Teaching & Assessing 21st Century Skills

As the 21st century unfolds, the pace of change in the world is accelerating while education in the United States remains stagnant or, at best, progresses in isolated pockets. Concern over the effects of an inadequate education system on the nation s economy and innovative potential is growing, and it seems a crisis point is near when the negative aspects of the education system will outweigh the benefits. The consequences of a poorly educated population would be dire, and in order to correct this trajectory, every level of the education system will have to undergo massive changes. Teachers and administrators must lead this cultural shift, which is perhaps as important and massive as the industrial revolution. In Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Skills the authors present a model of instruction and assessment based on a combination of cognitive skills (skills students will need to succeed academically) and conative skills (skills students will need to succeed interpersonally) necessary for the 21st century. Specifically, this book addresses three cognitive skills (analyzing and utilizing information, addressing complex problems and issues, and creating patterns and mental models) and two conative skills (understanding and controlling oneself and understanding and interacting with others). The authors believe both cognitive and conative skills will be vital to the success of all citizens living and working in the highly varied and quickly changing knowledge economy of the 21st century. Part of The Classroom Strategies Series, this clear, highly practical guide follows the series format, first summarizing key research and then translating it into recommendations for classroom practice. In addition to the explanations and examples of strategies, each chapter includes helpful comprehension questions to reinforce the reader s understanding of the content to create both short- and long-term strategies for teaching and assessing 21st century skills.