LIFECOLLEGE TEACHERS’ AWARENESS OF THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNING THEMES AND SKILLS AND ITS RELATION TO CLASSROOM PRACTICE AND TO THE TEACHER’S INDUCTION/TRAINING

Jan Michael Vincent N. AbrilPalawan State University

ABSTRACT The leaf of the century from an industry-based to a knowledge-based economy prompted changes in the demands of the workplace. This pivotal change rippled to the goals and intentions of education. What are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for one to survive? Any school would re-think its vision, how it does education and align, if it is to thrive and succeed. This is the question LifeCollege asked itself at the onset of its school improvement journey to become a 21st century learning hub. As it moves on toward curriculum mapping, it considers the readiness of its teachers to embrace 21st century learning themes and skills. Using survey questionnaire as a tool and descriptive statistics to interpret data, this paper seeks to find out the awareness of LifeCollege teachers on the 21st century learning themes and skills and how this might, in their perception, relate to classroom practice and to their induction/training.

KEYWORD21st century learning skills and themes, Teacher’s induction, training, professional development

IntroductionThe continuously shrinking and the bout towards a knowledge-based innovation economy impacted every aspect of human life in diverse ways. In Thomas Friedman's best-selling book, The World Is Flat (2005), he contended that the world is deeply interconnected as never before. Technology and the fall of trade barriers have led to the integration of markets and nations, and enabled individuals, companies, and nation-states to reach around the world faster and cheaper than ever before.

Education systems did not escape this overhaul.

Interestingly, the move from the 20th-century industrial economy towards the 21st-century knowledge-driven economy, prompted the shift on the needed skills in the workplace. Because of this, educators, business leaders, and policy makers moved towards transforming schools to make learning more relevant, real-life, and responsive to the changing needs of the turn of the century. What must be inculcated in the children are the essential skills, not just knowledge, necessary for success in a rapidly changing, technology-driven society. (Schoen, 2008)

But what are these 21st Century Skills (21CS) referred to? The Partnership for 21CS, the advocacy organisation that brings together education leaders, the business community, and policy makers to shift the educational practice lists the following 21st century learning and skills. 21st century learning includes familiar and timeless skills for navigating life and work environments, as well as new and different kinds of skills that are particularly relevant in a competitive global economy (Granwald Associates, 2010). It is supposed that the 21CS are the key to solving economic, civic, and global challenges and to engaging effectively in those spheres (Saavedra, 2012). The skills set include:

1. Learning and innovation skills2. Critical thinking and problem solving skills3. Communication and collaboration4. Lifeskills and leadership skills5. Information, media, and technology skills6. Life and career skills

According to P21, “as much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to keep learning - and make effective and innovative use of what they know - throughout their lives.” The academic content in the core subject areas can be organised according to the following learning themes:

1. Health Literacy2. Civic Literacy3. Finance, Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship4. Global Awareness5. Environmental Awareness

Saavedra (2012) posited the implications of the the shift from a transmission model of education to 21st century model, as precipitated by business principles and economic goals applied in education (Christensen, 1997; Christensen and Reynor 2003). Changes in the standards and purposes in education have prompted curriculum frameworks and instructional methods to change. Whilst, in the area of human capital, schools cannot escape the trend to respond to this local or global market needs.

On one hand, in terms of content, curriculum, and instructions, 21st century learning closely resemble progressivist’s learning by doing or a hands-on socially interactive approach to learning that focus on real-world experiences (Dewey 1899; 1938), social cognitive constructivism, problem-based learning, and active learning (APA, 1997; Bonwell & Eison, 1991; Vygotsky, 1978).

Taking from its constructivist vantage point, Sizer and Sizer (1999) assert that teachers must be able to teach students to use their minds rather than attain mastery of a static body of knowledge. The shift finds itself in favor of skills training over rotes memorization of facts. According to the Coalition of Essential Schools web site (in Sizer, 2007), the aim of education:

The curriculum should emphasize thoroughness and depth over breadth of coverage, with an aim of developing habits of mind such as inquiring into causes, seeing from multiple perspectives, and applying learning to new situ- ations. The curriculum should be flexible and individualized enough to allow for independent exploration.

