21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times

21st Century Skills by James Bellanca, Ron Brandt (eds.) presents the model of the skills that are seen as necessary for students in the 21st century developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), an organization that was founded in 2003 to serve as “a catalyst to infuse 21st century skills throughout primary and secondary schools by building collaborative partnerships among education, community and government leaders.” Bellanca and Brandt have technology backgrounds and work in the San Francisco Bay area in educational roles for Oracle and Cisco respectively. They also serve on the Board of this organization and thus the book largely details the educational model developed by P21.The authors begin be defining what they see as 21st century learning and listing four factors that are coming together to create a “perfect learning storm.” These factors are knowledge work, thinking tools, digital lifestyles and learning research. On page 48 they present the P21 Knowledge and Skills Rainbow, which they then proceed to discuss systematically for the rest of the book. The parts of this rainbow are:1. Learning and Innovation skills, including critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, and creativity and innovation.2. Information, media and technology skills, including information, media and ICT literacy.3. Life and career skills, featuring flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self direction, social and cross-cultural, productivity and accountability and leadership and responsibility.In addition the rainbow includes the core education subjects and what is termed as “21st Century Themes. On page 110 they expand this model by listing the support systems needed to sustain it, including standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development and learning environments.The last section of the book provides examples of how 21st century learning is applied in practice. The book also contains a listing of a number of resources and comes with a DVD that provides information about various points made in the book.I think this book is valuable for everyone. Educators will derived the most immediate benefit, but everyone can gain from a better understanding of the kind of education that is needed in the future.

Where are we going? It is a good question and no one really knows, and many academics feel that we educators should be more aware of the uncertainties that face tomorrow's leaders.I think that educators should be thinking of these uncertainties as well, and that this book (for me) was an interesting read looking at how students need to be trained to be better adopters of information and knowledge earlier in the learning cycle. This is happening as information technologies are leading this trend in many aspects, but the training of educators to better evolve classroom practices (many dated to antiquity) for the modern world. Individuals are becoming researchers with resources at their fingertips unlike any time in the past, and with technology automating a lot of tasks we "used to do" there is more time to devote to mental development.I bought, at the same time, 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn (Leading Edge), and think that the two books make good companions as the other is a series of essays from prominent educators/philosophers that address this same issue from 14 other perspectives (the invited authors' viewpoints).The book starts with a brief and basic discussion on eras of education from agricultural times to industrial into 1991 when the possible tipping point for the knowledge era was reflected in economics, and since 1991 we are all too familiar with the change technology is bringing into the world. The old SPSS statistics can now be generated within online calculators, with ease. Google scholar brings a wealth of literature into living rooms, and if that doesn't work there is likely to be a Youtube to support and develop understandings of the concept/ideas under consideration.It is true, many hold on to the past. They may be correct at some philosophical level, but the fact is, the future is unpredictable and the changes the youth will face (the challenges they will encounter) require a new set of skills to approach the future will a successful mindset. And, if what I am writing is wrong - it is a good thing you are here reading this as you too can become aware of such pressing issues that are being discussed in education today. It's fine to have various views. Its best.Highly recommend this book

All educators should read it as most educational systems has existed in their unchanged form since the industrial revolution. That's the time they should be changed. I gave it 4 stars as I found some examples of projects presented in this book not very relevant or appealing. Otherwise the book is worth your attention.

Pretty lame book- poor writing and graphics. Thin on content

Our educational system is full of kind and caring teacher who teach the way they think is best. This book points out that we as teachers, parents, society need to change. We are no longer living in the 20th century, we have to change the way we educate our children. We have to enhance creativity. This book gives me hope as a teacher, learner and grandparent that our system will change for all the reasons mentioned, we need to support our classroom teachers to make this change. This book shows us why and many how's. This is a huge shift in thinking and will take time. I really enjoyed this book because it drives home the connection between real life and our antiquated educational system.