Module 5 – Developing 21st century skills

[Pat Brennan]

Review the paper ‘Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century’ (Hallissy, Butler, Marshall, Hurley, 2013) and consider what learning should look like in today’s classrooms so learners are ready and equipped for the workplaces of tomorrow and develop the necessary (21st Century) skills.

Choose one of the 21st century skills and create a Sway on some ideas for learning opportunities, to enhance that skill with your pupils.

Write a reflective piece (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post on how you are going to focus on developing the particular skill in your classroom. Include a sharing link to the Sway you have created above.

[Julie Lyons Murphy]

Write a reflective piece on how you are going to focus on developing that skill in your classroom.

 

I think that developing critical thinking skills is very important for today’s world where media is easily available and not always reliable.

I think it is important to teach children that they cannot trust that every source is reliable and we need to explicitly teach children howto recognise reliable and unreliable sources.

Children should also be encouraged to see different view points. In a world where online content is tailored to meet the individuals preferences, children need, more than ever, to experience and engage with other perspectives. Children should be presented with different ideas and points of view. They should read from a variety of stand-points. Debates in class would help develop skills also. Children should engage in persuasive writing and be taught to write persuasively from a stand-point that differs with their own personal opinion. They should be presented with data that they must then analyse- graphs, surveys, pie charts etc should be presented to children and they should learn to draw conclusions based on this. They should also conduct real life research in their classroom- collecting data from classmates and interpreting it and then making decisions based on their findings.

 

Here are some classroom ideas which I included in my sway:

 

Read many opinions on a topic and construct your own

Examine different sources of evidence to research a historical event

Write a story from several different viewpoints

Read a novel and write a diary from the perspective of the charachter

Engage in class debates

Make a presentation arguing in favour of something that you are not personally in favour of

Watch television and video ads and interpret what message they are trying to convey

Compare and contrast perspectives on a topic from multiple sources

Read news items from a variety of sources and determine which they find most credible

Rank historical events in order of most important/influential

The link to my sway is below

Sway (office.com)

[Megan Doheny]

I am going to improve collaboration. Here is a link to my sway https://sway.office.com/gDRQuwfspKKifVkh?ref=Link

This is an example of how I would improve Collaboration in most SESE topics.

I would start with a KWL on one note. We would then start learning about the topic and children could add to the KWL as they go. We could record whole class notes on one note. Flip grid could also be used for the kids to ask or answer discovery questions. They could complete at project at the end using on note to collect the info and sway to create the presentation.

I use literacy roles in my classroom. In the senior end because more content is expected these can be hard to manage. However by having a shared document I think this would become way more effective. Children could create their work on one note or something similar and present their information to the group. The children will be able to use these shared ideas to further understand the novels they are reading. I also would only have to view 1 notebook per group so it would make my monitoring easier.

The benefit I see in using digital formats for collaboration in group work is I feel it gives more accountability for each member of the team to contribute and ‘pull their weight’. Often when written one person gets stuck with the majority of the writing, one with the art and the rest offer advice- however now everyone can have equal involvement in a project/assignment.

 

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Megan,

Thank you for sharing your Sway with us. I really like a number of the ideas you have listed, and it is clear to see how collaborative work would be enhanced as a result of this. The use of OneNote is quite creative and innovative, as it allows for both individual and collaborative work. Providing children with responsibility for one area, but then getting them to critique and proofread each others work may be very beneficial for improving their ability to ‘edit’ and critique their own work in time.

[Myriam Gately]

<span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Sway:</span><span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: Hind Madurai, sans-serif;”><span style=”font-size: 12px;”>https://sway.office.com/z7Q0K3L5AQUC4HGZ?ref=Link</span></span&gt;