For teachers to achieve these aims, we believe that it is crucial to build professional learning communities in which they share practices and build upon one another’s knowledge and skills.

Hence, the 21st century learning movement sought to fundamentally restructure classroom learning experiences through student exposure to more authentic activities such as collaborative interdisciplinary problem solving and places less emphasis on teaching and testing subject area skills in isolation (such as those found in Huber & Breen, 2007; Newmann & Wehlage, 1995).

On the other hand, schools restructuring cannot discount teacher training, professional development, career mobility, and general cultural standing of the teaching professional (Saavedra, 2012). Cuban (2003) mentioned that students would find it difficult to obtain 21CS without the aid of well-trained teachers who have direct instructional knowledge in this area. Teacher’s training, therefore, is vital to the success of 21CS teaching.

With the 21st century learning on the road, underlying issues such as should business and economy influence the education systems directly in terms of content, curriculum and instruction? If any of the three is altered, then shall it necessitate a change in pedagogy as well? If so, how might teacher’s professional development, education, training, professional development, and/or induction program might change as well? Should these change, how would schools or institutions deal with its human capital - the teachers? How might the teachers handle effectively and apply seamlessy 21CS in their classroom?

In the light of the present research, the seeks to find out: 1. What is the teacher’s profile of LifeCollege in terms of age, sex, and schools graduated from?2. How much are the teachers aware of the 21st century learning themes and skills? 3. How might their awareness level influence the actual application, integration, and engagement of

21st century themes and skills into the classroom?4. How might their awareness level influence the school to come up with a viable teacher’s

induction and professional development?

It is assumed that the more LifeCollege teachers are aware of the 21CS and themes, the easier it is to facilitate the seamless integration and intentional engagement of students to develop the skills and the school will be able to design a training program to equip its teacher to the 21CS.

This simple research renders itself beneficial to the development of a teacher’s induction and professional development training to equip and engage the teachers in embracing the school’s vision to become a 21st century learning hub for global champions.

Literature ReviewIn several recent literatures, authors agree that teachers preparation is highly needed to fully embrace the 21CS. Grunwald Associates (2010), National Research Council (US) Board on Science Education (2010), Saavedra (2012) view education, training, professional development and leadership, model teacher preparation, induction, and ongoing professional Development programs as critical in the success of embedding 21st century learning in schools.

First, Grunwald Associates (2010) resolved that education, training, professional development and leadership support make a difference in teachers emphasis on 21CS. Such that, Teachers feel well prepared by their initial teacher preparation programs to effectively incorporate technology into

classroom instruction and to foster 21CS. Integrating 21CS into standards, assessments and professional development means that all students today—not only a select few—need to master both core subjects and applied skills

Grunwald Associates (2010) looked at the awareness and readiness of teachers to dive into the pool, specifically the link between 21st century learning and use of technology among teachers. According to their 2009 survey of more than 1,000 U.S. educators, including 783 teachers and 274 principals or assistant principals, they found out that

1. Teachers’ awareness and understanding of the concept of 21st century skills varies widely. Relatively small percentages of teachers say that they are very familiar with the term and could provide a list of skills commonly associated with it.

2. When asked about specific skills—such as critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; and creativity and innovation— teachers know what these skills are and believe these skills are emphasized to at least some degree in their classrooms.

3. In the states that have formally committed to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) State Leadership Initiative, teachers appear to be more aware of the term “21st century skills” and more familiar with what these skills are.

4. Most teachers do not believe that their preservice programs prepared them well in either technology or 21st century skills.

