know how to communicate with others in their community. Digital literacy is something that children in today's society grow up with. They are constantly using technological devices and can often show us a adults a thing or two. :) Team work is another vital skill for children. Many people, especially in low income communities, grow up around frequent violence and hatred for others. Learning to work with other people, even if they are not your favorite, is something that everyone needs to learn to do. Sometimes you have to work with people that you don't always like. In conclusion, this list was excellent! Hopefully we can get our students well prepared for the future! (Kelly Nguyen)
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of teaching these 8 skills. It goes beyond the basic curriculum and helps teach students skills needed after school. Since I am in the K-6 special education field I feel most of these skills will translate for these students. One of the skills that maybe I would remove would be the entrepreneurship skill. I feel this doesn't really translate well for these students. I would maybe change that skill to health and physical well being. This is a skill that should be taught at home but more than not it is neglected. I do love the idea of going beyond the basic curriculum and adding basic life skills that will be used after graduation.
ReplyDeleteI think these 8 skills are so important. We have come so far in society and children will need these skills to be successful at school and in their future. I am not currently a teacher but I think trying to implement all of these in the classroom is important. I think communication and problem solving would be somethings that may already be worked on in the classroom. These skills are so important for students to be successful in their future that I hope teachers really work on theses with students. Many times communication and problem solving can be hard for students. With the technological world we live in, digital literacy can make a great impact on our students. They already know so much about technology that we must make sure we stay up to speed and incorporate it in our teaching. I have seen teachers use game-based review tools from the internet to review in their classroom. Something as simple as this can get students more involved. I also think emphasizing entrepreneurship in the classroom is a great skill for the students to learn. We have to get students motivated for their future and teaching them the skills they will need can create a better future. I agree that all of these skills should be emphasized in schools so our children can create a better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAs stated in the article ,"The 8 Skills Students Must Have For The Future", teaching the basic skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic) is no longer sufficient if we want to prepare our students to be competive in the 21st century. Not only do our students need to be able to read, write, and do math, they need to be "digital literate" in this every changing technological world . They need to be able to work with others as a "team" member as well as assume the role of a "leader" when neccessary. "Communication" skills, "problem solving" skills, and "emotional intelligence" are crucial elements needed to be productive in whatever career path taken. Participating actively as a "global citizen" and applying the "fundamentals" of "entrepreneurship" will allow for success. As an educator, it is my responsibility to make sure that I am encorparting all of these eight skills into the curriculum in order for my students to be able to practice these skills. If students are given the opportunities to actively start building on these skills at an early age, continued practice will lead them to be more proficient as they get older, leading them to be successful in their adult life and chosen careers.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how much more important communication and team-working is now compared to the past. There is so much information to be learned that it is impossible to be an expert on anything beyond a very narrow, specific field. The times of renaissance men/women is over, people need to collaborate and communicate with each other and combine their expertise, or else the product will not be good enough.
ReplyDeleteI love that they added entrepreneurship to the list. Although I dislike that they tried to distance it from making a profit (what's wrong with making wealth? It's not a zero-sum game). With the rate at which automation is taking over jobs, entrepreneurship is more important than ever to create new jobs and improve our quality of life.
These eight skills are imperative to the success of any student. This is not to say that the basic skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic) have no value; rather, with the emergence of ground-breaking technologies, the world has become a more connected and more competitive place. Competence in leadership, digital leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem solving, and teamwork is no longer a "bonus" for potential employees... it's a necessity. In order for students to learn these skills, changes must be made to traditional pedagogical approaches to learning.
ReplyDeleteLeadership: Students must be given the opportunity to act as leaders. Not all students will want to be leaders and must be guided into such positions. In my classroom (9th grade English), I foster leadership development by assigning roles during literature circles. For example, one student might be responsible for developing a list of essential vocabulary for the reading, another might be responsible for plotting key events, while a third is identifying/analyzing figurative language use. Each group member is then responsible for teaching the information to group members. Jigsaw groups are another great way to put students into leadership roles.
Digital Literacy: In the past, I have had difficulty incorporating technology into my classroom, primarily because of a lack of resources. With Mobile County’s BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative and Microsoft OneDrive, I have been able to incorporate more technology into my instructional plan.
Communication: Students must be able to communicate in order to be successful. Gone are the days when a student sat quietly and took notes on the teacher’s lecture. Students must be able to express their understanding and engage in open dialogue. One of the ways I foster communication in my classroom is an activity called “Socratic Seminar.” Students are paired and must work together to answer open ended questions. Then, one partner is seated on the inside circle and will engage in a discussion with other “inner circle” peers. Students on the “outer circle” must listen carefully and respond in writing to the discussion using an online discussion platform called “Today’s Meet.” At the end of the allotted time, roles switch: inner circle goes out, outer circle comes in.
I feel that I currently teach the above skills fairly well. I could use some advice on teaching emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, and global citizenship (though I can see blogger would be an excellent tool for this skill).
This was a great article and I thinks all 8 skills are essential for students to learn so they can become productive citizens in the future. Thats what we want for our students in the long run! We keep hearing that the students we teach today, well their jobs do not even exist yet. These 8 skills are what they need to be successful in those future unknown jobs. I see these skills enabling them to think for themselves, communicate in all situations, gain empathy for others and be able to excelled to their fullest abilities and desires. I want all this for my students, I want leaders who will choose their own paths because they can! I know I'm only a preschool teacher, but I firmly believe thats where it starts, if not earlier.
ReplyDeleteI do need to change my digital literacy skills in the classroom somewhat. The 3 R's and encouraging emotional intelligence are still the foundation that my age group needs. I will never stop good hands on learning in my classroom environment. These children still need to touch, feel and learn using their senses. But I know they need to learn skills with technology that go beyond Angry Birds. The rest of the skills I will continue to promote and encourage with my classes.
I agree with this article that education these days is so much more than the basic “3Rs” of reading, writing and arithmetic. As a second grade teacher, if I only sat my students at a desk and simply taught the basic reading, writing, and math skills assigned to my course of study, I would be doing my students an injustice. To be prepared for the workforce and life in general, they need to be taught the other 8 skills mentioned in this article. There has been a big push to incorporate more critical thinking and problem solving activities into the classroom with the new common core curriculum. In every lesson I teach, I try my best to encourage students to work with a partner or group to problem solve. They know everyone participates and it's okay to make mistakes. Especially in math I encourage students to question each other and try to find different ways to solve a problem. I think they learn so much more this way than if I was up at the front of the room telling them how to solve the problem "my way". During reading lessons, students work in centers. Some of the centers are digital and some hands-on. This teaches them communication and team-working skills. Today's classroom should be different than the classrooms we were in 10-15 years ago. We as educators must adapt our lessons to teach the skills students will need today.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Hillary, we can not just stand in the front of the room ans say "this is the way, do it!" I agree with everything you said and incorporate many of your ideas in my own classroom too! I have been learning a lot lately about "Talk moves" you should look it up on Pinterest if you have not heard of it, ( I had to!) :) These strategies are great and will lend themselves to expanding on what we already have going on in our classrooms.
