THE WOODLANDS THE WOODLANDS
CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY A C A D E M Y SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
21st Century Learning & Innovation Skills - by Steve Zeal, School Principal Last week I discussed how the new millennium was ushered in by a dramatic, technological revolution. We live and teach in an increasingly diverse, global, and complex society where our children are digital natives - native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. At Woodlands Christian we are committed to preparing and equipping our students to positively impact their world and their future for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. This means that as a school community we must learn to speak their language! Consequently, skills and learning are being systematically re-thought and re-engineered to serve the evolving needs of our students in this new millennium. The hardest questions and biggest problems we face today do not have one right answer. The skills our students increasingly need can be best described with this distinctive pairing: non-routine thinking and complex communications. 21st century learning and innovation skills are what will separate students who are prepared for today’s increasingly complex life and work environments from those who are not. These skills are often referred to as the Four C’s and include: • Creativity and Innovation. Students are learning to elaborate, refine, and evaluate ideas in order to maximize creative efforts. • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Students are learning to reason effectively as they analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs.
• Communication. Students are learning to articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills in a variety of forms. • Collaboration. Students are learning to work effectively and respectfully in diverse teams, exercise flexibility, and assume shared responsibility for collaborative work. Our teachers are being trained to incorporate these skills into their planning and instruction because we believe that learning is activated when we help our students uncover information, not simply cover it for them. It is the process of learning, not the content of learning, that addresses the Four C’s. This is not to say that basics and core subject learning need to be eliminated, far from it! 21st century education must be founded on the solid ground of content knowledge. No 21st century skills implementation can be successful without developing core academic subject knowledge and understanding among all students. The process of knowledge-getting however, is seen as a process, not a product. A large part of this process involves the use of technology. My next article will focus on the role technology plays in this expanding territory we call 21st century learning.
In observance of Labor Day Campus will be closed Monday, September 7, 2015 Classes resume Tuesday, September 8, 2015
5800 ACADEMY WAY . THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS 77384 . 936-273-2555 . WWW.TWCA.NET