Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Module 2:
21st Century Skill Categories
Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the categories of 21st Century skills.

2. Apply the 21st Century skill in preparing, planning and delivering a lesson
3. Cite ways on how to enhance the 21st Century skills of learners
4. Explain how 21st Century skills be integrated in the teaching-learning process
5. Cite implications of 21st Century skills to educators and to pre-service teacher preparation
6. Draw relevant life lessons and significant values from the personal experience in attaining 21 st
Century skills

Concept Exploration

21st Century skills refer to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that
are deemed necessary in coping with today’s world and future careers and workplaces. Thus, it can be
applied in all academic subject areas and educational settings throughout a student’s life.

The 21st Century Skills

The 21st Century skills may include the following: (1) critical thinking, problem-solving, reasoning,
analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information; (2) research skills and practices, interrogative
questioning; (3) creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression; (4)
perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative; (5) oral and written
communication, public speaking and presenting, listening; (6) leadership, teamwork, collaboration,
cooperation, facility in using virtual workspaces; (7) information and communication technology (ICT)
literacy, media and Internet literacy, data interpretation and analysis, computer programming; (8) civic,
ethical, and social justice literacy; (9) economic and financial literacy, entrepreneurialism; (10) global
awareness, multicultural literacy, humanitarianism; (11) scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific
method; (12) environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystem understanding; and (13) health and
wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet, exercise, and public health and safety.

Prepared by:
Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Framework for 21st Century

According to the Partnership for
st
21 Century Skills, this concept
encompasses a wide array of a body
of knowledge and skills that have to
be categorized. Moreover, this
concept has been interconnected
with applied skills, cross-curricular
skills, cross-disciplinary skills,
interdisciplinary skills, transferable
skills, transversal skills, non-cognitive
skills and soft skills.

The 21 st Century skills concept is grounded on the belief that students must be educated in a more
relevant, useful, in-demand and universally applicable manner. The idea simply lies in the fact that
students need to be taught different skills and reflect on the specific demands that will be placed upon
them in a complex, competitive, knowledge-based, information-age and technology-driven society.
Therefore, 21st Century education addresses the whole child or the whole person (AACTE, 2010).

Hence, the curriculum should be designed to be interdisciplinary, integrated and project-based. Tony
Wagner (2010), in his book “The Global Achievement Gap”, advocated the seven survival skills, namely:
(1) critical thinking and problem-solving; (2) collaboration across networks and leading by influence; (3)
agility and adaptability; (4) initiative and entrepreneurialism; (5) effective oral and written
communication; (6) accessing and analyzing information; and (7) curiosity and imagination.

The term “21 st Century skills” refers to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital
literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that schools need to teach the students for them to thrive
in today’s world.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills presents the following sets of skills that are categorized
accordingly with different strands of expected outcomes.

Prepared by:
Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Learning and Innovation Skills

These are the primary skills orchestrated in the 21 st Century. They are attributes that differentiate
students who are prepared for a complex life and work environment from those who are not. Therefore,
there is a need to stress on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration in preparing
learners for the future.

A. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. These may include effectively analyzing and evaluating
evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs; and solving different kinds of non-familiar problems in
both conventional and innovative ways.

Skills Sub-skills

Establish clear definitions and agreements on the roles of

partners in the collaborative process

Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks

Work together effectively in
team
Carefully identify obstacles and address problems cooperatively

Skills Sub-Skills

2.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

Skills Sub-Skills

3. Make judgments and Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims
decisions and beliefs

Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view

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Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best

analysis

Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes

Synthesize and make connections between information and

arguments

Skills Sub-Skills

4. 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

B. Communication. This pertains to articulating thoughts and ideas effectively using oral and
written communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Communicate Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and
clearly nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and
contexts

Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge,

values, attitudes and intentions

Use communication for a range of purposes

Utilize multiple media and technologies, and judge their

effectiveness a priori, as well as assess their impact

Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including

multi-lingual)