DeleteThis article was very well written and had so much useful information. All eight skills are used and can be used in classrooms today, if they are already not being used. For the most part, I see most of these skills in my classroom. However, some may not implement them everyday. It might not even be the teachers who implement these skills. It could be more of the immediate administrative staff, but I know there is a special place for these skills in all schools. Communication was one that stuck out to me that I use in my classroom daily. I make sure I communicate with my students, and I make sure my students communicate with their peers. We have "talk moves" up in my classroom. From the first day of school until the last day of school, students use these talk moves during class discussions. They are able to agree or disagree with one another. I specifically love this one because it brings out awesome discussions for the whole class. Everyone learns and thinks differently.
ReplyDeleteWhen these talk moves are happening in the classroom, I believe I also see leadership and global citizenship. For students to agree or disagree with a peer, that is showing leadership. They are really focused and showing the teacher and classmates that they are able to stand up and be a leader and speak their thoughts. When all students participate in these discussions, they all want to take part because they want to show their other classmates they can do it too.
Lastly, problem solving and team working is always going on at my school. I love this skill so much. I see students thinking and problem solving with peers and even when they are creating or designing something on their own. They always work together and they are working as teams. They start to build a trust and relationships with their classmates. We as faculty are also team working. We work as grade levels to plan, and as a school, we work together to make the community and overall feel a safe learning environment.
The 8 skills students must have for the future is a very important part of education and it is so true that the 3 R's can be done, but now in a different way. I am a part of a new program at my school and I can't wait to implement it. It is all about taking ownership of your teaching and students taking ownership of their learning.
ReplyDeleteFor this type of learning to happen teachers and administrators who still teach like they are teaching in the 80's have to either retire or change the way that they teach. At my school we have a mixture of teachers, but my administrator is so proactive with learning that she expects each of us to be up to date with teaching and technology. You can tell who is not and they eventually get the message and then retire or get a transfer.
It is just very important to teach the "whole" child not just the 3 R's. Technology is today: it's not the future! We need to embrace this and do everything we can to keep up!
The 8 skills students must have for the future of learning is very essential knowledge to the world and themselves. Technology is rapidly increasing and teachers have to be prepared to keep up with the changes and make sure the students are able to keep up too. I really like the skill about communication because I feel like with the increase in technology that communication is decreasing and peoples ability to work out problems. These are such important tools in the business world and very hard ones to teaches students.
ReplyDeleteFor these learning tools and skills, teachers would have to change their ways of teaching. I would change my ways by incorporating more technology but making sure the students are still connecting and engaging in activities with one another. I think it is important to establish leadership and make sure the students know that just because everything is starting to be computerized, this does not mean that you no longer have to engage with people and solve problems. I think that a lot of teachers are going to have to change their habits and I am starting to figure out ways to incorporate these skills.
I really enjoyed the article! These are definitely eight skills students will need to be successful in the world. However, it may look a little different in a third grade classroom. To help empower students with these skills, I would give them more ways to be a leader and to use technology. I will allow them to work in teams, so that they learn to communicate with each other through talking instead of texting. We will talk about emotions and relationships, and how they are important. We will talk about the importance of being good citizens. Teachers will have to continue to change with how they teach in order to help the next generation be ready for college and their career.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the article as well and felt it is very relevant today. What immediately struck me, really before the article ever began, was that in less than a year there were already revisions to be made to keep the information current. Truly that is how fast everything is moving in our day and age; if we don’t stay current, we will drown. I feel the eight skills the authors describe can and should be incorporated in to reading, writing, and arithmetic lessons. Using many of the strategies we are learning in our other courses, like, “Literacy in the Content Areas,” “Tends-Practices Teaching Reading,” and “Elementary School Curriculum” (the classes I have actually taken that really pertain to our topic at this time) have had relevant information that would strengthen these skills. Turn and Talk is a great strategy that can be used with any content area where students might include communication, emotional intelligence, problem solving, and team-working. An activity that I actually was a part of at a SARIC workshop a couple of weeks ago was Reciprocal Teaching. Each one of the four of us in the group became a leader of a different “task.” After each one in the group had an opportunity to share the part they were responsible for, the “tasks” rotated around the group, giving each person a chance to lead each job. We participated in a social studies activity with this strategy that would include leadership skills and the above mentioned. Bring Your Own Device, BYOD, and the technology that many classrooms now have, integrate digital literacy, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, and many of the other skills I have already mentioned that teachers must model for our students to be successful and competitive in our world today.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to address several of these individually and a few others in connection.
ReplyDeleteLeadership: Our society is based on so many people who are followers, and so very few true leaders. Students need to learn when it is okay to follow, and when it is necessary to speak/think/act for themselves. They need confidence in their abilities in order to lead. I would consider myself a good teacher if I could offer them an opportunity to build confidence in their academic abilities and their social development that can grown with them into successful leaders. Giving them a voice through writing and sharing their writing could be a great start toward that goal. They also need to be supported in their classroom interaction as well.
Digital Literacy: They know how to use apps and devices and access the internet. They need to know how to be part of a global network, learn internet etiquette, censor what they put online instead of posting every opinion and selfie they can dream up, how to make smart decisions about when to post and when to take a break and just enjoy life, and how to be professional online. Being professional with their digital literacy will help them prepare for the future. Global citizenship ties into this very well because students need to learn that their internet connection plugs them into an endless world of cultures, people, and opportunities. Through the right technology and structure in the classroom, students can start to see the role that they play. They also need to start to see that they can contribute to the global internet economy to go beyond the mindless video sharing and "liking." Problem solving can also be learned through digital assignments!
Communication: Students don't communicate the same anymore. I was reading an article the other day about the lost art of communicating and how to reteach your kids to have a conversation. They don't realize what a valuable skill it is going in a job interview or college entrance interview, to be able to speak eloquently and listen attentively and make the other person feel that you care what they have to say. I would love to incorporate presentations in my class to work on their speaking skills and to incorporate literature circles to get students to practice academic discussion.
Emotional intelligence: As I was reading all of the hateful comments and negativity spread on facebook over the past week, I just had to walk away. I don't want to be a part of that and it saddens me the amount of people who just can't help adding more fuel to the fire or saying insensitive things simply for the need to be heard. It seems sometimes that we have tuned out emotionally and we don't use our emotional intelligence to consider others. Emotional intelligence involves considering how what you say effects others, knowing when is the appropriate time to say something or be silent, being in-tune to other people's body language that betrays their emotions, saying something sort of negative in a way that serves to constructively criticize rather than "just saying" what's on your mind. So many more relationships could be built or saved if we could tune into this side of our intelligence. I think a less personal and invasive way of discussing our emotions and how people are treated is through the medium of literature. Students can immerse themselves in the character's experiences that are relatable and speak about it without necessarily speaking from their own experience. Also, I think that whenever a disciplinary infraction occurs, students need to reflect. They need to problem -solve. How do you think what you said hurt the other person?How could you have said what you did differently? How would you feel if those words were said to you.
I think a lot of Entrepreneurship is initiative. If you have an innovation, you have to be the one getting it off the ground.
I loved this article and completely agree with the chart especially the inclusion of leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication. As I picture myself as a teacher these three skills are perpetually present in my lessons/teaching strategies.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that everybody should accommodate the skill set that is ingrained in a leader even if it is not always present. I plan on hosting a lot of group activity in my lessons with students alternating as "Team Leaders." This will give students the opportunity to build confidence, take initiative, and work as a team.
