I believe it's a good practice to look at all sides of an issue before making a decision. Once a decision is reached, the course of action becomes clearer. It also becomes easier to expend the effort and time needed to make the changes that will result in a positive outcome. A long time ago I sold vacuum cleaners. I learned quickly that it's hard to sell something you don't believe in. We, as educators, need to believe in what we're doing when it comes to the future of our children.
We've seen many education trends come and go through the years. Each trend leaves it's fingerprint on the art of pedagogy. Is the talk about 21st century skills just "a pipe dream whose literature should be tossed in the trash."(
Jay Matthews, Washington Post) or is it "a very serious, very real, and incredibly important action initiative that must be examined and processed by every educator because - like it or not - our profession is being redesigned by the nation's need for a workforce that epitomizes the 21st century skills." (
Beth Holmes, 21st Centurion)?
Read both articles and make your decision. Our children's future depends on educators who can recognize what is needed for the 21st century.
