How good of a job is your school doing at fostering and developing 21st Century skills as discussed in class?

I feel that in the last two years our school has started to make some advances towards 21st Century skills. First, we are collaborating weekly as a grade level more often with all services present(ESL, LS, Reading and Math Specialists). Secondly, we do have some team teaching in our inclusion classes to some degree. This is a new reading initiative that was started to allow the learning support students "exposure" in the regular education reading classes. As mentioned in class today, there is some lack of clarity in regards to what each teacher's role is in the classroom during that instructional time. I am hoping that roles will be more clearly defined this coming school year. Also during a faculty meeting, our teachers were ask to compile a lists of all the activities that we felt challenged students to explore more "high-order thinking" and "provide for more active engagement activities." These activities/strategies were posted in our rooms to use as a reference to refer to during lessons for more enriching discussions. Starting next year, our entire district is moving to a 5-day block schedule to allow for more time in core areas. Pull-out services will be offered at a designated time each day where such students will receive support services, but not miss their core classes. Another great addition, all students will receive technology class weekly due to our five day rotation cycle. The block schedule is also warranting the teachers a planning time as well as a team collaboration time each day. This will hopefully allow the teachers to get some planning time.

I do not feel that we are anywhere near where we should be though with 21st Century skills, but we are improving. I feel that all teachers should collaborate with their team regularly, but I do not feel that a meeting should be held everyday. I feel that most meetings are repetitive. I feel that time can be used to create more enriching and creative lessons for the children, which I feel at times is not always considered. I feel that teachers should be more willing to team teach and collaborate more than they do at times. I know that some teachers whom have been teaching for awhile tend to struggle changing their teaching methods or styles. In order to provide children with the skills that they need to succeed in this ever-changing world, teachers HAVE to be more willing and flexible. I feel that with all the initiatives and tests that children are asked to complete that it makes it hard to be as creative and exploratory as we would like to be, but as teachers we have to plan appropriately. As time goes on, I hope that teachers will continue to educate themselves and learn more skills to educate our students for their future.