Communication is also necessary in the classroom. I'm studying to be an English/Lit teacher and I plan on my classroom being open forum most of the time (with structure of course). But I want to teach my students to voice their opinions, debate ideas, and respect the opinions of others and all of that comes with good communication skills.
Emotional intelligence is very close to my heart and I think it is something that students need to know how to monitor. If we are aware of our emotions, we have a better ability to manage through day to day life. Understanding what affects you and how is crucial to living a healthy life, and I believe it is something that should be discussed often especially in the secondary schools!
I believe education today is important not only for the sake of teaching the basics, but teaching students how to survive and prepare for their future no matter what path they choose.
It is true, students need more than reading,writing,and arithmetic to be successful in society today. Leadership,Digital Literacy, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Team-Work, Problem Solving, Global Citizenship, and Entrepreneurship are the eight skill students must have for the future beyond the 3 R's. Each of the skills will be beneficial to our students no matter the career path they take.As a future educator, I now have to make sure that these eight practices are incorporated into my daily instruction. Being that my content area is mathematics, I would use assign group work welcome to better their communication skills. There will be different leaders within the groups to enhance their leadership abilities. There are so many different ways to implement these practices and being a life long learner, I will strive to better help my students every semester.
ReplyDeleteThese 8 skills are very important to today's student. To be successful one must have more that just "book smarts." More and more college graduates are living at home because they do not have good communication and team skills. As a special ed teacher, I feel that it is so important to teach multiple skills to our students. Because these students are already challenged, we as educators need to help them thrive in these 8 additional areas so that they can be as independent as possible. Communication is the biggest skill that we strive to teach. The technology of the I Pad has made this much easier for today's challenged student. Team building is also important in special ed. These 8 skills are vital in the field of special education but, as we are learning, they are equally as important to all students.
ReplyDeleteLeadership, digital literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem solving, and team-solving are all important skills for teachers to create a well rounded student in the world today. In order to be prepared for life beyond P-12 grades these are all skills that need more consideration when developing lesson plans for the classroom. One way that teachers in a P-12 setting could implement these 8 skills would be through developing a required blog assignment by all students. This would allow students to communicate with each other while developing their problem solving skills, team-sovling skills, and their digital literacy skills. There are several other technological activities that can help develop these skills such as incorporating podcasts and virtual classrooms. Since all of these technological activities are done via internet it also allows the students global citizenship to grow by allowing them access to other students all over the world.
ReplyDeleteOne activity that could be done inside the classroom, for the develop of the students entrepreneurship, emotion intelligence, and leadership skills, would be a group project where the students come up with an invention. This would allow the students to brainstorm and communicate with each other while generating ideas. The students could create a mock business plan, and at the end of the assignment they would present their invention and business plan to the class. Each student would have an equal amount of talking time. This would also strengthen the students emotional intelligence because they would be working among their peers.
Though I do not take as much time as I should to reflect on going beyond "the 3r's" since I am a 1st grade teacher, I am reminded of the importance of these 8 traits by this article. With the way the world is today, I can not imagine a person who does not possess most of these 8 traits being very successful. The students I teach are 6 and 7 years old. They are little sponges, and I have got to do a great job of instilling these traits in them now. The ones I find most difficult to teach are communication and team work. Either the students want to be snappy and demeaning to one another or they do not give each other meaningful feedback. It takes a lot of scaffolding and modeling to get my kids where they need to be as far as this trait is concerned. Most students come per- wired with technology so that has become the easy one for this first grade teacher.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that we need to be mindful of all of these traits to adequately prepare for their futures.
I completely agree that each 8 of these skills are necessary in the 21st century, for both students and teachers. I like that the article stated that leadership is no longer one powerful individual directing others. It is about collaboration and working towards common goals. I think anyone who decides to participate in professional development or further their education by getting new degrees is considered a "leader," if they apply what they've learned and teach it to others. Next, there's no doubt technology is growing and will continue to grow. Staying up to date on these advancements and becoming digitally literate is important for today's society. I am all about the communication. Communication is what drives the rest of these skills. Without it, there would be no leadership, digital literacy, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, and problem-solving/teamwork. We all need to communicate and work together for these skills to be achieved by our students and future society. These skills are relatable and are hopefully going to become apart of everyday life before we know it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should consider these things for Teachers as well as students! You are dead on in saying that as we keep learning and passing it on and collaborate!
DeleteThe students we will be teaching need to know everything we were taught and then a WHOLE lot more. The world is a much different place than it was when we were in school. This article pointed out 8 skills that students must have for their futures: Leadership, Digital Literacy, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Team-Work, Problem Solving, Global Citizenship, and Entrepreneurship. Everyone of these skills will help our future students succeed and help them to reach the goals they dream of. Reading this article really made me realize how much I have to learn about technology in the classroom and incorporating it into lessons to ensure that my students are competent and able to use this same technology. As a science teacher, I feel it is my duty to inspire these students to become more interested in the STEM fields. Our country is in such need for people to fill these sorts of careers, and I believe it starts with our students. If we keep them interested in learning these subjects their lives and our lives will be better in the future because of all of the possibilities the STEM field has to offer.
ReplyDeleteThe students we will be teaching need to know everything we were taught and then a WHOLE lot more. The world is a much different place than it was when we were in school. This article pointed out 8 skills that students must have for their futures: Leadership, Digital Literacy, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Team-Work, Problem Solving, Global Citizenship, and Entrepreneurship. Everyone of these skills will help our future students succeed and help them to reach the goals they dream of. Reading this article really made me realize how much I have to learn about technology in the classroom and incorporating it into lessons to ensure that my students are competent and able to use this same technology. As a science teacher, I feel it is my duty to inspire these students to become more interested in the STEM fields. Our country is in such need for people to fill these sorts of careers, and I believe it starts with our students. If we keep them interested in learning these subjects their lives and our lives will be better in the future because of all of the possibilities the STEM field has to offer.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe the "3Rs" are essential tools of learning, these eight skills are also very important to know in order for students to become successful in their future. Leadership, digital Literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, team-work, problem solving, global citizenship, and entrepreneurship, are skills to become proficient in when pursuing a career. Once I become a health education teacher at the secondary level, I will certainly include these eight skills into my curriculum. Most importantly I will focus on the emotional intelligence skill, because a person's mental health is just as significant as a person's physical health. Students are interacting socially more and more through technology, and I want to teach my students how to properly socialize with their peers; avoiding bullying and fighting. Each one of these skills plays an important role in the new age of learning. It is crucial as secondary education teachers, we are preparing our students to not only succeed in higher education, but to become a strong employee in the work field.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great description for this article, "beyond the 3Rs- the new skills the world is looking for. That was alot said in only a few words. Me having a strong military backgroung and owning my own business there were two topics that really stood out to me. The first was Leadership, to me this means being able to provide purpose, direction and motivation. These three things are very essential to get things done in today's world. The second topic was entrepreneurship, being able to call something your own and make a living from it. This is the perfect time for people to invest in themselves. The internet and the 21st century learner will help make the once impossible-possible. The world can now be one big marketplace; something that was unheard of in the past.
