-Alvin Toffler

It is indeed a great honor to serve a second term as our association’s president for the 2009-10 academic year. By leaping into action for business/technology education, we were able to accomplish many of the goals we set for 2008-09. As we begin to move forward, now is the time to realize that Fresh Ideas Start Here…in Business/Technology Education.

What many business/technology teachers would like to understand is how 21st century skills are different from the 1991 Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) or reports issued by the CEO Forum on Education and Technology that we have been using in our classrooms for years. According to Harvard University Professor Chris Dede, “the recommendations are not all that new.” These skills are now required to be infused throughout the entire curriculum, not strictly in business/ technology courses. This shift in pedagogy allows students to use 21st century skills while mastering core content areas.ⁱ Business/technology teachers can bring about such change in our schools by starting conversations with colleagues about building their own 21st century classrooms.

“[T]he nation requires a fresh approach to education that recognizes the critical role 21st-century skills play in the workplace.”ⁱⁱ Like SCANS and the CEO Forum, these Fresh Ideas Start Here…in Business/Technology Education. As experts in delivering the essential skills that students need to succeed in work and life, business/technology teachers are excellent candidates to help their colleagues become facilitators of learning rather than transmitters of knowledge. By working collaboratively we will expand our schools’ capacity to become 21st century learning communities.  To start planning collectively and strategically for student-centered, performance-focused learning, try experimenting with some of these fresh ideas that support divergent thinking across the curriculum:

• Support teacher exploration of local resources, local talent, and a range of technology solutions.

• Drive integration by closely aligning 21st century skills with math, social studies, etc.

• Engage in open-ended, inquiry-based instruction.

• Work with school/district stakeholders to create a strategic plan for implementing 21st century skills.

• Model instructional strategies that work well in the business/technology education classroom, such as project-based learning and cooperative learning.

• Pose real-world problems and allow students to work on collaborative solutions across the curriculum.

• Teach for understanding so that students can make connections between 21st century skills and academic learning.

• Train teachers to feel more comfortable and more creative involving students.ⁱⁱⁱ

• Lay the foundation for the need to teach economics and personal finance in our schools and differentiate between the two concepts so that it is clearly understood that economics is not the same as personal finance.^iv

• Start a work ethic certification program, such as Learn.Do.Earn.

• Co-teach in the content areas to expose more students to 21st century skills.

• Present data to the faculty and discuss the implications for continued student growth.^v

Allow me to introduce you to Kim Cofino, who has already used some of these fresh ideas in her school. I recently heard about Kim through TechLearning News. Kim has been teaching technology for nine years in international schools around the world. In 2008 she was hired as the 21st Century Literacy Specialist at the International School Bangkok (ISB). ISB has been providing education to expatriates representing more than fifty countries since 1951. The focus of Kim’s position has been to help core subject teachers create a global and collaborative approach to learning. This year she has spent a considerable amount of time blogging about her role as 21st century teacher, facilitator, coach, and coordinator. According to Kim, her job responsibilities include:

• Planning lessons aligned with 21st century skills.

• Differentiating instruction through the use of technology.

• Collaborating with colleagues to apply 21st century skills across the curriculum.

• Developing authentic projects.

• Providing professional development opportunities to help teachers understand 21st century literacy.

• Promoting the use of 21st century skills.^vi

What I find interesting is how much Kim’s job responsibilities emulate those of many business/technology teachers not only in New Jersey or across the country, but throughout the world. As experts in delivering the essential skills that students need to succeed in business and life, business/technology teachers play a vital and dynamic role in promoting high standards in the teaching of 21st century skills.

Fresh Ideas Start Here…in Business/Technology Education. Use these fresh ideas to demonstrate how 21st century skills enhance teaching and learning by meeting the needs of your entire school community.