PrEd 131

Building and Enhancing New

Literacies Across the Curriculum
Module 1: The 21st
Century Education,
Integration and Skill
Categories
Lesson 1.2: 21st Century
Skill Categories in
Teaching
Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain the 21st-century skill categories.

2. Analyze how 21st-century skills influence pedagogy.

3. Develop strategies for integrating 21st-century skills

into teaching.
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, humanitarianism;
10. scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific method;
11. environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystem understanding; and
12. health and wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet exercise, and public health and safety (What are 21st century
skills, n.d.).
 a. Learning and innovation skills

 The mental processes required to adapt and improve

upon a modern work environment.
 Critical Thinking

“”

“Finding solutions
to problems”

 Applying higher order thinking

to new problems and issues,
using appropriate reasoning to
effectively analyze the problem
and make decisions about the
most effective ways to solve the
problem.
Learning and Innovation Skills
A. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. These can
include the successful review and evaluation of proof,
arguments, statements and beliefs; and the traditional
and inventive resolution of various types of non-familiar
problems.
REBUS Puzzle
 Classroom Scenario

A student is
constantly distracted
by their phone during
class. They don’t
respond to verbal
reminders. What
would you do?
 Classroom Scenario

A shy student never

participates in class
discussions. You
notice they seem
interested but
hesitate to speak.
How would you
encourage them?
 Classroom Scenario

Two students are

arguing loudly in the
middle of your
lesson, disrupting
the class. How do
you handle the
situation?
 Communication

“Conveying ideas, talking to

others”

 Communicating effectively
in a wide variety of forms
and contexts for a wide
range of purposes and
using multiple media and
technologies.
B. Communication. This pertains to articulating
thoughts and ideas effectively using oral and written
communication skills in a variety of forms and
contexts.
 Collaboration

“Working with others”

 Working with others

respectfully and
effectively to create, use
and share knowledge,
solutions and
innovations.
C. Collaboration. It entails demonstrating ability to
work effectively and respectfully with diverse
teams.
 Creativity

“Thinking outside the box”

 Using knowledge and

understanding to create new
ways of thinking in order to find
solutions to new problems and
to create new products and
services.
D. Creativity and
Innovation. It
denotes the use of
a wide range of
idea creation
techniques to
create new and
worthwhile ideas.
B. Literacy skills
 Focuses on how students can discern facts, publishing
outlets, and the technology behind them. There’s a
strong focus on determining trustworthy sources and
factual information to separate it from the
misinformation that floods the internet.
INFORMATION, MEDIA AND
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
In the 21st century, people live in a technological and
media-saturated world run by: (1) access to an
abundance of information; (2) rapid improvements in
technological instruments; and (3) the opportunity to
collaborate and make individual contributions on an
unparalleled scale.
A. Information Literacy. It refers to objectively and
competently accessing and analyzing information and
handling the flow of information from a wide range of
sources.
Information Literacy

• It refers to accessing
and evaluating
information critically
and competently and
managing the flow of
information from a
wide variety of
sources.
 Media literacy

• Media literacy is the

practice of identifying
publishing methods, outlets,
and sources while
distinguishing between the
ones that are credible and
the ones that aren’t.
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 tools,
characteristics and
conventions.
 Technology literacy

• Technology literacy is the

ability to safely,
responsibly, creatively,
and effectively use
appropriate technology to;

• Communicate;
• Access, collect, manage,
integrate, and evaluate
information.
C. Technology
Literacy. It
pertains to the
use of
technology as
a tool to
research,
organize,
evaluate and
communicate
information.
 c. Life skills

• Life skills take a look at intangible elements of a

student’s everyday life. These intangibles focus on
both personal and professional qualities.
 Flexibility

• Flexibility is the
expression of
someone’s ability
to adapt to
changing
circumstances.
Flexibility and Adaptability
 Initiative

• Initiative often
means working
outside of regular
working hours .
INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION
INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION
 Social Skills

• It is the ability to
communicate to
others to from a
connection or a
relationship.
SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL
SKILLS
 Productivity

• It is the ability to
complete work in
an appropriate
amount of life.
PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
 Leadership

• Leadership is someone’s
penchant for setting
goals, walking a team
through the steps
required, and achieving
those goals
collaboratively.
LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY
Integrating 21st Century Skills in
Teaching-Learning Process