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and

communicate information

Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS,

etc.), communication/networking tools and social networks
appropriately to access

Exercise flexibility and willingness in making necessary

compromises to accomplish a common goal

Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value

the individual contributions made by each team member

C. Collaboration. It entails demonstrating ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse
teams.

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Work together Establish clear definitions and agreements on the roles of

effectively in partners in the collaborative process
team
Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks

Carefully identify obstacles and address problems

cooperatively

D. Creativity and Innovation. It denotes use of wide range of idea creation techniques to create
new and worthwhile ideas.

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Think creatively Use a wide range of idea creation techniques, such as

brainstorming

Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and

radical concepts)

Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order

to improve and maximize creative efforts

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Skills Sub-Skills

2. Work creatively Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others

with others effectively

Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives,

incorporate group input and feedback into the work

Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and

understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas

View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that

creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of
small successes and frequent mistakes

Skill Sub-Skills

3. Implement Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful

innovations contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur

INFORMATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

People in the 21st century live in a technology and media saturated environment marked by the
following: (1) access to an abundance of information; (2) rapid changes in technology tools; and (3) the
ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale.

Therefore, to be effective in the 21 st Century, everyone must be able to exhibit a range of functional
and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology (AACTE, 2010).

A. Information Literacy. It refers to accessing and evaluating information critically and

competently and managing the flow of information from a wide variety of sources.

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Access and Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources)

evaluate
information Evaluate information critically and competently

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Skills Sub-Skills

2. Use and manage Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or
problem at hand
information
Manage the flow of information from wide variety of sources

Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues

surrounding the access and use of information

B. Media Literacy. It underscores understanding both how and why media messages are
constructed; creating media products by understanding and utilizing the most appropriate
media creation tolls, characteristics and conventions.

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Analyze media Understand both how and why media messages are
constructed, and for what purposes

Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how

values and points of view are included or excluded, and how
media can influence beliefs and behaviors

Apply a fundamental understanding of ethical/legal issues

surrounding the access and use of media

Skills Sub-Skills

2.Create media products Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation
tools, characteristics and conventions

Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate

expressions and interpretations in divers, multi-cultural
environments

C. Technology Literacy. It pertains to the use of technology as a tool to research, organize,

evaluate and communicate information.

Prepared by:
Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Apply Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and

technology communicate information
effectively
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS,
etc.), communication/networking tools and social networks
appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate and
create information to successfully function in a knowledge
economy

Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues

surrounding the access and use of information technologies

D. Life and Career Skills. Today’s life and work environments both require more than thinking skills
and content knowledge. Cultivating the ability to navigate the complex life requires students to
develop the following life and career skills: (1) flexibility and adaptability; (2) initiative and self-
direction; (3) social and cross-cultural skills; (4) productivity and accountability; and (5)
leadership and responsibility (AACTA, 2010).

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Adapt to change Adapt to varied roles, job responsibilities, schedules and

contexts

Work effectively in a climate of a ambiguity and changing

priorities

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Be flexible Incorporate feedback effectively

Deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism

Understand, negotiate and balance diverse views and beliefs to

reach workable solutions, particularly in multi-cultural
environments

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Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Manage goals Set goals with tangible and intangible success criteria
and time
Balance tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term) goals

Utilize time and manage workload efficiently

Skill Sub-Skills

2. Work Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct

independently oversight

Skill Sub-Skills

3. Be self- directed Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore

learner and expand one’s own learning and opportunities to gain
expertise

Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a

professional level

Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence

and power

Skills Sub-Skills

4. Be responsible to Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

others mind
Consider others’ ideas and view points
Look for others’ welfare and safety in all circumstances
Assist others in times of their downfalls and setbacks

SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Interact Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak

effectively with
others Conduct one’s self in a respectable, professional marker

Skill Sub-Skills

2. Work effectively Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people
in diverse teams from a range of social and cultural background

Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values

Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas

and increase both innovation and quality of work

PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Skills Sub-Skills

1. Manage projects Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and
competing pressures

Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended

result

Skill Sub-Skills

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

2. Produce results Demonstrate additional attributes associated with producing

high quality products, including the abilities to:
- Work positively and ethically
- Manage time and projects effectively
- Multi-task
- Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual
- Present oneself professionally and with proper
etiquette
- Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams
- Respect and appreciate team diversity
- Be accountable for results

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY

Skill Sub-Skills

1. Guide and lead Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to influence and
others guide others toward a goal

Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal

Inspire others to reach their very best via example and

selflessness

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence

and power

Skill Sub-Skills

2. Be responsible to Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in

others mind

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Teaching-Learning Process

The 21st Century supports systems. The following elements are the critical systems necessary
to ensure student mastery of 21 st Century skills: (1) 21st Century standards; (2) assessments; (3)
curriculum and instruction; (4) professional development; and (5) learning environments. These

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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

must be aligned to produce a support system that produces 21 st Century outcomes for today’s
students.

1. 21st Century Standards

1.1 Focus on 21st Century skills, content knowledge and expertise
1.2 Build understanding across and among core subjects, as well as 21 st Century
interdisciplinary themes
1.3 Emphasize deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
1.4 Engage students with the real-world data, tools and experts they will encounter in
college, on the job, and in life; students learn best when actively engaged in solving
meaningful problems
1.5 Allow for multiple measures of mastery
2. Assessment of 21st Century Skills
2.1 Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with
effective formative and summative classroom assessments
2.2 Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into everyday
learning
2.3 Requires a balance of technology-enhance, formative and summative assessments that
measure student mastery of 21st Century skills
2.4 Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of 21 st
Century skills to educators and prospective employers
2.5 Enables a balance portfolio of measures to assess the educational system’s effectiveness
in reaching high levels of student competency in 21st Century skills.
3. 21st Century Curriculum and Instruction
3.1 Teaches 21st Century skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21 st Century
interdisciplinary themes
3.2 Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21 st Century skills across content areas
and for a competency based approach to learning
3.3 Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use of supportive technologies,
inquiry- and problem-based approaches and higher-order thinking skills
3.4 Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school walls.
4. The 21st Century Professional Development
4.1 Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21 st Century skills, tools
and teaching strategies into their classroom practice and help them identify what
activities they can replace/de-emphasize
4.2 Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods
4.3 Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can enhance problem-solving,
critical thinking, and other 21st Century skills
4.4 Enables 21st Century professional learning communities for teachers that model the kinds
of classroom learning that best promotes 21st Century skills for students
4.5 Cultivates teachers’ ability to identify students’ particular learning styles, intelligences,
strengths and weaknesses
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Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

4.6 Helps teachers develop their abilities to use various strategies (such as formative
assessments) to reach diverse students and create environments that support
differentiated teaching and learning
4.7 Supports the continuous evaluation of students’ 21st Century skills development
4.8 Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners using face-to-face,
virtual and blended communications
4.9 Uses a scalable and sustainable model of professional development
5. The 21st Century Learning Environments
5.1 Create learning practices, human support and physical environments that will support
the teaching and learning of 21st Century skill outcomes
5.2 Support professional learning communities that enable educators to collaborate, share
best practices and integrate 21st Century skills into classroom practice
5.3 Enable students to learn in relevant, real-world 21st Century contexts.
5.4 Allow equitable access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources
5.5 Provide 21st Century architectural and interior designs for group, team and individual
learning
5.6 Support expanded community and international involvement in learning, both face-to-
face and online

Implications to Educators
The advent of 21st Century skill enhancement among learners brings the following implications to
educators in:

1. Successfully complementing technologies to content and pedagogy and developing the ability to
creatively use technologies to meet specific learning needs
2. Aligning instructions with standards, particularly those that embody 21 st Century knowledge
and skills
3. Balancing direct instruction strategically with project oriented teaching methods
4. Applying child and adolescent development knowledge to educator preparation and education
policy
5. Using a range of assessment strategies to evaluate student performance and differentiate
instruction.
6. Participating actively in learning communities, tapping the expertise within a school or school
district through coaching, mentoring, knowledge-sharing, and team teaching
7. Acting as mentors and peer coaches with fellow educators
8. Using a range of strategies to reach diverse students and to create environments that support
differentiated teaching and learning
9. Pursuing continuous learning opportunities and embracing career-long learning as professional
ethics
10. Establishing a conducive learning environment where learners can freely express themselves
and explore their potentials and capacities

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Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Implications to Pre-service Teacher Preparation

There is a need to understand the key elements of optimum curricula that will help pre-service
teachers develop the dispositions, habits of mind and confidence to enable students to develop 21 st
Century skills in a range of core academic subject areas.

Since schools get rid of a one-size-fits-all system, therefore, pre-service teachers are expected to play
an active role in developing and organizing content and instruction for their students.

AACTE (2010) asserts that a 21 st Century approach to curriculum is about more than just adding an
extra course or extra class time in the curriculum. Thus, pre-service teachers benefit from the ability to
fully explore and understand how to develop and use curriculum for deep understanding and mastery of
academic subject knowledge and 21st Century skills.

As a starting point, a teacher education program can be aligned with student and teacher standards
in ways that blend thinking and innovation skills, ICT literacy; and life and career skills in the context of
all academic subjects and across interdisciplinary themes.

An effective 21st Century skills approach to curriculum, in other words, is designed for understanding.
The program’s curriculum will be most beneficial to pre-service teachers if it is designed to produce
deep understanding and authentic application of 21st Century skills in all subject areas.

Instructional models. Instructional models are an important component of any teacher preparation
program. AACTE (2010) pointed out that the integration of innovative and research- proven teaching
strategies, modern learning technologies and real-world resources and contexts are all imperative in:

1. Integrating “teach for understanding” principles. When pre-service teachers can prepare and
present lessons that can develop students’ essential concepts and skills with the integration of
technologies, the latter can reciprocally demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving in
class.
2. Creating rich practice teaching experiences. Strong practice teaching experiences allow pre-
service teachers to connect theory and practice.
3. Creating dynamic learning communities and peer mentoring networks. Pre-service teachers
benefit greatly from service-learning as part of their experiential learning courses. It provides
time to reflect on relevant pedagogic strategies that enhance 21 st Century skills in classroom
practice.
4. Examining the role of content, pedagogy and technologies in developing higher-order thinking
skills. The ability to teach for content mastery is a challenging task for most pre-service
teachers. Teaching for content mastery (1) supports a range of high-quality standardized testing
along formative and summative assessments; (2) emphasizes useful feedback on student
performance (3) requires balanced technology enhance, formative and summative assessments;
(4) enables development of student portfolios that demonstrate mastery of 21 st Century
knowledge and skills; and (5) enables a balanced score card to assess the educational system’s
effectiveness.

