Republic of the Philippines

Northern Iloilo State University

Ajuy Campus
Ajuy, Iloilo

Reg. No. 97Q19783

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Bachelor of Secondary Education

Subject: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Topic: 21st Century Skills
Time Allotment: 6 hrs.

21st CENTURY SKILL CATEGORIES

I. Introduction

To succeed in life and in their future career, students hone and empower themselves
with learning and innovation skills, information, media and technology skills, life and career
skills, and social and cross-cultural skills.

This module is all about the 21 st century skill categories and its integration to teaching-
learning process and learning environments.

II. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the Chapter, the students must be able to:

1. Identified the categories of 21st century skills;
2. Described the framework of the 21st century skills;
3. Discussed the integration of 21st century skills in teaching-learning process;
4. Defined the implications of 21 st Century skills to educator and to pre-service teacher
preparation.

III. Learning Content/ Topic

The 21st Century Skills

21st Century skills refer to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, character
traits that are deemed necessary in coping with today’s world and future careers and
workplaces. Thus, it can be applied in all academic subject areas and educational settings
throughout the student’s life.

The 21st Century skills may include the following:

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

(1) critical thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing
information;
(2) research skills and practices, interrogative questioning;
(3) creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression;
(4) perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative;
(5) oral and written communication, public speaking and presenting, listening;
(6) leadership, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, facility in using virtual workspaces;
(7) information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, media and Internet literacy, data
interpretation and analysis, computer programming;
(8) civic, ethical, and social justice literacy;
(9) economic and financial literacy, entrepreneurialism;
(10) global awareness, multicultural literacy, humanitarianism;
(11) scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific method;
(12) environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystem understanding and;
(13) health and wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet, exercise, and public health and
safety.

Framework for 21st Century

According to the Partnership for 21 st

Century skills, this concept encompasses a
wide array of a body of knowledge and skills
that have to be categorized. Moreover, this
concept has been interconnected with applied
skills, cross-curricular skills, cross-disciplinary
skills, interdisciplinary skills, transferable
skills, transversal skills, non cognitive skills
and soft skills.

The 21st Century skills concept is grounded on the belief that students must be educated
in a more relevant, useful, in-demand and universally applicable manner. The idea simply lies in
the fact that students need to be taught different skills and reflect on the specific demands that
will be placed upon them in a complex, competitive, knowledge-based, information-age and
technology-driven society. Therefore, 21 st Century education addresses the whole child or the
whole person (AACTE,2010).

Hence, the curriculum should be designed to be interdisciplinary, integrated and project-

based. Tony Wagner (2010), in his book “The Global Achievement Gap”, advocated the

Seven Survival Skills, namely:

(1) critical thinking and problem-solving;

(2) collaboration across networks and leading by influence;
(3) agility and adaptability;
(4) initiative and entrepreneurialism;
(5) effective oral and written communication;

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(6) accessing and analyzing information; and
(7) curiosity and imagination.

The term “21 st Century skills” refer to certain core competencies, such as collaboration,
digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that schools need to teach the students for
them to thrive in today’s world.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills presents the following sets of skills that
are categorized accordingly with different strands of expected outcomes.

Learning and Innovation Skills

These are the primary skills orchestrated in the 21 st Century. They are attributes that
differentiate students who are prepared for a complex life and work environment from those
who are not. Therefore, there is a need to stress on creativity, critical thinking, communication
and collaboration in preparing learners for the future.

A. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. These may include effectively analyzing and
evaluating evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs; and solving different kinds of non-
familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways.

Skill Sub-skills
1. Work together Establish clear definitions and agreements on the roles of
effectively in team partners in the collaborative process
Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks
Carefully identify obstacles and address problems
cooperatively

Skill Sub-skills
2. Reason effectively Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as
appropriate to the situation
Use systems thinking
Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to
produce overall outcomes in complex systems

Skill Sub-skill
3. Make judgements and Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims
decisions and beliefs
Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
Synthesize and make connections between information and
arguments
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best
analysis
Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

Skill Sub-skill
4. Solve problems Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both
conventional and innovative ways
Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various
points of view and lead to better solutions

B. Communication. This pertains to articulating thoughts and ideas effectively using oral
and written communication skills in a variety of forms and context.

Skill Sub-skill
1. Communicate Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written
clearly and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and
contexts
Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge,
values, attitudes, motivate and intentions
Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform,
instruct, motivate, and persuade)
Utilize multiple media and technologies, and judge, their
effectiveness a priori, as well as assess their impact
Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including
multi-lingual)
Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and
communicate information
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players,
GPS, etc.), communication/networking tools and social
networks appropriately to access
Exercise flexibility and willingness in making necessary
comprises to accomplish a common goal
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and
value the individual contributions made by each team
member

C. Collaboration. It entails demonstrating ability to work effectively and respectfully with

diverse teams.