<span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Review the paper </span>‘Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century’ <span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>(Hallissy, Butler, Marshall, Hurley, 2013) and consider what learning should look like in today’s classrooms so learners are ready and equipped for the workplaces of tomorrow and develop the necessary (21st Century) skills.</span>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif; color: #333333; background: white;”>The vision of the Primary Curriculum Framework 2022</span> is that every child would be provided with a strong foundation so they could thrive, flourish and realise their full potential.<span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”>  </span>This paper posits that in order to meet the challenges of 21^st century living, education, how it is delivered and the skills required must be rethought.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif; color: #333333; background: white;”>21^st century skills including collaboration, communication, knowledge construction real -world problem solving and the use of IT are identified as crucial skills which will enable the children of today to be successful tomorrow as adults. Self-regulation, long recognised as a skill of successful people in all walks of life is also listed as a 21^st century must have. </span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”><!– [if !supportLists]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-fareast-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-bidi-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; color: #202124;”><span style=”mso-list: Ignore;”>£<span style=”font: 7.0pt ‘Times New Roman’;”>  </span></span></span><!–[endif]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif; color: #202124; background: white;”>Self-regulation </span><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif; color: #040c28;”>involves children’s developing the ability to regulate their emotions, thoughts and behaviour to enable them to act in positive ways toward a goal</span><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif; color: #202124; background: white;”><span style=”font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; word-spacing: 0px;”>.</span></span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”><!– [if !supportLists]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-fareast-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-bidi-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’;”><span style=”mso-list: Ignore;”>£<span style=”font: 7.0pt ‘Times New Roman’;”>  </span></span></span><!–[endif]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif;”>It is useful for all educators to be aware of some models that can be used to support children to self-regulate Dr Bruce Perry’s model, regulate, relate, reason is just one example. Schools may like to adopt one model and employ this throughout the school.</span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”><!– [if !supportLists]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-fareast-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-bidi-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’;”><span style=”mso-list: Ignore;”>£<span style=”font: 7.0pt ‘Times New Roman’;”>  </span></span></span><!–[endif]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif;”>Teaching children mindfulness and relaxation techniques is another way to support the development of self-regulation. The example listed in the DE/NEP’s document Self-regulation for Pupils – a Guide for Staff is accessible and practical.</span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpLast” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”><!– [if !supportLists]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-fareast-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’; mso-bidi-font-family: ‘Wingdings 2’;”><span style=”mso-list: Ignore;”>£<span style=”font: 7.0pt ‘Times New Roman’;”>  </span></span></span><!–[endif]–><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: ‘Arial’,sans-serif;”>Stories and videos which explore incidences where self-regulation was relevant are also helpful and there are myriad examples available on YouTube and Amazon.com.</span></p>

[Myriam Gately]

Module 5- Take two! (Apologies for  garbled first submission)

Link to Sway:

The stated vision of the Primary Curriculum Framework 2022 is that every child would be provided with a strong foundation so they could thrive, flourish and realise their full potential. This paper posits that in order to meet the challenges of 21st century life, education, how it is delivered and the skills required must be rethought and reimagined.

21st century skills including collaboration, communication, knowledge construction, real-world problem solving and the use of IT are identified as necessary skills which will enable  the children of today be successful tomorrow as adults. Self-regulation, long recognised as a skill of successful people in all walks of life is also listed as a 21st century must have:

Self-regulation involves children developing the ability to regulate their emotions, thoughts and behaviours to enable them to act in positive ways towards a goal.

It is useful for all educators to be aware of some models that can be used to support children to learn to self-regulate. Dr Bruce Perry’s model; regulate, relate, reason is just one example. Schools may like to adopt a model and employ this through the school. Restorative Practice is commonly used in Irish schools and this supports self-regulation.

Teaching children mindfulness and relaxation techniques is another way to support teh development of self-regulation. The example listed in the DE/NEPs document Self-Regulation for Pupils – A Guide for Staff  is an accessible and useful resource.

Stories and videos which explore incidences where self-regulation was relevant are also useful and there are myriad examples on Youtube and books available on Amazon.

With the importance of self-regulation noted it is worth remembering that  ‘excellence in teaching is the most powerful influence on student achievement’ (LAOS, 2022) it follows therefore that good CPD and pre-service education is crucial if our children are to be successful in the future.

 

 

[Tara Walsh]

Collaboration is a key skill that I believe all children should experience when learning. Working with others is part of life, and the ability to work in harmony and equally alongside one another is extremely important. By facilitating the class, I could use collaboration in group projects to allow the children the opportunity to work together and foster a sense of communication, co-operation and sharing of ideas.

From engaging with the above document, I believe we have made a start in implementing these skills in our classroom’s, however, I do believe that we have a long way to go yet to succeed in reaching the truest potential of children using these 21st century skills. However, I believe that as educators, it is our duty to enforce and implement these ideas and activities that develop these skills to allow the children the opportunity to become critical thinkers.

