21st Century Curriculum and Instruction
• Teaches 21st century skills discretely in the context of key subjects and 21st century interdisciplinary themes
• Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21st century skills across content areas and for a competency-based approaches and higher order thinking skills
• Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school walls
21st Century Professional Development
• Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21st century skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice-and help them identify what activities they can replace/de-emphasize
• Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods
• Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem-solving, critical thinking, and other 21st century skills
• Enables 21st century professional learning communities for teachers that model the kinds of classroom learning that best promotes 21st century skills for students
• Cultivates teachers’ ability to identify students’ particular learning styles, intelligences, strengths and weaknesses
• 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
• Supports the continuous evaluation of students’ 21st century skills development
• Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners, using face-to-face, virtual and blended communications
• Uses a scalable and sustainable model of professional development