Skill Sub-skill
1. Work together Establish clear definitions and agreements on the roles of
effectively in team partners in the collaborative process
Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks
Carefully identify obstacles and address problems
cooperatively

D. Creativity and Innovation. It denotes use of wide range of idea creation techniques
to creates new and worthwhile ideas.

Skill Sub-skill

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

 1. Think creatively Use a wide range of idea creation techniques, such as
brainstorming
Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and
radical concepts)
Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in
order to improve and maximize creative efforts

Skill Sub-skill
2. Work creatively with Develop, I incorporate group input and implement and
others communicate new ideas to others effectively
Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspective;
incorporate group input and feedback into the work
Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and
understand the real-world limits to adopting new ideas
View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that
creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of
small success and frequent mistakes

Skill Sub-skill
3. Implement innovations Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful
contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur

INFORMATION MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

People in the 21st Century live in a technology and media saturated environment
marked by the following: (1) access to an abundance of information; (2) rapid changes in
technology tolls; and (3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions
unprecedented scale.

Therefore, to be effective in the 21st Century, everyone must be able to exhibit a range and
critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology (AACTE, 2010).

A. Information Literacy. It refers to accessing and evaluating information critically and

competently and managing the flow of information from a wide variety of sources.

Skill Sub-skill
1. Access and evaluate information Access information efficiently (time) and
effectively (sources)
Evaluate information critically and competently

Skill Sub-skill
2. Use and manage information Use information accurately and creatively for the
issue or problem at hand
Manage the flow of information from a wide
variety of sources
Apply a fundamental understanding of the

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 ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and
use of information

B. Media Literacy. It underscores understanding both how and why media messages
are constructed; creating media products by understanding and utilizing the most
appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and conventions.

Skill Sub-skill
1. Analyze media Understand both how and why media messages
are constructed, and for what purposes
Examine how individuals interpret messages
differently, how values and points of view are
included or excluded, and how media can
influence beliefs and behaviors
Apply a fundamental understanding of the
ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and
use of media

Skill Sub-skill
2. Create media products Understand and utilize the most appropriate
media creation tools, characteristics and
conventions
Understand and effectively utilize the most
appropriate expression and interpretations in
diverse, multi-cultural environments

C. Technology Literacy. It pertains to the use of technology as a tool to research,

evaluate and communicate information.

Skill Sub-skill
1. Apply technology effectively Use technology as a tool to research, organize,
evaluate and communicate information
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media
players, GPS, etc.), communication/networking
tools and social networks appropriately to access,
manage, integrate, evaluate and create
information to successfully function in knowledge
economy
Apply a fundamental understanding of the
ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and
use of information technologies

D. Life and Career Skills. Today’s life and work environments both require more than
thinking skills and content knowledge. Cultivating the activity to navigate the
complex life requires students to develop the following life and career skills: (1)
flexibility and adaptability; (2) initiative and self-direction; (3) social and cross-

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

 cultural skills; (4) productivity and accountability; and (5) leadership and
responsibility (AACTA, 2010).

Flexibility and Adaptability

Skill Sub-skill
1. Adapt to change Adapt to varied roles, job responsibilities,
schedules and contexts
Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity
and changing priorities

Skill Sub-skill
2. Be flexible Incorporate feedback effectively
Deal positively with praise, setbacks and
criticism
Understand, negotiate and balance diverse
views and beliefs to reach workable
solutions, particularly in multi-cultural
environments

INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION

Skill Sub-skill
1. Manage goals and time Set goals with tangible and intangible
success criteria
Balance tactical (short term) and strategic
(long term) goals
Utilize time and manage workload
efficiently

Skill Sub-skill
2. Work independently Monitor, define, prioritize and complete
tasks without direct oversight

Skill Sub-skill
3. Be self-directed learner Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or
curriculum to explore and expand one’s
own learning and opportunities to gain
expertise
Demonstrate initiative to advance skill
levels towards a professional level
Demonstrate commitment to learning as a
lifelong process
Demonstrate integrity and ethical behaviour

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 in using influence and power

Skills Sub-skill
4. Be responsible to others Act responsibly with the interests of the
larger community in mind
Consider the others idea and view points
Look for others welfare and safety in all
circumstances
Assists others in tie of their own downfalls
and setbacks

SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS

Skills Sub-skill
1. Interact effectively with others Know when it is appropriate to listen and
when to speak
Conduct one’s self in a respectable,
professional manner

Skills Sub-skill
2. Work effectively in diverse teams Respect cultural differences and work
effectively with people from a range of
social and cultural backgrounds
Respond open-mindedly to different ideas
and values
Leverage social and cultural differences to
create new ideas and increase both
innovation and quality work

PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Skill Sub-skill
1. Manage projects Set and meet goals, even in the face of
obstacles and competing pressures
Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve
the intended result

Skill Sub-skill
2. Produce results Demonstrate additional attributes associated
with producing high quality products,
including the abilities to:
-work positively
-manage time and projects effectively
-multi-task
-participate actively, as well as be reliable
and punctual

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 -present oneself professionally and with
proper etiquette
-collaborate and cooperate effectively with
teams
-respect and appreciate team diversity
-be accountable for results

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY

Skill Sub-skill
1. Guide and lead others Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills
to influence and guide others toward a goal
Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a
common goal
Inspire others to reach their very best via
example and self-lessness
Demonstrate integrity and ethical behaviour
in using influence and power

Skill Sub-skill
2. Be responsible to others Act responsibly with the interest of the larger
community in mind

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Teaching-Learning Process

The 21st Century support systems. The following elements are the critical systems
necessary to ensure student mastery of 21 st Century skills: (1) 21st Century standards; (2)
assessments; (3) curriculum and instruction; (4) professional development; and (5) learning
environments. These must be aligned to produce a support system that produces 21 st Century
outcomes for today’s students. (Partnership for 21 st Century Skills, 2008).

1. 21st Century Standards

1.1 Focus on 21st Century skills, content knowledge and expertise
1.2 Build understanding across and among core subjects, as well as 21 st Century
interdisciplinary themes
1.3 Emphasize deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
1.4 Engage students with the real-world data, tools and experts they will encounter in
college, on the job, and in life; students learn best when actively engaged in
solving meaningful problems
1.5 Allow for multiple measures of mastery

2. Assessment of 21st Century Skills

2.1 Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing
along with effective formative and summative classroom assessments
2.2 Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into
everyday learning

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 2.3 Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative
assessments that measure student mastery of 21 st Century skills
2.4 Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of
21st Century skills to educators and prospective employers
2.5 Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational system’s
effectiveness in reaching high levels of student competency in 21 st Century skills
(AACTE, 2010)

3. 21st Century Curriculum and Instruction

3.1 Teaches 21st Century skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21 st
Century interdisciplinary themes
3.2 Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21 st Century skills across the
content areas and for a competency-based approach to learning
3.3 Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use of supportive
technologies, inquiry- and problem-based approaches and high-order thinking
skills
3.4 Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school walls
(AACTE,2010)

4. The 21st Century Professional Development

4.1 Highlight ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21 st Century skills,
tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice and help them identify
what activities they can replace/de-emphasize
4.2 Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods
4.3 Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can enhance problem-
solving, critical thinking, and other 21 st Century skills
4.4 Enables 21st Century professional learning communities for teachers that model
the kinds of classroom learning best promotes 21 st Century skills for students
4.5 Cultivate teachers’ ability to identify students’ particular learning styles,
intelligences, strengths and weaknesses
4.6 Helps teachers develop their abilities to use various strategies (such as formative
assessments) to reach diverse students and create environments that support
differentiated teaching and learning
4.7 Supports the continuous evaluation of students’ 21 st Century skills development
4.8 Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners using face to
face, virtual and blended communications
4.9 Uses a scalable and sustainable model of professional development (AACTE, 2010)

5. The 21st Century Learning Environments

5.1 Create learning practices, human support and physical environments that will
support the teaching and learning of 21 st Century skill outcomes
5.2 Support professional learning communities that enable educators to collaborate,
share best practices and integrate 21st Century skills into classroom practice
5.3 Enable students to learn in relevant, real-world 21 st Century contexts (e.g.,
through project-based or other applied work)
5.4 Allow equitable access to quality learning tools technologies and resources

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 5.5 Provide 21st Century architectural and interior designs for group, team and
individual learning
5.6 Support expanded community and international involvement in learning, both
face-to-face and online (AACTE,2010)

Implications to Educators

The advent of 21st Century skill enhancement among learners bring the following
implications to educators in:
1. Successfully complementing technologies to content and pedagogy and developing
the ability to creatively use technologies to meet specific learning needs
2. Aligning instruction with standards, particularly those that embody 21 st Century
knowledge and skills
3. Balancing direct instruction strategically with project-oriented teaching methods
4. Applying child and adolescent development knowledge to educator preparation and
education policy
5. Using a range of assessment strategies to evaluate student performance and
differentiate instruction (including but not limited to formative, portfolio-based,
curriculum and embedded and summative)
6. Participating actively in learning communities, tapping the expertise within a school
or school district through coaching, mentoring, knowledge-sharing, and team
teaching
7. Acting as mentors and peer coaches with fellow educators
8. Using a range of strategies (such as formative assessments) to reach diverse
students and to create environments that support differentiated teaching and
learning
9. Pursuing continuous learning opportunities and embracing career-long learning as
professional ethics (AACTE, 2010)
10. Establishing a conducive learning environment where learners can freely express
themselves and explore their potentials and capacities

