21st Century Learning and Teaching

How schools can help address the skills gap and help youth find employment after graduation.

 

There is a lot of buzz in today’s society about preparing students for the global workforce, and educating them to be tomorrow’s innovators. As most schools in the country are working to align curriculum with the new Common Core State Standards, which focus on college and career readiness, it makes sense to explore what teachers might do right away to prepare students for the world of work. The difficult question facing teachers is how to make the connection between classroom experience and work environment, and at the same time make learning meaningful.

 

In order to prepare students for the global workforce, the acquisition of knowledge and substantive content is essential, but the process through which students gain and process that information is arguably far more important. By applying the same principles to students in classrooms as to employees in a professional environment, students will be more motivated and engaged in learning. The habits that students gain and develop during their learning in the classroom will translate directly to their professional experiences later in life.