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Lizette Ilao-Villaraza, MAEd. LP.
Instructor
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Teacher preparation programs can play a vital role in developing educational leaders who
understand and can influence current trends in assessment through: (1) research and evaluation
test for innovative approaches; (2) 21st Century knowledge and skills assessment strategies; and
(3) mastery of a wide range of student assessment methods.
Learning environments. The learning environment within the teacher preparation program is
a key component of any systemic reform initiative. Determining the enabling structures, policies
and strategies that can best support 21 st Century skills acquisition among pre-service teachers is
a step towards creating a kind of environment that will promote 21st Century learning.
The following are initiatives in creating 21 st Century teachers education learning environment:
(1) Establish a 21st Century vision for learning environments in the program and the university;
(2) Ensure that the physical infrastructure supports 21 st Century knowledge and skills; (3)
Practice flexibility in time for project-based work and competency-based assessment; (4) Ensure
technical infrastructure that sufficiently supports learning; and (5) strengthen networking
engagement in the learning environment.
Partnerships. Partnerships are extraordinarily important in the work of transforming 21 st
Century teacher preparation programs. Along the line, teamwork within the program and the
institution is imperative for sustainability and development. The partnership forged with
community leaders, business industry, professional associations, government agencies, non-
government organizations, other institutions, parents, other stakeholders and the community
creates high impact outcome.
The powerful partnerships are created through strong collaboration towards enabling
innovation in the teaching and learning for the 21st Century.
Continuous improvement. Continuous improvement represents willingness to commit
revisiting the process over time. For AACTE (2010), any implementation effort should include
continuous improvement steps. To wit: (1) Clearly identify measurable goals; (2) Track progress
regularly against these goals; (3) Communicate progress to all stakeholders; and (4) Engage all
participants in refining and improving success overtime.

Test Yourself

Direction: Answer to the best of your ability always remember that PLAGIARISM is a crime.

Essay:

1. How can you prepare, plan and deliver a lesson with an end goal of attaining the 21st century
skills?
2. How can you integrate 21st century skills in the teaching-learning process?
3. As future educator, do you think you possesses the 21st century competencies? Why? Why not?

Prepared by:
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Instructor
Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Evaluation Tool
Category Examplary (5) Proficient (4) Apprentice(3) Novice (2)
Ideas Excels in responding to Clearly states a thesis/central Adequate but weaker and Does not have a clear
assignment. Interesting, idea, but may have minor less effective, possibly central idea or does
demonstrates sophistication of lapses in development. Begins responding less well to not respond
thought. Central idea/thesis is to acknowledge the complexity assignment. Presents central appropriately to the
clearly communicated, worth of central idea and the idea in general terms, often assignment. Thesis
developing; limited enough to be possibility of other points of depending on platitudes or may be too vague or
manageable. view. cliches obvious to be
developed effectively
Organization Uses a logical structure Shows a logical progression of May list ideas or arrange May have random
and Coherence appropriate to the subject, ideas and uses fairly them randomly rather than organization, lacking
purpose, audienceand disciplinary sophisticated transitional using any evident logical internal paragraph
field. Sophisticated transitional devices; e.g., may move from structure. May use coherence and using
sentences often develop one idea least to more important idea. transitions, but they are few or inappropriate
from the previous one or identify likely to be sequential (first, transitions.
their logical second, third) rather than Paragraphs may lack
logic-based. While each topic sentences or
paragraph may relate to main ideas, or may be
central idea, logic is not too general or too
always clear. Paragraphs specific to be
have topic sentences but effective.
may be overly general, and
arrangement of sentences
within paragraphs may
Style Chooses words for their precise Generally, uses words Uses relatively vague and May be too vague and
meaning and uses an appropriate accurately and effectively, but general words, may use abstract, or very
level of specificity. Sentence style may sometimes be too general. some inappropriate personal and specific.
fits paper's audience and purpose. Sentences generally clear, well language. Sentence structure Usually contains
Sentences are varied, yet clearly structured, and focused, generally corrects, but several awkward or
structured and carefully focused, though some may be awkward sentences may be wordy, ungrammatical
not long rambling or ineffective. unfocused, repetitive, or sentences; sentence
confusing. structure is simple or
monotonous.
Mechanics Almost entirely free of spelling, May contain a few errors, Usually contains several Usually contains
punctuation, and grammatical which may annoy the reader mechanical errors, which either many
errors. but not impede understanding. may temporarily confuse the mechanical errors or
reader but not impede the a few important
overall understanding. errors that block the
reader's
understanding and
ability to see
connections between
thought

Typical Grade 92-95 87-91 83-86 76-82

(93) (90) (84) (78)

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Instructor