I am a big fan of the “Partnership for Partnership for 21st Century Skills”. Their work is important and necessary if we are to compete in the 21st century. Bringing states on board, one by one, is what sets them apart from others with the same goals. You can hardly read an article on 21st century learning, education, teachers, students without hearing about their work.

I worry, however, that we might be focusing almost exclusively on preparing students for life after high school while losing sight of another important goal: to create K-12 learning environments that foster a genuine love for learning. If we are to remain relevant to our students, we must find better ways of engaging them in the learning process. Long gone are the days where all students learn from the “sage on the stage”.

Karl Fisch, another one of my favorite bloggers, has a post that beautifully reflects these ideas. In his post entitled, “Let’s Stop Preparing Kids for College” he says,

“Let’s make their high school experience meaningful and relevant, so that they rarely feel the need to ask the question, “When are we ever going to use this?” because the answer will be so darn obvious. So often the answer teachers typically give to that question is, “In the next course” – which is a travesty. If we can’t give them a better answer than that, then we shouldn’t be teaching that topic. Let’s follow the words of Seneca that are posted in my school’s cafeteria, “Not for school, but for life, we learn.”

He goes on to say,

“Oh, by the way, I would argue that if we do this – if we stop “preparing them for college” and actually make their education meaningful and relevant right now, a by-product will be they will actually be better prepared for college and the world of work. They won’t be meeting seat-time requirements with no regard for what they actually know and understand, but instead will be placed in relevant situations solving meaningful and important problems that will prepare them for college, the world of work, and to be effective and contributing citizens in a vibrant democracy.”

Brilliant, Karl. We are all so fortunate that you share your thoughts and ideas so freely.