Second, the National Research Council (US) Board on Science Education (2010) views “Model Teacher Preparation, Induction, and Professional Development Programs” as significant to the seamless integration of Science Education and 21st century skills. Here, Windschitl surmised that there is a broad consensus in the researches he reviewed that “reform-oriented” professional development (activities such as teacher study groups) results in more substantive changes in practice than “traditional” professional development (workshops or college courses) (Loucks-Horsley et al., 1998; Putnam and Borko, 2000).

Also, short-term interventions have shown little capacity to change teacher preconceptions (Wideen, Mayer-Smith, and Moon, 1998), but longer term approaches that explicitly seek to elicit and work with novice teachers’ initial beliefs have shown some success in fostering reform-based teaching (Fosnot, 1996; Graber, 1996; Windschitl and Thompson, 2006).

Usually, new teachers are caught up in a frantic cycle of planning, teaching, and grading, with the result that they often shelve advanced teaching strategies developed in their teacher preparation programs during two years on the job. According to Windschitl, this cycle can be countered through induction program. However, any teacher preparation programs (induction or professional development) address or involve the following in order to be successful:

1. It is centered on a common core curriculum2. Teachers have substantial knowledge of child or adolescent development, learning, and

subject-specific pedagogy3. Teachers provide students with extended opportunities to practice under the guidance of

mentors 4. It lasts at least 30 weeks, that reflect the program’s vision of good teaching and are

interwoven with course work.5. There is an extensive use of case study methods, teacher research, performance

assessments, and portfolio examinations that relate teachers’ learning to classroom practice (Darling-Hammond, 1999)

6. Analysis of samples of student work, such as drawings, explanations, essays, or videotaped classroom dialogues based on the principle that teachers adjust instructional approaches according to student’s response (Lewis and Tsuchida, 1997; Ma, 1999; Marton and Tsui, 2004; Yoshida, 1999).

Cuban (2003) also ruled out that many teachers are unfamiliar with 21CS and instructional technologies. Teachers professional development in the implementation of 21CS is therefore necessary in the absence of well-trained teachers who have direct instructional knowledge in this area. According to P21, quality professional development ensures educators understand the importance of 21CS and how to integrate them into daily instruction through a variety of tools (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006).

The alignment of 21CS, standards, curriculum, instruction, new technologies, and assessments resonate with a broader literature on successful teacher professional development programs, which tend to be:

1. Experiential—engaging teachers in concrete tasks of curriculum design, implementation, and assessment

2. Learner-focused—grounded in teachers’ own questions, problems, and issues3. Collaborative—building upon the collective experiences of participants and the wider

community4. Relevant—connected to teachers’ work and contexts5. Sustained and intensive—including ongoing support via modeling and coaching, during

and after the program6. Integrated with other aspects of school reform

In line with Darling-Hammond’s (2006) assessment of best practices in teaching and learning, 21CS take root when teachers:

1. Begin with real-world problems and processes 2. Support inquiry-based learning experiences 3. Provide opportunities for collaborative project work 4. Emphasize how to learn (i.e., above what to learn)

Third, Saavedra (2012) looks into professional development as critical to build the capabilities to teach 21CS. Hanushek (2005) found out that much of the professional development for 21st century teaching has been disappointing and ineffective, in the U.S. setting particulary. That is why a high-quality professional development is needed to help teachers develop their facility with the kinds of instructional techniques. Since not enough teachers currently have sufficient experience teaching 21CS to have developed the deep expertise needed to train others, there must be:

1. A creation of continuous learning opportunities, promoting inquiry and dialogue, encouraging collaboration and team learning, and establishing systems to capture and share learning

2. A “culture of thinking for teachers” among schools (Ritchhart & Perkins, 2008, 58.) This culture common in Shanghai, emphasises on teachers having time to observe other teachers’ classrooms regularly and borrowing effective lessons is considered a form of creativity (OECD, 2010).

3. Sustained and intensive activities rather than brief and sporadic (Guskey 2000). Like in Singapore, teachers must engage in 100 hours of professional development every year.