ReplyDeleteI can see how each of these skills would be necessary to be successful in the workplace. They are the founding ideas behind Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards. The 3Rs will always be the guiding force that drives education, especially in the early years, such as Kindergarten. However, as the world has evolved so has the workforce. Today's and tomorrow's companies are searching for the "whole package." Students will definitely need to acquire these skills in order to be able to offer them as workers and continuous learners.
ReplyDeleteI believe businesses are looking for these 8 traits when hiring individuals. If we want our students to be prepared for the work force, we have to teach them how to utilize technology to collaborate with others, create and present projects, and to problem solve. I cannot think of any job that does not require some fort of digital literacy, even if that is simply knowing how to send emails.
ReplyDeleteIn 4th grade, I would change the fact that my classroom only receives 30 minutes in a computer lab a day. I do not even have an interactive board in my classroom. Each student needs access to a tablet or laptop the majority of the day. This is the only way we teachers will be able to successfully teach our students how to use the many programs and tools, create projects, collaborate with others, and become technology literate.
Each skill mentioned in this article is not only valuable, but also necessary for students to have to be successful in life in today’s fast-paced, diverse, and competitive society. In teaching Secondary Ed. ELA students, I think explicitly sharing the importance of having these skills with students is an effective approach. If students understand why or how what they are learning is relevant or important to them, they will be more likely to engage and strive to succeed in class.
ReplyDeletePersonally, if I know that if information I am learning or skills I am working on will continue to benefit me beyond the classroom or semester, I am more likely to really give 100% effort. I agree with Katie Lepi that the idea of focusing on the “3R’S” has long been surpassed. In my classroom, students will participate in collaborative learning/problem-solving situations regularly. By doing this, they can become competent leaders. Students will be taught communication skills and the importance of appreciating cultural/global diversity. Hopefully, literature will inspire them to hold entrepreneurial attitudes about life.
In today's world, we definitely need to make sure our students are proficient in these different areas. I am a journalism major, and many of those strengths that are needed were stressed to me while in undergrad.
ReplyDeleteI think as a teacher, the best thing I can do is promote team work and critical thinking. That's two different skills that can most easily be integrated into the current curriculum.
I agree with Katie Lepi 100%. I do believe that the basic R’s of education are the driving force, especially in younger grades, but I do not think that that is sufficient in today’s society. I believe that each of these eight skills require a higher level of thinking than just the humdrum exercises of reading, writing, and arithmetic. To engage students in this higher level of thinking is to better prepare them for the ever-advancing world in which we live.
ReplyDeleteIn my Spanish classroom, I definitely focus heavily on being a global citizen. Just with simply introducing students to a new language, it is already making them think outside of what they have known their entire lives. I think that this skill, along with the other seven will help broaden the minds of today’s students and help them to become a better contributing member of society.
I definitely agree that all eight skills are fundamental in a child's future success. As I glanced over each skill, I tried to think of at least one skill a child would not need in order to still have a bright and successful future, but neither one could be omitted (in my book). In addition to the 3R's of education, each of the eight skills mentioned are very important for building a successful life.
ReplyDeleteSpecific to your subject area and grade level, in what ways would you change your instructional and/or administrative practices to adapt to this reality?
As a Speech Language Pathologist, communication already plays a huge part in my teaching. I would definitely add various problem solving strategies to my lessons in order to increase the student's problem solving skills and being able to think on their own.
In recent years, the word has been changing quickly in terms of advancements in technology. For this reason, job requirements are constantly changing, and students need to be very flexible and constantly learning in order to be marketable in the workplace. Therefore, I believe although the 3 R's are just as important as ever, students must develop the 8 skills mentioned in this article. Really, these 8 skills boil down to being flexible and proactive, keeping up with new technology, working well collaboratively with others, and having good communication skills. Long gone are the days when employees work for one company for their entire career. The working world is constantly changing, and today's graduates will be working in a variety of jobs with different skill requirements throughout their careers. They will need to develop all 8 skills outlined in this article in order to remain competitive in the job marketplace.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not teaching right now, I hope that upon completion of my degree, I will teach special education elementary school students who have mild learning disabilities. Whether or not these students go to college, trade school, or go straight into the work force after high school graduation, these skills will prove valuable in their future jobs. In order to develop these skills with these students, I would like to have many small group based projects, where they work collaboratively, are required to do research over the internet to learn, and communicate through blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other digital technology.
I agree with the idea. To be successful in life, you do have to have a level of leadership qualities. To be more specific, you have to have self determination and discipline. We live in the digital age so digital literacy is very important. Also not letting your emotions cloud you judgement or interfere with your problem solving skills was a great point. Too many times, people allow their emotions get the better of them. Working in a middle school, I see that almost everyday. When your emotions get clouded, you are not able to communicate, problem solve, or do many of the other ideas on the chart. Citizenship, not only global but local also, is key for a society to move forward. If you lose that since of citizenship or duty, you lose focus on what is important as a society or a global community.
ReplyDeleteI work in middle school (6-8) PE. I get a chance to influence each student in the school on a daily bases. Its hard to you technologies in the class. We do teach and emphasis the importance of many of the topics discussed. We talk about citizenship, leadership, communication skills, team work, problem solving and having control of ones emotions. I feel that these are some of the most important skills one can obtain to be successful in life.
I agree with the idea. To be successful in life, you do have to have a level of leadership qualities. To be more specific, you have to have self determination and discipline. We live in the digital age so digital literacy is very important. Also not letting your emotions cloud you judgement or interfere with your problem solving skills was a great point. Too many times, people allow their emotions get the better of them. Working in a middle school, I see that almost everyday. When your emotions get clouded, you are not able to communicate, problem solve, or do many of the other ideas on the chart. Citizenship, not only global but local also, is key for a society to move forward. If you lose that since of citizenship or duty, you lose focus on what is important as a society or a global community.
ReplyDeleteI work in middle school (6-8) PE. I get a chance to influence each student in the school on a daily bases. Its hard to you technologies in the class. We do teach and emphasis the importance of many of the topics discussed. We talk about citizenship, leadership, communication skills, team work, problem solving and having control of ones emotions. I feel that these are some of the most important skills one can obtain to be successful in life.
Our world is constantly expanding, and now people have access to more information in the past five years than more that had ever been created throughout history. Managing that information is crucial; therefore, companies are now hiring young career minded people who are adapted to new technologies. This new way of working also has led to more collaboration. Therefore, working in a diverse team and being able to take leadership is crucial for students if they want to succeed in the real world.
ReplyDeleteAs far as developing these skills in the classroom in Social Studies. I would develop group projects that would delegate certain tasks to the students so they could develop collaborative and leadership skills. Giving the students a little lead way to be free to explore certain aspects about a topic will allow for emotional intel, while exploring and understanding different cultures allows for global citizenship and communication.
Our world is constantly expanding, and now people have access to more information in the past five years than more that had ever been created throughout history. Managing that information is crucial; therefore, companies are now hiring young career minded people who are adapted to new technologies. This new way of working also has led to more collaboration. Therefore, working in a diverse team and being able to take leadership is crucial for students if they want to succeed in the real world.
