eFellows 2008 Discussion

What are the 21st century skills that are needed for our students to thrive in their future world?

In what ways do they differ from the skills we needed growing up?

In fact, there are lots of mentions about the 21st century learner both within this digital strategy and general discourse about eLearning but not a lot of debate about whether these skills are any different from the 19th century learners, the 20th century learner, the 23rd century learner….

"Hipkins (2005) suggests ... that the Key Competencies are intended to be developed in contexts that are challenging, have personal relevance to students, and require them to actively engage with problems. This implies some key shifts in practice, for example, an increasing use of student-centred practices to source contexts that are authentic for learners, and an emphasis on the idea of “using” rather than “covering” curriculum content.... Authentic learning involved students working on projects to research, design, plan, and create solutions to real-life problems. These teachers reframed the experiences listed above or created new ways of giving students these opportunities. This summary of the international literature supports the current direction the case study schools are taking with assessment and also suggests a need to progress cautiously with the more formal aspects of assessing the Key Competencies."

(Authenticity. Shifting the frame. Key Competencies.)

Click here to view full document off the New Zealand Curriculum Online Site.