P21: Partnership for 21st Century Learning

Saludos,

This week's topic is P21 or the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. If you haven't heard of P21 and you have a role in preparing people for a future in the 21st Century I recommend you take a look at their website: http://www.p21.org/

Essentially, P21 is a coalition of educational experts, business leaders, and educators who have united for the purpose of leading a movement of innovation in our educational system.  Their stated mission is "to build collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders so that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops".

The P21 Framework visually depicts the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the 21st century. Notice that I said skills and knowledge, not either or. It also displays circular rings which  represent the support systems which must be in place to realistically prepare people for their future. That is where we in education have a roll to play. In order for the mission to be accomplished as stated, the support systems must have the end game in mind.

In higher education we often talk about preparing people for the 21st century but I wonder if we fully comprehend what that means and what it would entail. We acknowledge the need to prepare people for the 21st century, but I have seen little evidence that we fully embrace the concept in its totality. If we are committed to the belief that our students will need in depth knowledge and skills to optimize their potential in a world whose only constant is change then every institution and educator must employ the 4 Cs of this model. We have to willingly embrace change, collaborate across disciplines to create innovative learning experiences that cause our students, as well as, ourselves to thinking critically. The education that is needed isn't divided into disciplines, departments, and schools. It is one that joins not separates and pushes for innovation not stagnation. 

I can imagine a Community College in which the teachers are divided into teams and each team is made up of faculty from the Social Sciences, Humanities, and STEM Divisions. The teams work in unison to design real world learning experiences that model problem-solving and collaboration. The archaic model of stove-piped disciplines goes away and it is replaced by faculty promoting one another's disciplines for the sake of creating the most worthwhile learning opportunities possible.

Some will argue that the P21 model is designed for the K-12 world. I disagree, I see it as a model for learning at all levels of formal education and beyond. I say this because the outcomes of this model are the skills we apply in the workforce and in our homes. We need these skills to manage the change that is coming to our environment, our classrooms, our offices, and our homes. 

I see preparing people for the 21st century as a necessary mandate. My roll, being one educator in this vast system, is to understand the 21st century skills, continue to prepare myself , evaluate my current practices and be willing to let go of what doesn't get the needed results. I have to be willing to work  across disciplines and borders to model collaboration and risk-taking. I have to experiment with new technologies and strategies. I have to do this for the sake of my students and our future.