The 21st century support systems. The critical systems

required to ensure student mastery of 21st century skills
are the following components: (1) standards of the 21st
century; (2) assessments; (3) curriculum and instruction;
(4) professional development; and (5) learning
environments. These must be aligned to produce a
support system that produces 21st century outcomes for
today’s students
1. 21st century standards
a. Focus on 21st century skills, content knowledge and
expertise
b. Build understanding across and among core subjects, as
well as 21st century interdisciplinary themes
c. Emphasize deep understanding rather than shallow
knowledge
d. Engage students with the real-world data, tools and
experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life;
students learn best actively engaged in solving meaningful
problems
e. Allow for multiple measures of mastery
2. Assessment of 21st century
skills
a. Supports a balance of assessments, including high-
quality standardized testing along with effective
formative and summative classroom assessments
b. Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance
that is embedded into everyday learning
c. Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative
and summative assessments that measure student
mastery of 21st century skills
2. Assessment of 21st century
skills
d. Enables development of portfolios of student work
that demonstrate mastery of 21st century skills to
educators and prospective employers
e. Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess
the educational system’s effectiveness in reaching high
levels of student competency in 21st century skill
(AACTE, 2020)
3. 21st century curriculum and
instruction

a. Teaches 21st century skills discretely in the context of

core subjects and 21st century interdisciplinary themes
b. Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21st
century skills across content areas and for a competency-
based approach to learning
c. Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use
of supportive technologies, inquiry – and problem-based
approaches and higher-order thinking skills
d. Encourages the integration of community resources
beyond school walls (AACTE, 2010)
4. The 21st century professional
development
a. Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for
integrating 21st century skills, tools and teaching strategies
into their classroom practice and help them identify what
activities they can replace/de-emphasize
b. Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching
method.
c. Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can
enhance problem-solving, critical thinking, and other 21st
century skills
d. Enables 21st century professional learning communities for
teachers that model the kinds of classroom learning that best
promotes 21st century skills for students
4. The 21st century professional
development
e. Cultivates teachers’ ability to identify students’ particular
learning styles, intelligences, strengths and weaknesses
f. 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.
g. Supports the continuous evaluation of students’ 21st
century skills development.
h. Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of
practitioners using face-to-face, virtual and blended
communications
i. Uses a scalable and sustainable model of professional
development (AACTE, 2010)
 5. The 21st learning environments
a. Create learning practices, human support and physical
environments that will support the teaching and learning of
21st century skill outcomes
b. Support professional learning communities that enable
educators to collaborate, share best practices and integrate
21st century skills into classroom practice
c. Enable students to learn in relevant, real-world 21st
century contexts (e.g., through project-based or other
applied work)
 5. The 21st learning environments
d. Allow equitable access to quality learning tools,
technologies and resources
e. Provide 21st century architectural and interior designs for
group, team and individual learning
f. Support expanded community and international
involvement in learning, both face-to-face and online
(AACTE, 2010)
 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 instruction with standards, particularly those that
embody 21st 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
 Implications to Educators
5. using a range of assessment strategies to evaluate student
performance and differentiate instruction (including but not
limited to formative, portfolio-based, curriculum-embedded and
summative)
6. participating actively in learning communities, tapping the
expertise within a 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 (such as formative assessments)
to reach diverse students and to create environments that
support differentiated teaching and learning
 Implications to Educators
9. pursuing continuous learning opportunities and
embracing career-long learning as professional ethics
(AACTE, 2010)
10. establishing a conducive learning environment where
learners can freely express themselves and explore their
potentials and capacities
Learning Task
A. Direction: Analyze the following research abstract and cite
its implication to teaching-learning. You may download the full
paper of this research on the website given below.

Twenty-first century skills: A needs assessment of school-

based agricultural education teachers

Weeks, K. (2019). Twenty-first century skills: A needs assessment of

school-based agricultural education teachers. Utah State University.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi.viewcontent.cgi?article=8652&conte
xt=etd)
Twenty-first century skills: A needs assessment of school-based agricultural education
teachers Weeks (2019)
Preparing students to be career-and-work ready is a concern of educators and schools
nationwide. Twenty-first century skills prepare students to enter the workforce or higher
education with the ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate with others, take the
initiative when approached with a task, and use technology to its fullest potential. If
students are not learning the skills needed for success, it is because educators and
schools are not teaching them. When students possess these skills, they are prepared to
work in teams, think critically and creatively about a problem, display leadership and social
skills, and communicate effectively with others. This research sought to identify school
based agriculture education teachers’ perceived knowledge, importance, and ability to
teach these 21st century skills in the classroom. Results showed that agriculture teachers
nationwide find 21st century skills to be important, but they are less knowledgeable and
able to teach them. The research concluded that professional development is needed to
increase teachers’ knowledge of and ability to teach 21st century skills. Professional
development will allow school-based agricultural education teachers to gain specific and
applicable strategies for implementation. With the application of 21st century skills in the
school-based agricultural classroom, students will become better prepared to enter the
workforce or higher education upon graduating high school.
Analysis: How can 21st century skills prepare students
to enter workforce and higher education?

Implication: Why do you think professional

development on teaching 21st century skills is needed
by teachers in the field?
Thank you!