The connection between a 21 st century curriculum and the instructional approach
is the cornerstone in the successful implementation of a 21 st century educational program.
The literature indicated that curriculum must blend thinking skills with the content from
core classes. Merely learning the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic will not be
enough for highly skilled work in the 21 st century. The directors of the Change
Leadership Group at Harvard University, Wagner, et. al. (2008), recommended a
curriculum that is built on rigor, relevance and respect. By providing a positive
environment while challenging students’ thinking and connecting the content to the real-
world, students will acquire academic and social competencies. Perkins (2008) also
researched this concept of integrating innovative instructional approaches, high level
thinking skills and real-world contexts and labeled it a “thinking” curriculum. This
curriculum provided a rich understanding of the subject and skills in order to apply
understanding to complex real-world problems. Perkins’ (2008) research further indicated
that the curriculum must reach beyond content knowledge to include a strong emphasis
on 21 st century skills, such as thinking skills, technology competencies and global