ReplyDeleteAs far as developing these skills in the classroom in Social Studies. I would develop group projects that would delegate certain tasks to the students so they could develop collaborative and leadership skills. Giving the students a little lead way to be free to explore certain aspects about a topic will allow for emotional intel, while exploring and understanding different cultures allows for global citizenship and communication.
Although the 3 R's (reading, writing, and arithmetic) are still very important skills for students to acquire, the 8 skills listed in the article are becoming increasingly important for students to obtain in order to be successful in school, the workforce, and in life overall. With the expanding technological advances taking place in our world, it is important for students to possess skills such as leadership, digital literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem-solving, and team-working.
ReplyDeleteAs the English Language Arts teacher at my elementary school, I provide students the opportunity to utilize technology during each school day. Our 3rd-5th grade students will be taking the ACT Aspire assessment in April & May and will be required to take the assessment on a computer. They will be required to type their answers to open-ended response questions in a timed setting. It is very important to make sure that our students are familiar with using computers/keyboards. Our students utilize various educational programs for both reading and math throughout the school day, as well as Microsoft Office programs. The skills of communication, problem solving, and team-working are reinforced by teachers throughout their lessons. I have observed various mathematics lessons this school year to look for student engagement. Students are grouped to work collaboratively and to problem-solve together.
As a Pre-K teacher I was specifically drawn to emotional intelligence as well as problem solving and team working. That is the meat of what we really teach in a Pre-K setting. The powers that be have made it so that you don't have to time to focus on those skills in a K-12 setting so I am so glad that we have Pre-K to really teach those skills. I have examined studies that followed children not involved in Pre-K, children who went to nursery school Pre-k and students who went to high scope Pre-k which is very hands on and discovery based in nature. It followed them as they went through grade school, college and then the early years of young-adulthood after college. The astounding difference was not in education levels or academic performance. The difference was in overall quality of life. The students who were in the high-scope curriculum in Pre-K had higher rates of registered voters and volunteer workers. The High Scope participants were less likely to be arrested, more of them owned their own homes and had lower rates of people who smoked and drinked (just to name a few of the effects). I firmly believe it is because they had direct instruction in these skills that this researchers believes students need to be successful.
ReplyDeleteI plan to keep doing what I have been trained to do as a Pre-K teacher and watch as these students grow into successful adults with these skills firmly embedded in them. :)
In today's society, we, as educators, must prepare our students for the future in ways unlike in previous generations. We must equip our students with the ability to problem solve, lead teams and work in teams, be actively involved in society, be able to handle situations emotionally, and be technologically literate. This may seem like an impossible task, but with the proper steps and preparedness, we will be able to prepare our students for the future. Students carry information and skills that they learn throughout the school year onto the next school year. Imagine how well prepared the students would be for adult life if every teacher taught the above skills. My hopes as an educator are to prepare my students in the most productive way and ensure that they have learned all of the correct skills they need to become successful adults. I agree that students need to learn the above 8 skills, along with even more! I am prepared and excited to take on this task. Are you?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, that seems like a lot of skills! Although, ideal, I do not think every person will be required to have every one of these skill sets to perform a job task or strengthen a company. Not everyone will be or need to be an entrepreneur or a global citizen. Globally aware? Yes, maybe but not even necessary to be successful in certain fields. One could also question leadership as a necessary trait. Not everyone needs to be a leader. Do they need integrity, yes, but leadership is debatable in my opinion. Digital literacy, communication skills, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and problem solving seem more in line with reasonable and practical skill sets that today's students need to succeed in the real world.
ReplyDeleteIn the early childhood realm of education, we can adapt to many of these ideals. Digital literacy is already being taught Kindergarten levels. We just need to make sure the teachers are properly trained and updated with new technology and have the resources available to them to teach children with a variety of technologies. Communication and emotional intelligence are key traits to adapt and work on in the early years. By helping form a classroom that is respectful to student and teacher and community, the teacher can have a lot of influence on this aspect of a child's life. Teamwork, leadership, and problem solving are also key goals that teachers can model and teach, by sharing ideas with other teachers. Students will become global citizens through the teachings and technologies and history that will mold them to think beyond their scope. I think all of these will be touched on in an early classroom that has efficient and caring classroom management and a creative teacher team.
ReplyDeleteAs a secondary math teacher to be next year, I think the digital fluency and problem-solving skills are most important in my future math classroom. First, we can not separate digital life and real life since we are forced to do many chores online such as paying bills, applying for jobs. Many companies offer online options for their customer so we have no options but to adapt. Smart phones and tablets are not only for study or entertainment, they are great tools for learning math as well. We can find many math graphing tools online but how to use the to solve math problems takes time. Students learn to solve math problems in math classes, they can learn to solve life problems by using internet such as Google or Youtube. I have learned a lot from youtube cooking or crafting skills shared by other users. Blogspot is a good place for use to share ideas and skills too.
ReplyDeleteI
Using technology to teach students is extremely important in this tech-everything age. Some of us have taken up the torch and learned either through coursework or trial and error. If federal, state, and local higher ups insist upon technology being forefront in our lessons, they need to cough up some funding. Teachers either do not have the financial means to sign up for coursework or do not have the extra time. Something as important as using technology to assist students in becoming global learners, funds for workshops AND substitutes must be provided. As far as my classroom, I have been using several strategies to promote leadership and emotional intelligence for years. I feel it is my responsibility to help students become well-rounded, effective communicators and leaders, and I will continue to do so. I can, however, incorporate much more technology into the classroom. As a former music instructor, technology was great but I spent the majority of my time in rehearsals. Now that I'm transitioning into general elementary education, there are tons of opportunities to incorporate tech with collaboration. Even 3rd graders can get involved as that is the grade I most wish to teach
ReplyDeleteUsing technology to teach students is extremely important in this tech-everything age. Some of us have taken up the torch and learned either through coursework or trial and error. If federal, state, and local higher ups insist upon technology being forefront in our lessons, they need to cough up some funding. Teachers either do not have the financial means to sign up for coursework or do not have the extra time. Something as important as using technology to assist students in becoming global learners, funds for workshops AND substitutes must be provided. As far as my classroom, I have been using several strategies to promote leadership and emotional intelligence for years. I feel it is my responsibility to help students become well-rounded, effective communicators and leaders, and I will continue to do so. I can, however, incorporate much more technology into the classroom. As a former music instructor, technology was great but I spent the majority of my time in rehearsals. Now that I'm transitioning into general elementary education, there are tons of opportunities to incorporate tech with collaboration. Even 3rd graders can get involved as that is the grade I most wish to teach
ReplyDeleteIn today's society, these are definitely eight skills that students need in order to succeed in their future. Since so much has changed regarding digital technology in the last ten years, we have to incorporate the changes into our classrooms. We can no longer have technology free classrooms. We have to support our students by doing the best we can for them by incorporating more technology into our lessons. Communication is another key to helping our students succeed. We can use the technology in classrooms, but we cannot lose talking and interacting with our students face to face. They have to be able to effectively communicate with each other and the teacher without using technology. I believe that problem solving, team work, and leadership go hand in hand. We don't always have to be the leader to show leadership. If we work together, communicate, use each others strengths, everyone can show leadership and work together to problem solve.