This will allow them to help students learn because teachers they must be given time to first to develop, absorb, discuss, and practice new knowledge. (Garet, et al 2001)

4. A compilation of appropriate materials and activities (Birman et. al, 2000). Teachers learn most effectively when the training activities involve actual teaching materials, when the activities are school based and integrated into daily teaching work of teachers, and when the pedagogy of professional development is active and requires teachers to learn in ways that reflect how they should teach pupils.

5. A collective participation among teachers from the same school, department, or grade-level.(Birman et al., 2000; Desimone et al., 2002; Garet, Porter, Desimone, et al., 2001; Wayne et al., 2008).

6. A change in practice of teachers from traditional lower-order learning activities such as presentation and the memorizing of new knowledge or one-time workshops and conferences (Ball, 1994.; Birman et al., 2000; Desimone et al., 2002; Garet, Porter, Desimone, et al., 2001; Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Wayne et al., 2008.). Teachers must follow how students learn: relevance of learning, opportunity to transfer learning to other contexts (including real world contexts), metacognition and reflection on what has been learned, and teamwork or collaborative learning activities.

Synthesis and GapsIn the light of the present study, Granwald Associates, Windschitl, Cuban, Hanushek emphasised how the the level of awareness of teachers on the 21CS influence the success or failure of its teaching. Most of them agreed that the failure to deliver the teaching of the skills is due mainly on the awareness and lack of sustained training.

They also emphasised on the importance of a sustainable and long-term training and professional development. Sporadic workshops lead teachers back to the transmission model rather than ingraining the 21CS model. Likewise, it is interesting to note that the authors came up with criteria for a 21CS-ready learning environment.

Most literature reviewed focused mainly on the kind and quality of teacher’s development thru education, training, professional development, collective study groups. It is unsurprising to note that 21CS is directly connected to technology. Such that, teachers who are more technologically-savvy are more likely to imbibe 21st century learning. Meanwhile, the integration of both 21CS and technology has created more room to consider the principles of designing a classroom that nurtures diverse learners.

There is a dearth, however, on the actual measures of data indicating the baseline awareness of teachers on the concepts or vocabulary of 21st century themes and skills, and how these may connect to help the school’s curriculum and instructional leaders to design a training program to embed 21st century learning seamlessly in a school system. It is only in Grunwalds and associates that provided a very brief overview of how teachers awareness is translated into success of teaching 21CS.

MethodsThis research will use survey questionnaire to gather data regarding the awareness level of LifeCollege teachers about 21st century learning themes and skills, and its

Name (optional)______________________________________________________ Age ______________College/University graduated from __________________________________ Sex ______________Year of Graduation _________________

Kindly shade/check as needed.

Please indicate your awareness of the term “21st century skills.”◻ I have not heard of that term.◻ I have heard of that term, but I wouldn’t know how to define it.◻ I have heard of that term and I can name some of the skills associated with it.◻ I’m very familiar with that term and could provide a list of skills commonly associated with it.

Please indicate how much 21st century skills are emphasized in your school on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is “not at all emphasized” and 5 is “strongly emphasized.” _____________

Please indicate how much 21st century skills are emphasized in your classroom on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is “not at all emphasized” and 5 is “strongly emphasized.” _____________

Please indicate how much you intend to study, apply, and embed the 21st century skills in your classroom on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is “strongly do not intend to” and 5 is “strongly intend to.” _____________

Please indicate your agreement with the following statements on your initial teacher preparation program (college/university education). Do not check if you do not agree.◻ My initial teacher preparation program taught me how to teach and foster 21st century skills in my students through my teaching.◻ My initial teacher preparation program taught me how to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom.