There are many different apps available to students when collaborating on different projects, especially OneNote. This is an app that I have just recently discovered and although it may take a little while to get used to using and become familiar with, I feel as though it could be very efficient and accessible for students when collaborating with one another. This is mainly because of the edit feature, this feature allows people with the link to the document, edit the document as they work together. This allows each member to contribute and avoids any members not ‘being a team player’ by assisting and all working equally together.
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[Melissa Campbell]

Link to sway on collaboration

In the rapidly changing world 21st century skills are becoming more important. Traditionally students could expect to leave school and move into a particular field at third level or further education and stay in a similar career for life. Todays learners are more likely to have broader careers and change careers and upskill over their lives, where lifelong learning will be key. To prepare for life and future careers, some which may not exist yet, there are certain skills that will remain very valuable and are becoming more valuable in digtitally enhanced world where many routine tasks are automated and knowledge can be accessed online.

The skill I chose for the sway above was collaboration. This skill can be developed from early years up, for example during structured play. One way that I could develop this with students is to provide a scaffold of assigned group roles at the beginning and rotate these roles so that students participate in different ways. An socail intervention that helps this skill is the lego group, where one student is the builder, one is the architect (read plans), and one procures/selects the bricks for the builder. This structure was helpful for students who needed to learn this skill. In middle and senior classes students can collaborate on a range of tasks. Almost all classroom tasks and activities can be converted to a collaborative activity, e.g. answering questions on a worksheet together, a design and make activity, a writing piece e.g. a persuasive letter. There is no end to the possibilities so I think for me the most important thing is to keep asking myself whether the planned activity might work better and result in more skills as a collaborative activity. I also included a pdst resource on co-operative activities as a fun way to warm a class up for collaborative work and help groups gel.

[Catherine Murray]

Link to Sway: https://sway.office.com/ddmUTRLwZgI6gXYZ?ref=Link

 

The skill that I would be working on would be for Collaboration. I find that children find it very difficult to work as a team, share information and make decisions together.

In my sway they have to work together as a whole class and in small groups. I really took ideas from the module for putting it together.

The class will first brainstorm a topic to do a project on or it could be an area from SESE that we would like to further explore.

Next they will write key words that they know about the topic on sticky notes and display them on the board.

We would divide the notes under headings.

Groups chose areas of interest based on the headings.

The groups work together to put the key notes into sentences.

Groups complete more research to further develop their knowledge about the heading.

Once all the information was gathered the group then have to decide how they are going to represent the information, how they will make the presentation and then what roles they will each take on during the presentation.

Each group would have to make a quiz using Forms to share with the rest of the class after the presentation.

Also the group can design activity cards and a whole class art project based on their heading for the class.

Finally the group would reflect on the success of the group to give feedback to the teacher.

[Annmarie Lannery]

I have attached a link to my sway on ‘Thinking outside the box’. This is a way in which we can ensure children are equipped for the working world. I have included some ways that this can be achieved in the classroom.

Education is undergoing a remarkable transformation. ICT has woven itself into the fabric of learning, transforming traditional teaching methods. This shift is marked by a shift from static textbooks to interactive digital resources, enabling students to engage with subjects in dynamic ways.

ICT offers a huge range of benefits, enhancing the learning process and preparing students for the challenges of the modern world. Online platforms and educational apps cater for various learning styles, fostering individualised learning experiences. Real time feedback encourages self assessment and growth. It also nurtures essential digital literacy skills equipping students with the tools to navigate the digital landscape confidently. We have found this to be very true with the use of the OLUS suite of lessons.

By integrating technology into education students cultivate critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication (some of the 21st century skills mentioned) through digital mediums, invaluable skills for their future lives. While the integration of ICT in education offers unprecedented advantages it is crucial to maintain a balance, ensuring that students develop a holistic skill set that includes social, emotional and digital competencies is of huge importance.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Annmarie,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your Sway with us. It is certainly fair to say that digital technologies have become interwoven into the fabric of teaching, learning and assessment. For many teachers, it is now a staple methodology that they couldn’t do without. There are so many benefits that the use of technology in education can bring – real-time feedback is one you have mentioned and I fully concur with this. Being able to immediately identify gaps in learning from a glance allows you to put interventions and supports in place ‘in the moment’. Traditional methods such as the collection of copybooks/correction of tests may see a couple of days pass before difficulties are noted.

