Blog #3, 21st Century Skills

Public Education is dependent on Government funding for resources. When I saw the term “21st-century skills” I thought of other political buzz words such as “common sense”, “ethical oil”, etc. Buzz words are great for bringing up attention to your political cause.  Buzz words are often broad, catch-all jargon that aims to include everyone and everything within its definition. The article titled, The Rush for '21st-Century Skills by Jay Mathews proclaims that we don't have a definition for what “21st-century skills” means (2009). In my opinion, 21-century skills, is just a political buzzword, to get public interest in funding an already gutted educational system. 21st-century skills and it's ever-expanding definition allows everyone to interpret and conclude what they think is wrong with education. Being able to interpret the word “21-century skills”, allows the public to feel like their voice matters which inspires debate and rhetoric within the public sphere.        

The article titled 21st-Century Skills Are Not a New Education Trend but Could Be a Fad, makes an argument that promoting critical thinking and problem solving as a 21st-century skill is ridiculous because those skills have been around for all of human history (Rotherham, 2008). Furthermore, the article points out that the idea of various levels of knowledge is not new. Andrew Rotherham points out Plato as an example of someone who came up with four distinct levels of intellect back in the 3rd-century B.C ( 2008). If you have taken any class in education you might be familiar with Bloom's taxonomy which has been around since 1956. The public seems to be unaware of key facts that have been around for thousands of years.  

I agree with Rotherham when he says that critical thinking and problem-solving skills should not be pitted against learning key facts (2008). I find it comical that the logical fallacy of a false dilemma is being used as an argument for advancing 21st-century skills. Rotherham is absolutely right when he says, “ American schools still are not delivering a content-rich curriculum for all students” because if they did provide a content-rich curriculum then the false dilemma fallacy would not be an effective talking point (2009). Fallacious logic, although persuasive, shows a lack of academic writing skills. As Rotherham points out, students need a holistic education that not only includes critical thinking but also incorporates context, facts, literacy, etc (2009).

In The Rush for 21st-century skills written by Jay Mathews asks the question “Who profits most? (2008).” Mathews gives the reader an anecdote from an English teacher at Chippewa Falls High School in Wisconsin. The English teacher points out that the tech industries are jumping into the 21st-century skills hype and utilizing the term to their own advantage. The anecdote points out that there is a lot of money to be made selling software and high-tech gadgets to schools (2009). Government contracts are lucrative and many publicly traded companies know that they can maximize profits by distributing their goods to all the schools. Mathews uses the teacher's anecdote as a segway to point out that the industry is trying to get their hands into the education system so that they can mold the children into reducing a wealth of knowledge and diversity of perspective so that they are fit for the corporate world. 

            Although I have never been to an American school, the ex-pats in Thailand and elsewhere have advised me that they would never work in a school in the states due to the large class sizes, low pay, and lack of recognition. Maybe the term “21st-century skills” will provide teachers and schools with enough public support to enact some changes. However, both articles I cited came from 2009 and 2008. I am still reading stories about American teachers packing up their bags and moving to the middle east for better pay. I guess “21st-century skills” is just another buzzword for business interest. 

 

 

Work Cited 

Rotherham, A. (2008, December 15). 21st-Century Skills Are Not a New Education Trend but Could Be a Fad. USA News. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/12/15/21st-century-skills-are-not-a-new-education-trend-but-could-be-a-fad

Mathews, J. (2009, January 4). The Rush for “21st-Century Skills.” Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401533.html?sid=ST2009010401569