Rate your awareness and familiarity of the 21st century themes and skills concept and definition

I am aware & familiar of the following 21st century skills Agree Undecided Disagreecreativity & innovationcritical thinking & problems solvingcommunication & collaborationinformation, media and technologyflexibility & adaptabilityinitiative & self-directionsocial & cross-cultural skillsproductivity & accountabilityleadership & responsibility

I am aware & familiar of the following 21st century themes Agree Undecided DisagreeGlobal AwarenessFinancial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial LiteracyCivic LiteracyHealth LiteracyEnvironmental Literacy

When your school initially wanted to implement 21st Century Themes and Skills, how does the school typically handle that training and support? Please select all that apply.◻ Train a few teachers who then train others ◻ Have designated technology coordinator◻ Send teachers to training classes ◻ Bring trainer to school◻ Register teachers in online classes ◻ Conduct in house training ◻ Create support teams among teachers to meet and share experiences

From the data gathered thru the structured survey of all LifeCollege teachers, this research shall be able to answer the questions posed at the outset. Descriptive statistics shall be utilised to present the data and to come up with inferences.

Results and DiscussionDiscussionLifeCollege, a non-sectarian private school owned and managed by LifeChurch, envisions to become a “21st century learning hub for global champions.” Over the last three years, it went into major overhauls pertaining school improvement. The essential questions that the visionary president, Rev. Juan C. Buenvanture, asked themselves and all his staff asked at the beginning of the school improvement journey is, “who we are?”, “what do we want to accomplish?”, “where we are now?” and “where we want to go.”

Answers to these questions were not given in a handy. As the school is located in the sprawling part of Puerto Princesa City, it catches its enrollees mostly from urbanite and middle class dwellers. On one hand, its grade school becomes a feeder school to Science high schools in the city. The number of pupils leaving after grade school poses as annual weakness and threat to its growth. On the other hand, its high school department serves a catch basin for pupils coming from both private and public elementary schools. The diversity of learners renders itself a challenge to maintain the quality of education the school offers.

After series of meetings, discussions, and brainstorming with stakeholders, LifeCollege perceived the need to specialise in 21st century learning secondary to its Christ-centric education. One, no school is offering it as most schools would claim ‘science schools.‘ Second, no school is bold enough to claim that they mindshift from transmission model of education to real-life, skills-based learning. And third, this kind of shift means willingness to invest in technology and continuous teacher development.

To the questions we posed, we have identified LifeCollege as a “Christ-centric 21st century learning hub.” The schools offers specialised education from pre-school to high school. First, pre-school to Grade 3 specialises on numeracy, literacy, and personal leadership skills using developmentally appropriate practices. Second, Grade 4 to 6 focus on core subjects, values and teamwork, through field-based and problem-based learning. And third, Grade 7 to 10 focus on core subjects, service and career-based learning, using improvised or modified Strategies for Active and Independent Learning (SAIL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL).

Our school improvement journey begins after identifying who we are and what we want to become. The key next step is the preparation of our teachers towards the goal. How prepared are they to shift from an old paradigm to a novel one? How much are their aware of the terms and concepts pertaining to 21st century learning, both themes and skills? How much are they willing to learn once the baseline level of awareness is determined? And what are the kinds of training should they have and how shall each training run?

ProfileLifeCollege’s faculty profile is represented by mostly female, ages 20 to 30, and graduates of universities in Palawan--Palawan State University and Western Philippines University. It is interesting that majority of the school’s teaching force belongs to a group known as generation Y or millenials (Tan, ____). According to San Agustin, generation Y are those who were born from 1980 to 2000. Their generation is characterised by being tech-savvy, street smart, likes diversity, confident and sociable, and likes multi-tasking. They appreciate a multimedia environment, learning any time, any where, dynamism and flexibility, and utility of the internet. Such workforce could easily be tapped to the kind of teaching-learning the school aims to have. Whilst, it will be easier for them to accept these major shift, especially in terms of technology use, the Gen Xers and Baby

Boomers are most likely in need of assistance. Meanwhile, the Gen Xers composition of the school were identified to be willing to learn. The ground is fertile to facilititate the shift towards a 21st century learning model.