[Conor Mc kenna]

After reading ‘Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century’ (Hallissy, Butler, Marshall, Hurley, 2013) I felt that in today’s classroom we need to prepare children for working in a fast paced digital world. they need to go out into the working world ready and willing to adapt to the ever changing landscape. The rate of development in technology is staggering and being able to keep up to date with it and not be left behind is essential for the children of tomorrow. In schools then we should focus on developing these skills in children so they are as prepared as they can be.

Here is a link to my Sway that I made about analyzing sources of information.

In today’s world we are bombarded with information on a daily basis. different news sources tell us what they want us to think, different politicians will tell us their own agendas, companies will tell you to buy their products, YouTube and social media drown us in everyone daily lives and give children role models out of people who make videos on the internet. There is a lot going on in the world that children need to kept safe from and it is getting harder and harder to do so. Teaching children how to be smart about what they are being told is becoming a more and more vital skill every day. In the classroom the teacher needs to show the children how they can analysis information and how to question what they are being told. Children are the most vulnerable to just believing what they are being told without question and therefor the most at risk of being manipulated. Schools need to include how to manage information as part of their Digital Learning Policies as a result and hopefully teach children how to be cautious of what they are being told.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by TeachNet Support.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by TeachNet Support.

[Alan Weston]

Here is the link to my Sway on Collaboration:

[Alan Weston]

Here is the link to my Sway on Collaboration:

[Alan Weston]

In my Sway and below in this message, I outline a large project that can bring together so many collaborative skills – as well as ICT and digital skills, and many other 21st Century and curricular skills. But these skills will need to be taught – sometimes in isolation, sometimes not – before children can bring it all together. Digital technology has the great ability to allow pupils to integrate so many skills.

Schools will require a whole school approach – such as within a Digital Learning Plan or other subject curricular plans – to enable children to build all of the skills required for such a project. These skills cannot be taught in one school year or a couple of school terms. A wholes chool integrated approach is required.

In this context, teachers, such as me, can focus on skills development required at my stage – the skills I am teaching in my year for my class at their level. Children must be taught the digital skills required, such as safely searching on the internet from trusted sources, using M365 software and much more. Children also need to learn the skills of research such as gathering information, analyzing, synthesizing, and more. Children also need the literacy skills to read, write and present information, and more. Children also need to develop collaborative skills, learning to work in pairs, groups and skills to evaluate and reflect on their work, and more.

It is only within structured plans that teachers can support children to develop the required skills to an independent level – to enable children to take on project work.

This is the type of approach and work I will engage in with my pupils.

Content of Sway on Collaboration below:

Pupils will work together to examine the impact of dumping rubbish in a local stream. This project allows them to develop their 21st Century Skills, to use Microsoft 365 tools, to build digital skills and other develop other key curricular learning.

Children can work in groups to target the following areas:

1. The problem of dumping – what is it, how often does it occur and why is it a problem.

2. The type of rubbish dumped – what is it and how does each material type impact the environment.

3. Streams – what are they and where do they go – how do they fit in to the eco system.

4. Life in streams.

5. Overall damage to the environment – what is happening, what are the results and what actions can be taken to stop it.

 

Pupils can create a class brainstorm for each of the five areas.

Pupils can record key vocab for each area.

Pupils can record the key vocab in a Microsoft Form.

Children will then which area they would like to work in – giving them free choice. This creates five areas of research.

Pupils can use a Class Notebook to track progress on the project in each of the areas.

Working interdependently, pupils can conduct research online in each of their areas and gather key information. They can develop key questions to ask. Pupils will decide what evidence to choose. Overall, they will select the important information needed for the project. Each group will decide how to represent their information. Each group could make a Powerpoint of the important information they have selected or a video or Sway (multi-modal choice). Pupils will revise their work based on feedback from their peers and teacher.

Each of the groups will be required to bring their information together and to make choices on their overall presentation – selecting the information that makes their point. The group can present the information to parents as a form of local activism (working for a specific audience); can write to the council regarding their findings – and suggest actions to be taken to prevent dumping in the local stream.