Implications to Pre-service Teacher Preparation

There is a need to understand the key elements of optimum curricula that will help pre-
service teachers develop the dispositions, habits of mind and confidence to enable students
develop 21st Century skills in a range of core academic subject areas.
Since schools get rid of a one-size-fits-all system, therefore, pre-service teachers are
expected to play an active role in developing and organizing content and instruction for their
students.
AACTE (2010) asserts that a 21st Century approach too curriculum is about more than
just adding an extra course or extra class time in the curriculum. Thus, pre-service teachers
benefit from the ability to fully explore and understand how to develop and use curriculum for
deep understanding and mastery of academic subject knowledge and 21 st Century skills.

As a starting point, a teacher education program can be aligned with student and
teacher standards in a way that blend thinking and innovation skills, ICT literacy; and life and
career skills in the context of all academic subjects and across interdisciplinary themes.

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

 An effective 21st Century skills approach to curriculum, in other words, is designed for
understanding (McTighe and Wiggins, 2005 in AACTE, 2010). The program’s curriculum will be
most beneficial to pre-service teachers if it is designed to produce deep understanding and
authentic application of 21st Century skills in all subject areas.

Instructional models. Instructional models are an important component of any

teacher preparation program. AACTE (2010) pointed out that the integration of innovative and
research-proven teaching strategies, modern learning technologies and real-world resources
and contexts are all imperative in:

1. Integrating “teach for understanding” principles. When pre-service teachers

can prepare and present lessons that can develop students’ essential concepts and
skills with the integration of technologies, the latter can reciprocally demonstrate
critical thinking and problem-solving in class.
2. Creating rich practice teaching experiences. Strong practice teaching
experiences allow pre-service teachers to connect theory and practice.
3. Creating dynamic learning communities and peer mentoring networks. Pre-
service teachers benefit greatly from service-learning as part of their experiential
learning courses. It provides time to reflect on their pedagogic strategies that
enhance 21st Century skills in classroom practices.
4. Examining the role of content, pedagogy and technologies in developing
higher-order thinking skills. The ability to teach for content mastery is a
challenging task for most pre-service teachers. Teaching for content mastery (1)
supports a range of high-quality standardized testing along formative and summative
assessments; (2) emphasizes useful feedback on student performance; (3) requires
balanced technology-enhanced, formative and summative assessments; (4) enables
development of student portfolios that demonstrate mastery of 21 st Century
knowledge and skills; and (5) enables a balanced score card assess the educational
system’s effectiveness.

Teacher preparation programs can play a vital role in developing educational leaders
who understand and can influence current trends in assessment through: (1) research and
evaluation test for innovative approaches; (2) 21 st Century knowledge and skills assessment
strategies; and (3) mastery of a wide range of student assessment methods.

Learning environments. The learning environment within the teacher

preparation program is a key component of any systemic reform initiative. Determining
the enabling structures, policies and strategies that can best support 21 st Century skills
acquisition among pre-service teachers is a step towards creating a kind of environment
that will promote 21st Century learning.
The following are initiatives in creating 21 st Century teacher education learning
environment: (1) Establish a 21st Century vision for learning environments in the
program and the university; (2) Ensure that the physical infrastructure supports 21 st
Century knowledge and skills; (3) Practice flexibility in time for project-based work and
competency-based assessment; (4) Ensure technical infrastructure that sufficiently

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

 supports learning; and (5) Strengthen networking engagement in the learning
environment.

Partnerships. Partnerships are extraordinarily important in the work of

transforming 21st Century teacher preparation programs. Along the line, teamwork
within the program and the institution is imperative for sustainability and development.
The partnership forged with community leaders, business industry, professional
associations, government agencies, non-government organizations, other institutions,
parents, other stakeholders and the community creates high impact outcome.
The powerful partnerships are created through strong collaboration towards
enabling innovation in the teaching and learning for the 21 st Century.

Continuous improvement. Continuous improvement represents willingness to

commit to revisiting the process over time. For AACTE (2010), any implementation effort
should include continuous improvement steps. To wit: (1) Clearly identify measurable
goals; (2) Track progress regularly against these goals; (3) Communicate progress to all
stakeholders; and (4) Engage all participants in refining and improving success over
time (AACTE, 2010)

IV. Learning Assessment

V. Enhancement Activity

Share a personal experience in which you were able to develop any of the 21 st Century
skills. What life lessons and values have you realized and learned?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

VI. Reference:

References:

De Leon, Elmer B. DEM. (2020). Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the
Curriculum. Lorimar Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Manila

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd

 VII. Course Syllabus in PED 110- Building and Enhancing Literacies Across the
Curriculum.

PED 110 MARY ANN M. TUANDO, MAEd