Level of AwarenessWhat Grunwalds Associates (2010) observed in their study varied in LifeCollege case, more than half of the teachers agree that they are familiar with the term and could name a list of skills commonly associated with it. None of them responded they never heard about it and they heard but do not know how to define.

Asked if the themes are emphasized in the school, most respondents agreed that it is emphasized, mostly, and very much emphasized in our school activities. It is a good indicator that the 21CL was already seeded in the learning environment of LifeCollege. This is an offshoot of what is practiced in the school as monthly themes, where both co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are plugged to the 21st century themes since 2012.

Asked if the skills are emphasized inside the classroom, most respondents said that it is emphasized, mostly emphasized, and very much emphasized. This finding coincides with Grunwalds (2010) where relatively small teachers know what these skills are, believe these skills are emphasized to at least some degree in their classrooms. Since most are aware with the terms, they are also more likely to integrate them into classroom practice

When the themes and skills are itemized in a table, and they were asked to tick if they are familiar with each item, almost all of them agreed that they are familiar with each item. Familiarity, in this context, means they have heard about the terms, and they can identify these concepts as 21st century skills. Unsurprisingly, the initial stage undertaken by the school core management group to introduce the various key concepts of 21st learning themes and skills have taken effect.

Level of Awareness Translated into Classroom PracticeA majority LifeCollege teachers intends to study, apply, and integrate the 21CS in their classrooms. This is a good indicator for the management team in starting up with the training program to fully embed 21st century learning as the school’s vision to attain. In fact, the foundation were laid down during the summer of 2013 where the school’s teaching learning principles were reviewed and revised to suit not only the teachers’ preference but also aligned with 21s century learning concepts.

However, most of them perceived that their preservice teachers’ training might have not prepared them very well for the 21CS and technology integration. According to Grunwald Associates (2010), teachers feel well prepared by their initial teacher preparation program are more likely to incorporate technology ito classroom instruction to foster 21CS. This reveals that there might be a degree of uncomfortability among our teachers, especially the GenXers, but as their willingness to learn and adaptability to changes shall facilitate a better translation of their awareness into classroom praxis.

Professional Development PlanTeachers professional development in the implementation of 21st century skills is necessary, in the absence of well-trained teachers who specialised in 21st century learning (Cuban, 2003) and lack of preparation during the preservice programs (Grunwalds 2010).

As this research reveals, the teachers awareness of the concept shall facilitate continuing professional development aligned to achieve the school’s vision. This means that the school management must come up with longer term approaches and in-house training to help both senior and novice teachers.

When they were asked for their training needs, the teachers identified the following topics or areas: (a) differentiated instruction; (b) speaking in the content areas; and (c.1) technology integration and (c.2) writing and use of rubrics. If LifeCollege were to use specific approaches such as Strategies for Active and Independent Learning and Problem-based Learning, those training will be really of help.

Conclusion LifeCollege teachers, across all sexes and age groups, are generally aware of the various concepts and terms related to 21st century learning themes and skills. Awareness means they are familiar with the concept and they can name either some or all of the skills under it.

The level of awareness was influenced by the school-wide adoption of the 21st century learning themes since school year 2012-2013. This adoption rippled to the teacher’s integration to some extent inside their classroom. But there is a need to deepen the level of teachers’ understanding of each skill and the seamless integration inside the classroom along other skills as technology integration, use of rubrics, and differentiated instruction.

If LifeCollege is to succeed with its vision to become 21st century learning, each teacher must be molded into the 21st century framework of thinking. It is a matter of sink or swim for the school to survive in producing the kind of individuals needed in the workplace, regardless of their chosen careers or profession. This journey is exciting, especially if the school invests in its human capital, such that it will influence the teaching-learning process and practice.

With this knowledge at hand, the school management can now stir the ship toward the direction it needed to take. That delves heavily on teachers’ capacity-building, to which the core management believes that the teachers must be met where they currently are, in order to make every effort successful.

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APPENDIX

The following data are the result of the survey conducted to N=28 teachers of LifeCollege.