In doing a project such as this, pupils will develop their ICT and digital skills, can avail of the Microsoft 365 suite when choosing modes to record, create and reflect on their project. They will develop their collaborative skills, including communicating, analysing, synthesizing, writing and presenting skills. Within each choice, within each group additional paired and group collaborative skill development is possible – such as time-keepers, recorders, writers, editors, etc. Pupils can take on various roles, including that of a scientist or videographer if they film the local stream or presenter, etc.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Alan Weston.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Very often, large-scale projects are very effective at developing 21st century skills as they mimic real-life problems and scenarios that occur in many workplaces. Being forced to collaborate and co-operate with different departments and groups responsible for other elements of a project are all part of many 21st century workplaces. The large-scale project you have outlined affords so many learning opportunities, particularly in the areas of SESE and language. You have also skilfully interwoven many digital skills, through the use of some Office 365 apps. Indeed, there are also a variety of mediums through which learning can be demonstrated (typing, presenting, audio recordings, etc.)

[James Tobin]

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<p class=”MsoNormal”>This document sets us thinking on the way traditional teaching may not best suit the 21^st century learner. It points to guided enquiry, collaborative learning and mentoring as being a more appropriate model for building in our children the skills and dispositions they need to prosper in the 21^st century world of work.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The traditional form of assessment at national level not just needs to be reconsidered but urgent action needs to be taken. Pupils of all levels and abilities are not best served in the one size fits all assessment technique that is our current junior and leaving cert.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>We are encouraged to consider a different focus on what we do in schools. The author looks at the jobs of the 21^st century. While occupations are changing rapidly, if pupils are prepared with the skills of collaboration, investigation, self-evaluation, effective communication and how to find, analyse and critically evaluate information they will be better fit for the 21^st century world.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>I am drawn by the author’s assertion that pupils need to become smarter on ‘information’. We live in a world where pupils are inundated with information and data. What we should be spending more time on is developing the skills of managing, analysing and forming opinions based on critically analysed information and data.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author takes a nice quotation worth reflecting on by Mishra and Kereluik 2011 “ Need to shift to a more conceptualising model of schooling which emphasises higher order cognitive processes such as critical thinking, creative problem solving, curiosity and adaptability.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author advocates moving from an industrial 20^th century model of assessment to a 21^st century enquiry model.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The tables of evidence gathered in relation to the Korean model instituted in recent years can be argued with. Change is needed in our model.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author sets out what a 21^st century enquiry model of teaching and learning can look like. As I read this I am drawn to the importance of the ‘relationship’ in teaching and learning and that so much of modern learning is dependent on the relationship between pupil and teacher. Words such as ‘engagement, connection and collaboration appear regularly in this article.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author sets out a few examples of work underway in looking to a new paradigm of teaching and learning. The Empowering Minds project is one such example. The Microsoft project is also convincing of the opportunities in teaching and learning going forward to provide opportunities that the pupils of the 21^st century need.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>In conclusion the author hopes that research in ITL will bring new insights at micro and macro level, empowering, governments, education agencies and school communities to collaborate and work towards a more imaginative and creative model of teaching and learning in schools going forward.</p>
 

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[James Tobin]

<p class=”MsoNormal”>This document sets us thinking on the way traditional teaching may not best suit the 21^st century learner. It points to guided enquiry, collaborative learning and mentoring as being a more appropriate model for building in our children the skills and dispositions they need to prosper in the 21^st century world of work.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The traditional form of assessment at national level not just needs to be reconsidered but urgent action needs to be taken. Pupils of all levels and abilities are not best served in the one size fits all assessment technique that is our current junior and leaving cert.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>We are encouraged to consider a different focus on what we do in schools. The author looks at the jobs of the 21^st century. While occupations are changing rapidly, if pupils are prepared with the skills of collaboration, investigation, self-evaluation, effective communication and how to find, analyse and critically evaluate information they will be better fit for the 21^st century world.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>I am drawn by the author’s assertion that pupils need to become smarter on ‘information’. We live in a world where pupils are inundated with information and data. What we should be spending more time on is developing the skills of managing, analysing and forming opinions based on critically analysed information and data.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author takes a nice quotation worth reflecting on by Mishra and Kereluik 2011 “ Need to shift to a more conceptualising model of schooling which emphasises higher order cognitive processes such as critical thinking, creative problem solving, curiosity and adaptability.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author advocates moving from an industrial 20^th century model of assessment to a 21^st century enquiry model.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The tables of evidence gathered in relation to the Korean model instituted in recent years can be argued with. Change is needed in our model.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author sets out what a 21^st century enquiry model of teaching and learning can look like. As I read this I am drawn to the importance of the ‘relationship’ in teaching and learning and that so much of modern learning is dependent on the relationship between pupil and teacher. Words such as ‘engagement, connection and collaboration appear regularly in this article.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>The author sets out a few examples of work underway in looking to a new paradigm of teaching and learning. The Empowering Minds project is one such example. The Microsoft project is also convincing of the opportunities in teaching and learning going forward to provide opportunities that the pupils of the 21^st century need.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>In conclusion the author hopes that research in ITL will bring new insights at micro and macro level, empowering, governments, education agencies and school communities to collaborate and work towards a more imaginative and creative model of teaching and learning in schools going forward.</p>