ReplyDeleteKatie Lepi presents great information regarding the 8 skills students will require for their future. I personally believe that all eight skills can be incorporated into the class room today but with a price. For instance, the author makes note of the ability to promote digital literacy with students to locate, review, utilize and create new information. While those objectives are extremely relative and beneficial in the 21st Century, it is imperative to note how important it is to train student’s teachers to present such tools properly. Oftentimes many obstacles are presented to educators one that it worth addressing is the outdated technology features. Like every era of education, in 2016, it is time to update and refresh what we consider is digital literacy. Additionally, like the author notes, because of so many technological advances, teachers are oftentimes the student, learning new devices and media outlets which serve the classroom. In terms of the Social Studies, it is imperative to ensure that all 8 skills are incorporated. Going along with the digital literacy skill, middle school Social Studies courses must continue to challenge the use and functionality of technology in our content. More than ever primary sources, artifacts and test prep are presented in great detail on the web. However, all of the mention amenities are of no value if students, teachers and the partners of education cannot convey our content in the with the digital world, more specifically, the digital world for middle school content area. One way that instructional practices could adapt to the skill is by incorporating tech devices within lectures and reviews of content. Although cell phone, iPads, etc. can be a distraction to middle school students, they could intrigue students to think further than handwritten notes or a textbook for that matter. This is just one example of how digital literacy can be advance, I am confident there are other ways as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this article presents a great idea. The way of the world is changing, and I believe that the direction of the world and workplace definitely requires educators to focus beyond the 3r's of reading writing, and arithmetic. Technology is driving the workforce today and we must adapt and look at these 8 skills presented in order to examine if we are indeed preparing our students for success later in life. I believe I would be able to incorporate these skills into my classroom by using several forms of technology we have studied. Google Docs would be a great feature to introduce that would allow my students to collaborate on a group project. Google Docs would introduce the digital literacy and communication tools that the article mentions.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this article presents a great idea. The way of the world is changing, and I believe that the direction of the world and workplace definitely requires educators to focus beyond the 3r's of reading writing, and arithmetic. Technology is driving the workforce today and we must adapt and look at these 8 skills presented in order to examine if we are indeed preparing our students for success later in life. I believe I would be able to incorporate these skills into my classroom by using several forms of technology we have studied. Google Docs would be a great feature to introduce that would allow my students to collaborate on a group project. Google Docs would introduce the digital literacy and communication tools that the article mentions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kati Lepi that students will need these 8 skills in order to be successful in the global market. The world revolves around technology. It is needed in almost every aspect of human life. It is a good idea to teach our students these skills now, while they are young and their minds are like sponges. Times are constantly changing, as teachers, we must learn to change our methods of instruction with the time. We need students to learn to be leaders because they are the next generation. Students need to be able to work with others as a team, as well as live in this world actively with others. As a special education teacher, I can change my instructional practices by incorporating technology in my lessons and activities. I can also assign more group activities to encourage team-work. Students can participate in group discussions to build upon communication skills.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kait Lepi mentions is absolutely correct. Of course writing, reading, and arithmetic are all important but as teachers we need to do more. I do think teachers have been doing more for a long time, it only was never acknowledged. One of the 8 skills really stood out to me. That was emotional intelligence. I think it is important to lead students in realizing their own emotions and what they mean, to other classmates and friends. Throughout the day I feel I am helping kids understand the point of view from another students and why they feel that way. This is in a 4th grade class and I think they are old enough to start understanding it's not all about them and realize the emotions of others.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this article and could not agree with Kait Lepi more. For years, education has been steadily moving away from skill and drill instruction and toward a more holistic approach focusing on teaching students "soft skills" as well as academic content. In Mobile County, we have adopted the First Class PreK guidelines which focus on student play and encouraging social-emotional development. This is the second year I've been in a First Class classroom and I have seen that it helps students learn at least 5 of the 8 skills outlined in the article: leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, problem solving, and team-working.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this article. I could not agree more that students need these 8 skills to succeed. The qualities that stuck out to me most were: team work, communication, and digital literacy. These skills are crucial to learn. A good activity to learn all these skills would be a Popplet project. Popplet is an app you can download on a classroom ipad. With this project students will learn team work skills, communication skills, and it will enhance their digital literacy skills.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this article. I could not agree more that students need these 8 skills to succeed. The qualities that stuck out to me most were: team work, communication, and digital literacy. These skills are crucial to learn. A good activity to learn all these skills would be a Popplet project. Popplet is an app you can download on a classroom ipad. With this project students will learn team work skills, communication skills, and it will enhance their digital literacy skills.
ReplyDeleteThe article was very informative. The trait that stuck out to me was emotional intelligence. I understand that this has become a very important tool in today's worlds. It is ideal to be as empathetic as possible when communicating with others. I think this resource takes time to develop, and is very resourceful when used appropriately. In regards to emotional intelligence and my content area, science. I think it is important to point out the importance regarding emotional intelligence using psychology and sociology as connections for students to make. I think team projects regarding how people interact empathetically would stimulate this skill.
ReplyDeleteAll 8 of these skills are of utmost importance as an adult. My classroom is based on problem solving and team work. It is obvious the ones who try and those who do not. I often explain to my students that they use algebra everyday without even realizing it. Algebra teaches us how to solve problems, and gives us a method to do so.
ReplyDeleteAll of these skills are extremely vital in order to be able to adapt to everyday life. I teach preschool and even though my students are as young as they are, I incorporate problem-solving along with teamwork daily. I constantly tell them that we are a team and I also give them ownership of the classroom by saying that 'this' or 'that' is "ours". Once they hear that they actually have ownership of something, they will begin to act the part. Problem-solving is also a big part that I constantly expose them to. Any and everything that we do or discuss, I make them critically think about.
ReplyDeleteAll of these skills are extremely vital in order to be able to adapt to everyday life. I teach preschool and even though my students are as young as they are, I incorporate problem-solving along with teamwork daily. I constantly tell them that we are a team and I also give them ownership of the classroom by saying that 'this' or 'that' is "ours". Once they hear that they actually have ownership of something, they will begin to act the part. Problem-solving is also a big part that I constantly expose them to. Any and everything that we do or discuss, I make them critically think about.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is true that we should try to introduce students to these areas, but I am not sure they need to learn all of them. Some people are not designed to be leaders, and many people are not suited to be entrepreneurs. The skills of teamwork and problem solving are needed by everyone, and a need to understand the global economy is a new factor for students as well. I just disagree with the idea that we should force students into thinking they should want to be entrepreneurs and leaders when it is not what they want. I know people will say they don't HAVE to be entrepreneurs, but the impression that they should want this will be there.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is true that we should try to introduce students to these areas, but I am not sure they need to learn all of them. Some people are not designed to be leaders, and many people are not suited to be entrepreneurs. The skills of teamwork and problem solving are needed by everyone, and a need to understand the global economy is a new factor for students as well. I just disagree with the idea that we should force students into thinking they should want to be entrepreneurs and leaders when it is not what they want. I know people will say they don't HAVE to be entrepreneurs, but the impression that they should want this will be there.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great list of soft/transferable skills that would be beneficial to everyone. Having these skills would definitely set students a part and even above others in the global economy. As a way to incorporate this into instruction with my GED students, I would expose them to it in different ways. Introducing them to things is easy, getting them to apply it is hard. In the past I always ease it on them, monitoring their ability to showcase the skill, and then ask them to do it bluntly therefore when they say they can't do it I already have the proof that they can.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there is merit to her ideas. All those skills are important to student development and we should be looking beyond just academic skills in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI taught behaviorally disordered students and I tried to incorporate team building activities to foster leadership and citizenship among the group. I was utilizing some of the skills noted and could see how beneficial incorporating the other skills would be, in particular, digital literacy.
