2. In this global marketplace, kids need
to learn the proper skills and gain
hands-on, real-world experience if
they hope to survive the workforce.
If teachers mix career-oriented
projects into their classrooms, they
will help students master core
subjects and learn skills including
communication, problem
solving, critical thinking, global
awareness, financial literacy and
technology.
“The world is constantly changing,”
said Lisa Dworkin, the president of
the personal finance nonprofit group
Money Masters, “but essential skills
such as reading, writing and financial
literacy prepare our children for
anything.”

3. THE 21ST CENTURY
The new millennium was ushered in by a dramatic technological
revolution. We now live in an increasingly diverse, globalized, and
complex, media-saturated society. According to Dr. Douglas Kellner at
UCLA this technological revolution will have a greater impact on society
than the transition from an oral to a print culture.1
Today's kindergarteners will be retiring in the year 2067. We have no
idea of what the world will look in five years, much less 60 years, yet we
are charged with preparing our students for life in that world. Our
students are facing many emerging issues such as global
warming, famine, poverty, health issues, a global population explosion
and other environmental and social issues. These issues lead to a need
for students to be able to communicate, function and create change
personally, socially, economically and politically on local, national and
global levels.

4. 21ST CENTURY SKILLS
21st Century Schools, LLC recognizes the critical need for
developing 21st century skills. However, we believe that
authentic education addresses the “whole child”, the
“whole person”, and does not limit our professional
development and curriculum design to workplace
readiness.
21st century skills learned through our curriculum, which
is interdisciplinary, integrated, project-based, and
more, include and are learned within a project-based
curriculum by utilizing the seven survival skills
advocated by Tony Wagner in his book, The Global
Achievement Gap:

5. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Reason Effectively
Use various types of reasoning
(inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the
situation
Use Systems Thinking
Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to
produce overall outcomes in complex systems
Make Judgments and Decisions
Effectively analyze and evaluate
evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
Synthesize and make connections between information
and arguments
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on
the best analysis
Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes
Solve Problems
Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both
conventional and innovative ways
Identify and ask significant questions that clarify
various points of view and lead to better
solutions

6. COLLABORATION ACROSS NETWORKS AND
LEADING BY INFLUENCE
What is it?
Collaboration is a recursive
process where two or more people
work together towards an
intersection of common goals by
sharing
knowledge, learning, and building c
onsensus. The action of working
with one or more other people to
produce or create something
(Lomas, 2008).
Leadership can be defined as
one's ability to get others wil
willingly follow (Hakala, 2009).
More information about leadership
qualities can be found.

7. AGILITY AND ADAPTABILITY
SWC member Terry Terriff and I were
had a great discussion Saturday over
a pint or two on just what
agility, adaptation and innovation are
– it’s a subject he’s spent allot of time
thinking, interviewing and writing
about - its also a subject I like to
consider. This is something we’ve
talked around on other threads – from
the “Great Generals” to “Adaptation”
and others. It applies at the tactical
through the operational through the
strategic, gets into
leadership, organizational
structure, doctrinal philosophy, etc.

8. INITIATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURIALISM
What is it?
Initiative and
Entrepreneurialism refers to an
individual's ability to turn ideas into
action. It involves creativity, innovation
and risk-taking, as well as the ability to
plan and manage projects in order to
achieve objectives.
Why is it important?
Wagner (2010) stresses that
corporations have changed form being
top down to a flattened model that
expects employees to figure things out
on their own.
Our schools are still in the teacher as the
boss and student as the employee
model where the student gets stuck and
the teacher has the answers, which
doesn’t prepare 21st century learners for
the work force.
Too often employees are expected to
“figure things out” yet they instinctively
run to the boss looking for the answer.