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[Elaine Begley]

https://sway.office.com/pBhJnsfjAmTuFbh8?ref=Link

 

I will be working with a child in second class who has just received his sanction letter for assistive technology. I ordered it today actually so I have based my Sway on a lesson I will do with him in September.

I have enjoyed reviewing the paper @Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century’. I have downloaded it and have up;loaded it to our OneDrive. I have printed it out too and highlighted lots.

It makes so much sense. Our students are learning in a different world to what we were educated in and have grown up in. My former Principal used to say that the jobs for the children we are teaching are not even invented yet and he would also say that pencils will be in museums in years to come.

I’m blessed to be in a school that has been and is moving with the times. We have a computer room and it’s one room I always plead with Principals to keep. Space in all schools is hard to come by but in this 21st century this room is more and more invaluable. To be able to go into that room with a group and connect my laptop to project on the board is fantastic.

I think that developing critical thinking for example is essential in this day and age where media is at our fingertips. It’s so important for our students to understand that- it is not always a reliable and dependable source.

It’s so important for our children to be confident in giving their point of view and expressing it confidently and being able to back it up.

One new online tool I used during Summer Programme this year was Mentimeter. I tried it out with the Senior mainstream class. They had 3 questions and i explained that spellings didn’t matter and that it was anonymus.

1. What was your favourite activity?

2. What was your least favourite activity?

3. Have you any suggestions for Summer Programme 2024?

We did it in the computer room.

They loved seeing their answers pop up anonymously. I was sable to save their answers and print them out which was great afterwards when sitting down with the Principal, Summer Programme manager.

We used a modern approach which took the stress and challenge of writing out of it enabling the children to be truly honest.

It was my first time too to use Google Forms and again I went with simple questions for the parents/guardians to carry out a Post Summer Programme Questionnaire.

To be able to do this in a paper free format as we are a Green School and to get that feedback in a pie chart etc was just brilliant.

These are just two small steps I took to use 21st century skills with the children and parents and the response was just great. It wasn’t off putting.

We are in an ever changing world. I think that our children need to leave 6th class as proficient touch-typists. It’s an essential tool going into secondary school. Word Processing Skills, PowerPoint and photo story type skills are all part of 21st century skills. I see my own daughter working on CBAs using PowerPoint and she was very lucky to leave primary School confident in PowerPoint as she attended Computer camp in her school after school. She also did TTRS daily at home in 6th class and she went into her secondary school having completed the TTRS course.

Digital technology needs to be a central component and not an add on like in the past. It’s another form of literacy in this day and age to be computer literate.

The main thing for us as teachers is not to be frightened by it.

[Muirne Bennis]

Developing 21st century skills is essential in the classroom. Collaborative learning leads to deeper learning, higher-level thinking, effective communication, self-management and leadership skills. Skilled communication enables children to build and develop relationships, express themselves and ensure they can participate fully and confidently in tasks and projects. Knowledge construction promotes deeper learning and understanding and independence. Self regulation allows children to improve their learning, understand targets, adopt approaches and not to be afraid of trial and error. Engaging in real-world problem confident, independent and responsible individuals. Using IT for learning opens children up to a new world of learning and prepares them for the world in which we now live.