I think the article brings up some very good points. I think that teachers do have to be lifelong learners in the field of technology, regardless of the grade they teach. Technology is growing at such a fast pace. I also like the point about team-working. Employers look for employees who are able to work well with others and I think students who learn to work with others to accomplish a common goal will have a leg-up.
ReplyDeleteI am not currently a teacher, but I plan to teach in an elementary school and all eight of the skills listed in this article would be relevant to elementary students.
I definitely agree that these eight skills are crucial to teach our students. Of course the 3 R's are, and will continue to be, very important; however, education, and the world in general, are ever changing. These skills are crucial to have if you want to be able to adapt to all of the changes that occur and if you want to be able to function in today's society. Digital literacy is one skill that has become more and more relevant as years have passed. While some (usually older) teachers are not even aware of all of the ways technology can be utilized, it is so vital that we begin to steer students toward digital literacy at an early age. I am certified to teach K-6, but hope to teach a lower grade level (K-2). When I begin teaching, I definitely plan to use technology and teach my students about technology as much as possible. They definitely need to be eased into using it, but it will be well worth it for them to gain these skills early on. I also plan to focus a lot on problem solving and team-working in my classroom. These two skills are also crucial to begin teaching students as early as possible. While these three skills will be my main focus as a lower grade level teacher, I definitely see the importance of all eight skills, and will work hard to instill them all in my students.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the article provides some valid points on what students will need to become successful in life. We should embrace the ideas, especially with the new diverse levels of skills needed in today's society. The 3'Rs are very important but with every changing society of the new norm we must meet each student's need and foster from there to bridge the gaps of a more productive level of skills.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I would continue to teach the 3’Rs but will definitely incorporate them more with technology. I would use technology as often as possible in each subject because we have shifted to a more tech world that requires a deeper understanding of the 3’Rs in society. I plan to continue to focus on communication and problem solving because they are important skills that all students must obtain to become successful in the every changing society. They must be able to communicate with the peers to accomplish the task at hand and be able to solve any problems that might arise throughout the assignment which will help them in the future as they take on more responsibilities in the real world. They must be able to effectively communicate with others in a way that the given task gets properly attended to and accurately solved.
I could definitely relate to this article. As mentioned in the article, the aforementioned points are valid in that students need these as they go through school, getting a job, and life. I currently teach Kindergarten and I can tell that there are some areas I focus on more so than others. For example, I tend to lean more on the communication side of things as well as team working and problem solving. I feel that these are such important components to becoming lifelong learners. I do feel that there are other areas that could definitely be used in the kindergarten classroom. Because technology is rapidly changing and being used more and more, I would like to consider donating more of our time to that component. I also would like to begin using emotional intelligence more in my classroom. We can all use further instruction and practice in this area so why not start in Kindergarten?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this article because I think a lot of times these 8 skills are overlooked. I do think the three R's are important, but what good are those if you don't have the others? If you can't communicate properly or problem solve, it would be extremely difficult to get a proper job. We have to be able to work in groups, control our emotions and have digital literacy in todays changing world. When it comes to my teaching, I feel like I already taught these 8 skills throughout the day with not even noticing it. I would try to do more group work, lessons with technology, and speaking presentations. In these, I would continue to teach students to these skills so they can be ready for the future.
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ReplyDeleteEach of the eight skills mentioned: leadership, digital literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem solving, and teamwork; all speak to skills each student should develop to be successful in any career. Any high school student that develops a majority of these skills will do well in college.
ReplyDeleteWith our present day education system, K-12, these eight skills listed are to be developed through all curriculum throughout the child's years in education. A large part of what we do in mathematics deals with problem-solving; however, many math classrooms focus on applications of methods, not analyzing situations and determining true problem solving. It is urgent that all math teachers challenge students in mathematics through solving problems in a variety of situations, including mostly word problems. Many of the other skills mentioned depend on how the teacher designs the classroom. Is the teacher the only source of information or are students tasked to own the course objectives by evaluating and synthesizing information in groups?
The modern work force is a much different place than the one I entered many, many years ago. The new workforce entering the job market is very different as well. I agree with the article that jobs now include requirements as those listed. Schools are now under obligation to provide students with the ability to compete and participate in this new age of careers. I think schools have made great strides in stepping up to provide students the opportunity to develop some of these needed skills. Thinking of my role in educating the future, I think in second grade we work on communication skills, digital literacy, problem solving, and team-working on a daily basis. I do think the upper level schools are still a far distance from being able to prepare students with these skills. If the opportunity was there, I would invest many more funds into digital literacy and team building opportunities. I think we need to begin by recognizing the other mentioned skills are as important as learning the 3R's. Sometimes digital literacy is seen as a top priority when students need to learn how to interact with others and problem solve as well.
ReplyDeleteI think these are all appropriate and important skills to be teaching students in today's society. In the time I have spent in schools, I have seen the concept of teamwork and problem-solving implemented much more by using collaborative learning techniques. There has also been a big emphasis (and rightfully so) on digital literacy, with all of the constant improvements in technology. In my role as an elementary special education teacher in the future, communication and emotional intelligence will be crucial skills to incorporate. Depending on the level of the disability, technology could be extremely beneficial to my students. The article has a link to the essential uses on an iPad, which are readily available in most school environments.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the majority of points listed in this article. All 8 skills should be highlighted and more importantly there are many great ways to help students develop these skills in an interactive way. As K. Bedsore mentioned I do think that the emphasis on digital literacy is easy to see in the classroom. Each student in the 6th grade classroom that I am observing has their own Chrome Book. Every morning the students grab their computers and are responsible for bringing them to all the different classes the attend. The computers never leave the school campus. I love seeing students using Google Docs to share their science reports with the teacher! The one downfall that I have noticed is that the way students in this particular classroom utilize the computer is in a relatively individual fashion. Besides sharing information with their teacher I have seen very little interaction. Students often sit at their desk, use their headphones, and complete their individualized work. Although I believe it is a step in the right direction, I would like the teacher to step of side of her comfort zone and allow students to create wikis, blogs, movies, etc that allow for further interaction.
