Category Archives: Thinking Skills

Are They Really Ready for Work?

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At the professional learning a group of us attended today, statistics from a 2006 report came to our attention.

The Conference Board, in 2006, produced Are They Really Ready for Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce.  You can still download the report.

I just want to share with you today one part of the 64-page report:

To determine future skill needs, employer respondents were asked to indicate how the importance of the basic knowledge and applied skill areas would change over the next five years…

  1. Critical thinking/Problem solving
  2. Information Technology application
  3. Teamwork/Collaboration
  4. Creativity/Innovation
  5. Diversity
  6. Leadership
  7. Oral communications
  8. Professionalism/Work ethic
  9. Ethics/Social responsibility
  10. Written communications

(pp. 48, 49)

How well do you think our classrooms meet this need?

Project-Based Learning

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[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/882nDr_9178" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Parramatta Marist High at Westmead is looking to engage its students in project-based learning.  Above is a YouTube video shared by our Executive Director, Greg Whitby, of the conversation he had with PMH staff about their plans.

I’ve chosen to share with this because I believe what the staff say, especially principal Br Patrick Howlett fms, is something that would resonate with most teachers today.  Notice too, how their conversation reflects a similar one we’ve been having about learning – that acquiring/consuming/absorbing content is pointless without the skills to not only do it themselves in the future, but also to do something with it.

There’s no mention of technology, but imagine how they could use technology to help them achieve the results they want to see with the students.