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21st Century Skills
Rethinking How Students Learn

21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn is the fifth book in the Leading Edge™ series. The Leading Edge series unites education authorities from around the globe and asks them to confront the important issues that affect teachers and administrators—the issues that profoundly impact student success. The experts contributing to this anthology do not prescribe one method to transact change. They embrace the mission, trusting that teachers and administrators—the true change leaders—will venture to the Leading Edge to embrace the challenges and opportunities that will guarantee the success of their students.

21st Century Skills examines a daunting challenge today's educators face: how to equip students with the skills to succeed in the 21st century. Many critics oppose the idea of teaching 21st century skills on the grounds that emphasizing skills such as critical thinking and problem solving will erode the teaching of important content. The contributors to this volume contend that both knowledge and skills are needed, and they are interdependent. The authors of this book know from experience that effective teaching involves having students use skills to acquire knowledge.

21st Century Skills introduces the 21st century skills movement, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The chapters seek to flesh out the vision established by the Partnership by identifying key issues that contribute to the dialogue. The contributors explore three overarching questions:
  1. Why are the skills listed in the Framework for 21st Century Learning needed for learning in the future?
  2. Which skills are most important?
  3. What can be done to help schools include these skills in their repertoire so that 21st century learning results?
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword: 21st Century Skills: Why They Matter, What They Are, and How We Get There
Introduction
Chapter 1: Five Minds for the Future
Chapter 2: New Policies for 21st Century Demands
Chapter 3: Comparing Frameworks for 21st Century Skills
Chapter 4: The Role of Professional Learning Communities in Advancing 21st Century Skills
Chapter 5: The Singapore Vision: Teach Less, Learn More
Chapter 6: Designing New Learning Environments to Support 21st Century Skills
Chapter 7: An Implementation Framework to Support 21st Century Skills
Chapter 8: Problem-Based Learning: The Foundation for 21st Century Skills
Chapter 9: Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution: Essential 21st Century Skills
Chapter 10: Preparing Students for Mastery of 21st Century Skills
Chapter 11: Innovation Through Technology
Chapter 12: Technology Rich, Information Poor
Chapter 13: Navigating Social Networks as Learning Tools
Chapter 14: A Framework for Assessing 21st Century Skills
Afterword: Leadership, Change, and Beyond the 21st Century Skills Agenda

ABOUT THE EDITORS
James Bellanca
James Bellanca
Ron Brandt
Ron Brandt