1. Preparing Our Students for the 21 st Century Matt Cwalina Director of Curriculum and Instruction (Science and Technology) Norristown Area School District August 5, 2009

2. What We Know Today… In order to compete in a 21 st century global economy, Pennsylvania needs a highly- educated and proficient workforce. By the year 2010, the U.S. will face a shortage of 12 million qualified workers for the fastest- growing job sectors including health care and computer technology. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) This will make it imperative that all youth - both enrolled and out of school - have the skills and education to meet this shortage.

3. Fortune 500 Characteristics 1970 Writing 1 Computational Skills 2 Reading Skills 3 Oral Communication 4 Listening Skills 5 Personal Career Development 6 Creative Thinking 7 Leadership 8 Goal Setting/Motivation 9 Teamwork 10 Organizational Effectiveness 11 Problem Solving 12 Interpersonal Skills 13 2000 10 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 11 2 3

4. What similarities and differences do you notice? How does this differ from a traditional view of instruction? What does this information mean for our students? Our Teachers? The Community? Observations

5. Partnership for 21st Century Learning: 21st Century Skills Who is the Partnership for 21 st Century Learning? The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the nation’s leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education, comprised of some of the following… Adobe Apple AT&T Educational Testing Service Ford Motor Intel Junior Achievement Microsoft Sesame Street Verizon

6. Partnership for 21 st Century Learning: 21 st Century Skills Digital-Age Literacy: Basic, Scientific, Economic, Technological, Visual, Information, Multicultural and Global Awareness, Health

7. Inventive Thinking: Partnership for 21st Century Learning: 21st Century Skills Adaptability and Managing Complexity, Self-Direction, Curiosity, Creativity, Risk Taking, Higher-Order Thinking and Sound Reasoning

8. Effective Communication: Teaming and Collaboration, Interpersonal Skills, Personal Responsibility, Social and Civic Responsibility, Interactive Communication Partnership for 21st Century Learning: 21st Century Skills

9. High Productivity: Partnership for 21st Century Learning: 21st Century Skills Prioritizing, Planning and Managing for Results, Effective Use of Real-World Tools, Ability to Produce Relevant, High-Quality Products

10. How We Can Help Parents Discuss course selections Discuss “future plans” often Encourage your children to take rigorous course work, especially during their senior year Tap into resources about college and future planning

11. “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery