Category Archives: Karen Wong

Incorporating 21st century skills to traditional curriculum

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Below is the chart that Lauren, Vanessa and I made during the presentation/discussion on Thursday, October 18th. The chart shows how 21st century competences can be incorporated into the traditional curriculum.

Traditional Subjects

Incorporating Skills
Math
  • multiple ways of teaching – centers/stations
  • peer tutoring
  • group work/competitions
Science
  • science fair
  • community service projects
  • through tech collaborate with sister schools on world issues
Language Arts (English)
  • acting our dialogues from literature
  • reading projects with lower grades
  • content-based learning with cross-cultural components
Social Science (History)
  • project-based learning
  • use traditional skills to apply to current world
Music
  • music in other languages
  • create own music & music videos
Foreign Languages
  • authentic material
Physical Education
  • incorporate dance from other cultures
  • create own choreography
Arts (Visual & Performing)
  • use recycle materials to create art
  • use tech to create digital art

DQ #8: 21st Century Competences

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  1. With the emergence of information and communications technologies (ICT) and the emphasis on fostering these skills through education, what will happen to the traditional core classes (such as math, history, arts, literature, etc.)? Will there be consequences in the focus on 21st century skills?
  2. It seems as though the implementation of 21st century competences in the curriculum requires a lot of active assistance or collaboration with various sectors. As education policies change to adapt to 21st century needs, how does a country or an institution able to effective enhance students’ 21st century skills if these sectors are unable or unwilling to actively participate? How could education policies ensure that necessary skills are taught to students without risking their education from the uncertainty of other sectors?

DQ#7: The Great Mismatch

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  1. The article mentions that lowering unemployment rates require structural reforms, such as “changing education to endure that people enter work equipped with the sort of skills firms are willing to fight over.” Most of us would agree that “the sort of skills firms are willing to fight over” would be skills like inter-cultural communication skills, which can be fostered through international education. But with the internet and expatriate workers connecting people in an “inter-cultural” sense, how can international education policy “sell” the fact that through international education one can foster more skills for the job market than to self-learn these skills through experience and self-conducted research?
  2. In the “Great Mismatch” special report, several articles mentions the fight between companies to hire the best talents, while these “transformational” workers are getting paid disproportionally more than merely competent workers. Since there is no standardization for such talents, how can we ensure that students benefiting for an international education would be able to compete in this market? Are changes in education policy enough to assists this younger generation out of unemployment?

DQ #6: TIMSS & PISA

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  1. Why are these international assessment comparison and findings important? How does this affect the education system and policies of any given country?
  2. After looking at these assessment rankings and findings, how would this affect the implementation of international education around the world? For countries who are below average, how might their ranking affect international education policies of the country? How are the students affected by these assessments in terms of global learning?

DQ #5: International Baccalaureate

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  1. For students who have been through the IB programs, a certain culture and mindset is instilled in them. However, when they move on to a university their peers and professors and the curriculum may not support these students’ learning culture, which might pose some problems in the students’ transition. What are your thoughts about this? How might the student, the universities, or IB assist in these situations?
  2. There is criticism that IB programs are adopted in schools with already high striving students where such a curriculum design is not necessary for the successful of their students. How do you think IB can expand to help schools that need IB program implementations more? Would that benefit more people around the world, especially those who are underprivileged?

DQ #4 Bologna Process

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1. Of the hypotheses stated in the article, which do you think has the greatest impact on education policy convergence? Why?

2. Would the concept of higher education policy convergence work with other countries? For example with the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, or in South America, or Asia? What makes EU’s education policy convergence work, and why haven’t other countries converged in similar ways?