The HOM and 21st Century Skills really go hand-in-hand. I think the days of "teacher-talk, student-listen" are (hopefully) gone. I think both of these skills/mindsets could be enhanced through collaborative groupwork, and also student choice.
1) Collaborative Groupwork- having to work together towards a common goal would have to involve communication, collaboration and creative thinking (the 4 C's). When I assigned a short story project last year with my ninth graders, they were in groups or 2 or 3 and they had to either write a short story or create a graphic novel together. They had to find ways to equitably divide up the work after deciding as a group what they wanted their story to be about and the direction it would take. I also see many of the HOM in this project as well, since they needed to listen to each other, find ways to be flexible when they had different ideas, remain open when hearing other thoughts and ideas, and being creative with their stories. I had each group member complete an evaluation form for the other members which rated their contributions, how they communicated with each other, etc. It really seemed to work well when each member felt that they had an equal contribution to the final product.
2) Student Choice- I think students can show their learning in a variety of ways, and allowing them some choice could create opportunities for 21st Century Skills and HOM. Exposing students to new technology and ways of getting information across, like infographics for example, or using programs like Canva instead of just Google Slides, allows students to dabble in newer technologies and ways of communicating. They might also feel more motivated for a project they had some say in, so some HOM would come to the surface like persisting, creating-imagining-innovating, and taking responsible risks.
I think no matter what, teachers need to demonstrate 21st Century Skills and HOM so that students can see these things in action. We should model the kinds of skills and behaviors we'd like to see our students using and developing.
1) Collaborative Groupwork- having to work together towards a common goal would have to involve communication, collaboration and creative thinking (the 4 C's). When I assigned a short story project last year with my ninth graders, they were in groups or 2 or 3 and they had to either write a short story or create a graphic novel together. They had to find ways to equitably divide up the work after deciding as a group what they wanted their story to be about and the direction it would take. I also see many of the HOM in this project as well, since they needed to listen to each other, find ways to be flexible when they had different ideas, remain open when hearing other thoughts and ideas, and being creative with their stories. I had each group member complete an evaluation form for the other members which rated their contributions, how they communicated with each other, etc. It really seemed to work well when each member felt that they had an equal contribution to the final product.
2) Student Choice- I think students can show their learning in a variety of ways, and allowing them some choice could create opportunities for 21st Century Skills and HOM. Exposing students to new technology and ways of getting information across, like infographics for example, or using programs like Canva instead of just Google Slides, allows students to dabble in newer technologies and ways of communicating. They might also feel more motivated for a project they had some say in, so some HOM would come to the surface like persisting, creating-imagining-innovating, and taking responsible risks.
I think no matter what, teachers need to demonstrate 21st Century Skills and HOM so that students can see these things in action. We should model the kinds of skills and behaviors we'd like to see our students using and developing.