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ReplyDeleteI do agree that in the ever changing and accelerating world we must learn to adapt and be prepared to expand our range of learning and teaching. However, I do still believe that reading, writing, and arithmetic are at the core of our skills needed. Without some level of proficiency in these would these 8 even be possible? With that being said, I do think that educators should begin working to become proficient in these skills in order to incorporate them into their classroom and learning environment. Children are capable of so much more than we let them do sometimes so by incorporating these extra skills we are fostering and growing those capabilities. I plan to teach severe and profound disabilities at an elementary age level so my options of incorporating these skills into my everyday instructing may not be simple, but it is possible. However, it might not be every skill every day. Right from the top of my head I can think of ways to incorporate the leadership, digital literacy, and team-working skills into our daily activities. For example, each student will begin the year with the understanding that the classroom is a place full of opportunity for hard-work, respect, and growth. The leadership skills plays major part in each of those things. Each student will have a leadership role within the classroom whether it be environmentalist (keeping the classroom in order and clean), patriotic pal (leading us in the pledge of allegiance and school motto), or technology trainer (passing out, picking up, charging, and assisting with the classroom tech tools). These are just a few of the leadership roles our classroom will have and they will change every 9 weeks so students have opportunities to learn various jobs and skills.
ReplyDeleteWe are in a society that is advancing in technology quickly, and it is important to teach students skills such as global citizenship while they are in school. If they do not learn it early they will be left behind in society. Most jobs do require some type of technology background to be considered for hiring. In mathematics, by default, problem solving is used throughout the subject field.I can educate students on digital literacy by assigning projects and homework that requires my students to use technology. Communication and teamwork can be implemented by allowing my students to sit in groups in class and have them discuss examples I teach during the lesson. I can talk about the employment applications that use math often to give students ideas of entrepreneurship. These are just a few examples of how I can use some of the 8 skills that students must have other than the three R's, but techniques in teaching these skills are endless.
ReplyDeleteWhile the "3Rs" used to be the main focus skills needed for students to be successful in school, the 8 skills mentioned above are needed for school and life. The skills that stand out the most that would be needed, and easily taught to students would be digital literacy, problem solving, communication, and team-working. These stand out the most to me since you will need those skills in any parts of life, as well as school. Global citizenship coincides with team working and communication in my opinion, but just as important. Students need to learn about the different kinds of cultures and that we all have to work together for the common good. Emotional intelligence is a hard concept to teach to students, but necessary for a professor to have so that we can get a feel for our students and act accordingly to how their emotional state is. Leadership skills are needed by a teacher, and for certain situations for students. Honestly, the entrepreneurship would be the hardest skill to teach in the classroom, and to accomplish by the teacher also.
ReplyDeleteFor my grade level, 9th grade Geometry class most of the skills would be used in everyday classroom. Communication and problem solving is what math is all about, seeing a problem and talking out what the correct steps would be. Team-working is used when students are put into groups, leadership is also seen in a groups format since one student usually stands out and helps the rest of the group. Digital Literacy is necessary in this day in age for teachers to teach the class and students to find information about a subject or use it for a project assigned. Emotional intelligence is a hard concept for student to understand, but they can naturally develop it from being around students and understanding why they feel the way they do. Emotional Intelligence makes global citizenship and communication work all in one, and necessary for a student to be respectful to their other classmates. Entrepreneurship could come into play in the classroom by letting students come up with their own ideas for projects or classwork and working out the kinks in the process to present it to the classroom or a teacher.
After reading this article I agree that these 8 ideas need to be incorporated in the classroom. Being a teacher requires you to always being learning and keeping up with the latest techniques and skills. Technology is advancing every day and it can be such an asset to a classroom if used properly. Many teachers downfall is that they do not use the tools so easily accessible to them. Technology can make the teacher and students life so much easier. Since I am not a teacher yet I cannot say how I am incorporating these eight ideas into my classroom but I plan to teach high school and these ideas are critical in whether or not a student will succeed. If students acquire these characteristics I think they will go on to lead excellent lives.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this article has focused in on some of the emerging skills that are students will need to succeed in this ever changing, technology driven global community. In addition to the traditional 3Rs, several of these skills are already being incorporated in non-traditional education settings and I can see where I would implement them in my classroom as well.
ReplyDeleteFor 9th Grade Science, so many topics are represented digitally in the public domain. There are engaging videos about everything from DNA replication to the human digestive tract! As more schools begin to allow, and in fact incorporate, digital devices into their instruction, these tools will become part of traditional instruction. I have also seen a trend in small group projects which fosters collaboration and peer-to-peer tutoring. These instructional techniques allow students to develop leadership skills and communication skills. In addition, having to work in a group setting, the students will have to improve their emotional intelligence to be successful. This kind of activity also forces students to learn tolerance of others idea and contributions which will hopefully lead to an openness that will allow them to be better global citizens. I look forward to trying to develop many of these skills in my students.
I think that all 8 concepts explored in the article are relevant and needed in todays teaching and learning environments. I think that a good leader is needed and that a good leader possesses most of the explained attribute. If that leader does not possess said traits, I do not think it would be problematic to cite these shortcomings and teach the needed skills. Digital Literacy and Entrepreneurship are the areas I feel I am lacking in and need some type of career development to improve these areas.
ReplyDeleteI after reading about the eight skills, I got the feeling we were comparing apples to oranges; yes, students need these eight skills to get a job and function in the world. Theoretically, the three R's will be needed for them to learn these skills. You can't be digitally literate unless you are able to read and write. YOu can't work on a team project for a company unless you understand math. Many of the clues for problem solving come from reading or math. I do agree that we need to teach these skills. Of course, children need to learn these skills before they enter "the real world." I simply believe that the 3 R's are basics needed before you can learn all of the other skills properly. No one will follow a leader today who doesn't have those three skills. I guess my point is that yes, we need to teach those eight skills, but don't forget that they are built upon the other three skills, and can't be learned until students have a grasp of those three.
ReplyDeleteI think the 8 concepts presented in Lepi's article are fundamentally important for adolescent and young adult development. But I believe incorporating the concepts with the three R's is the best chance that we have as teachers to help students outside of the classroom. Developing leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, team-working and problem-solving skills are essential to success, regardless of your career path. Digital literacy is essential to function anywhere in today's society. Between smart phones, social media, and the online surge of job application processes, you have to be able to operate basic functions on most computers just to survive in most jobs. It would be wonderful to have the education system reworked to be more inclusive of the 8 skills.
ReplyDeleteIn a high school English class, it would be simple to focus on communication and entrepreneurship, by expanding vocabulary and learning to communicate and express themselves through writing. I could use digital literacy and global citizenship to let students discover writing from other countries, similarly to the way we used the blogger website in EDM310 to collaborate with classes from across the world. Leadership,problem-solving, and team-work could be incorporated with grammar, and punctuation challenges. Finally, emotional intelligence should be focused on at all times.
The 8 concepts presented above are key to being successful in the workplace and in life. I feel that these things need to be incorporated into the classroom around middle and high school. They should be introduced in middle school, and focused on more intensely in high school. However, teachers cannot forget the 3 R's. Both of these are needed to make successful adults.
ReplyDeleteIn a high school science class, it would be easy and fun to incorporate the 8 concepts into my classroom. One simple way would be through team-based learning. I also could use technology to interpret and communicate information.
I absolutely support the encouragement of teachers to encourage the development of these 8 skills in their students. The 3 R's are a wonderful foundation for students, but skills such as communication and emotional intelligence are so critical to success. I think that entrepreneurship would be the most challenging skill to instill into pupils.
ReplyDeleteAs a high school human geography teacher, I could encourage team building skills via group projects. These projects also encourage communication and emotional intelligence to grow in students.