Long-term projects allow for many 21st century skills to develop in unison. The project I have listed below is a project I have tried, but have re-examined it to try to incorporate the skills we explored in this module:

Collaborative Narrative Writing
Children work in groups
• To develop their knowledge of the narrative framework
• Create a narrative text to accompany a picture book to be read to junior infants

The 21st skills developed are:
• Collaboration
• Skilled Communication
• Knowledge Construction
• Self Regulation
• Use of IT for Learning

Activities
1. Explore the elements of a story
2. Creating simple plots
3. Engage in a workshop with an author – many are offered during the year via zoom.
4. Select a picture book that would engage the infant class
5. The opening paragraph – includes the setting, introduces the character and portrays the first step in the emotional journey of the protagonist.
6. Collaboratively, create the story over a number of sessions on a word document as follows:
a. Step 1 – record a basic sentence for the event
b. Step 2 – discuss and experiment how to improve that sentence to enhance the mood of the story and the experience of the reader.
c. Step 3 – edit for spelling and grammar
i. Repeat the above until the story is complete
d. Edit the full story, improving sentence structure and conciseness where necessary.
7. Prepare for the story telling:
a. Each child practises their story for fluency – recording and self/peer assessing.
b. Identify simple discussion topics from the story to discuss with the infant classes
8. Narrate the story for the infant classes
9. Create a digital recording of the story including animation or pictures.

Sway:

https://sway.office.com/bPHBgWU1FWtdNWz9?ref=Link

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Muirne Bennis.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Muirne Bennis.

[Margaret Enright]

Students need to be given opportunities to work collaboratively in pairs or groups on projects or to solve problems. They need to be taught IT skills and how to use IT and other reference texts to carry out research. They need to be exposed to different viewpoints and how to spot the difference between opinion and research based facts. They need to be given the opportunity to decide what is important and what is left out. They must share in developing and presenting their work and communicate effectively their knowledge. Student work should be interdependent and all students must participate for the group to succeed. Teacher feedback before final presentation is important for self regulation for long-term projects.
The sway activity on 21st century skills is based mainly on developing collaboration skills. However, it is difficult to cover one skill in isolation. In completing this collaborative activity on Road Safety the other skills for 21st century skills will also be developed.

[James Tobin]

This document sets us thinking on the way traditional teaching may not best suit the 21st century learner. It points to guided enquiry, collaborative learning and mentoring as being a more appropriate model for building in our children the skills and dispositions they need to prosper in the 21st century world of work.

The traditional form of assessment at national level not just needs to be reconsidered but urgent action needs to be taken. Pupils of all levels and abilities are not best served in the one size fits all assessment technique that is our current junior and leaving cert.

We are encouraged to consider a different focus on what we do in schools. The author looks at the jobs of the 21st century. While occupations are changing rapidly, if pupils are prepared with the skills of collaboration, investigation, self-evaluation, effective communication and how to find, analyse and critically evaluate information they will be better fit for the 21st century world.

I am drawn by the author’s assertion that pupils need to become smarter on ‘information’. We live in a world where pupils are inundated with information and data. What we should be spending more time on is developing the skills of managing, analysing and forming opinions based on critically analysed information and data.

The author takes a nice quotation worth reflecting on by Mishra and Kereluik 2011 “ Need to shift to a more conceptualising model of schooling which emphasises higher order cognitive processes such as critical thinking, creative problem solving, curiosity and adaptability.

The author advocates moving from an industrial 20th century model of assessment to a 21st century enquiry model.

The tables of evidence gathered in relation to the Korean model instituted in recent years can be argued with. Change is needed in our model.

The author sets out what a 21st century enquiry model of teaching and learning can look like. As I read this I am drawn to the importance of the ‘relationship’ in teaching and learning and that so much of modern learning is dependent on the relationship between pupil and teacher. Words such as ‘engagement, connection and collaboration appear regularly in this article.

The author sets out a few examples of work underway in looking to a new paradigm of teaching and learning. The Empowering Minds project is one such example. The Microsoft project is also convincing of the opportunities in teaching and learning going forward to provide opportunities that the pupils of the 21st century need.