Figure 1 shows that LifeCollege faculty member is dominated by female.

Figure 2 shows that LifeCollege has relatively young faculty members. Only 41% comprises those who are in the 31 years old and above group, while the majority covers the 20-30 years old group.

75%

25%

Figure1 - Respondents’ Profile According to Sex

Male Female

41%

24%

34%

Figure 2 - Respondents’ Profile According to Age

20-25 26-30 31<

25%

18%57%

Figure 3 - Respondents’ Profile according to college/university graduated from

Figure 3 shows that more than half of the teachers from LifeCollege are graduates from Palawan State University.

Figure 4 reveals that most of LifeCollege’s faculty graduated from college or university at the turn of the century. 32% graduated prior to year 2000.

Figure 5 shows that all LifeCollege teachers have heard about the 21st century skills. Most could name the skills, while some are very familiar with the list of skills.

PSU WPU Others

21%

39% 7%

32%

Figure 4 - Respondents’ Profile according to Year Graduated from College

>1999 2000-2005 2006-2010 2011-2015

21%

79%

Figure 5 - Respondents’ Level of Awareness to the term “21st Century skills”

1 - Never heard2 - Heard but don’t know how to define3 - Heard and can name some skills associated with it4 - Very familiar and could provide list of skills

Figure 6 shows that respondents view 21st century skills as emphasized to very much emphasized in the school.

Figure 7 shows that majority of the respondents view 21st century skills as mostly emphasized already in their classrooms.

Figure 8 shows that 57 % of LifeCollege teachers strongly intend to implement seamlessly the 21st century skills in their subject area taught and in their classroom.

46%39%

14%

Figure 6 - How much is 21st century skills emphasized in the school

1 - Not at all emphasized 2 - Rarely emphasized 3 - Emphasized4 - Mostly emphasized 5 - Very much emphasized

14%

54%

32%

Figure 7 - How much is 21st century skills emphasized inside the classroom

1 - Not at all emphasized 2 - Rarely emphasized 3 - Emphasized4 - Mostly Emphasized 5 - Very much emphasized

57% 29%

14%

Figure 8 - How much do teachers intend to study, apply, and integrate the 21st century skills in the classroom

1 - Strongly do not intend to 2 - Do not intend to 3 - Undecided 4 - Intend to5 - Strongly intend to

Figure 9 shows the responses on whether their college/university education prepared them to the include 21st century skills and technology. Ten out of 16 teachers who earned their Bachelor’s degree from PSU believe that they were prepared by for 21stCS and technology integration.

Figure 10 shows the awareness and familiarity of the faculty members to specific 21st century skills concepts. Most of the agree that they are familiar with the concepts.

1 - My ITPP prepared me to teach and foster 21st century skills

2 - My ITPP prepared me to integrate technology in the classroom

0 8 15 23 30

Figure 9 - Initial Teacher’s Preparation Progam

creativity/innovation

critical thinking/problem solving

communication/collaboration

information, media, technology

flexibity/adaptability

initiative/self-direction

social/cross-cultural skills

productivity/accountability

leadership/responsibility

0 8 15 23 30

Figure 10 - Awareness & Familiarity with 21st century skills concepts

Agree Undecided Disagree

Figure 11 shows the awareness and familiarity of the faculty members to specific 21st century skills concepts. Most of the agree that they are familiar with the concepts.

Figure 12 shows the areas that teachers deem necessary for training. The top three areas include differentiated instructions, speaking in the content areas, and a tie between technology integration and rubrics making.

global awareness

financial, economic, business and entrpreneurial literacy

civic literacy

health literacy

environmental literacy

0 8 15 23 30

Figure 11 - Awareness & Familiarity with 21st century themes concepts

Agree Undecided Disagree

classroom management

differentiated instruction

technology integration

rubrics making

personality development

reading in the content areas

writing in the content areas

speaking in the content areas

0 7 13 20

Figure 12 - Areas for Training and Professional Development