In conclusion the author hopes that research in ITL will bring new insights at micro and macro level, empowering, governments, education agencies and school communities to collaborate and work towards a more imaginative and creative model of teaching and learning in schools going forward.
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[Selene Lambri]

https://sway.office.com/z7Q0K3L5AQUC4HGZ?ref=Link%3C/span%3E%3C/span&gt

Self-regulation involves students developing the ability to regulate their emotions, thoughts and behaviours to enable them to be functioning in a positive way in the world. Self regulation is a fundamental goal in the class that makes any kind of activity and transitioning possible and encourages well being. I apply the following self regulation strategies in the classroom:

Allowing student breaks/to move away from group if they need to
Increasing predictability and making expectations clear
Staggered starts and finishes if required
Individual workspaces
Sensory diets

Energy regulation
Do you need to power up or power down to help you engage in interaction?
We all need different strategies to help us with our energy regulation.
Feeling well-regulated can look different for everyone.
Task in groups-how would you support regulation during?
Transition from bus to classroom
Transition from yard to classroom
Transition from circle time to snack time
Transition from classroom to PE

 

[Michael Coughlan]

I also appreciate how you consider different strategies for energy regulation, understanding that feeling well-regulated can look different for everyone. Incorporating sensory diets and staggered starts and endings can make a visible difference in creating a supportive classroom environment. It’s important to help students identify their own needs and find strategies that work best for them. Overall, your approach not only fosters self-regulation but also promotes well-being and a positive classroom atmosphere. Great work!

[David Moroney]

The 21st Century skill I have decided to focus on is collaboration. I feel this skill is becoming more and more relevant in education, as students increasingly work in teams at 2nd and 3rd level. Also, working as part of a group is now an integral part of most workplaces. Pupils need to develop skills to be able to communicate and work effectively in collaborating with others. I plan on using the Junior Entrepreneur programme as a platform for teaching and encouraging skills of collaboration. Initially, I think it is important for the teacher to form the groups so as each group has pupils with varying skillsets and levels of abilities. Once children have begun to develop their collaboration skills, they may be given an opportunity to form their own groups in the future as this can be a source of motivation for success. After using Sway to present the concept of Junior Entrepreneur – explaining the theory, steps and past projects – I will get each group to brainstorm their ideas, using the Internet for research. Each group would then use Word / Excel to create a questionnaire in order to conduct some market research before deciding on their final idea. Powerpoint would then be used by each group to present their chosen idea to the panel of judges. Use of ICT would be an integral part at all stages of the project. I would explain the marking system in advance of embarking upon the project, giving a particular amount of marks for collaboration. The rubric would be very useful here in determining which point pupils are at and also in trying to move children along this scale for future projects. The nature of the Junior Entrepreneur programme lends itself to developing collaboration skills and I believe successful groups could draw upon many of the skills on step 5 of the collaboration rubric. A review of how each group worked together would form an important part of the experience.

[Mairead Norlin]

Link to Sway – https://sway.cloud.microsoft/7M8RIJ6Qu1nCYatR?ref=Link

Fostering collaboration is crucial for preparing students for the team-oriented and interconnected world they will encounter in their future careers. In my classroom, I will focus on developing collaboration skills through structured activities that emphasize the big collaborative ideas of working together, shared responsibility, interdependent work, and the importance of making substantive decisions as a team.

To enhance collaboration, I’ve created a Sway that highlights just two of the key strategies I would think to incorporate: the Jigsaw Technique and Peer Review Sessions. Both of these techniques are becoming more and more useful as resources such as One Note and Teams are being used by both teachers and students alike.

The Jigsaw Technique involves assigning each student a portion of the lesson to research and then teach to their group members. This approach ensures that students work together interdependently, as they rely on each other to gain a full understanding of the topic. Using OneNote, students can organize their research, share notes, and collaboratively build their presentation within a shared notebook. It promotes shared responsibility, where each student’s contribution is crucial for the group’s overall success, and it encourages them to make substantive decisions about how to present and communicate their findings.

Peer Review Sessions will be another cornerstone of collaboration in my classroom. By integrating peer review into assignments, students will use Microsoft 365 tools like OneDrive for shared document editing and Microsoft Teams for real-time feedback discussions. OneNote’s collaborative features, such as shared notebooks and commenting, will facilitate detailed peer reviews, helping students develop the skills to give and receive constructive criticism. This process fosters a collaborative learning environment where students must work together, share the responsibility of improving each other’s work, and make meaningful decisions about how to offer constructive feedback.
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[Sarah Murray]

I will devleop the 21st century skill of use of ICT in classroom. I will do this in a variety of ways:

1. Using One Note to share resources and notes with students

2. Using One Note as a collaborative space for students to work in groups, this will also link in with other 21st century skills

3. Using Forms to gather feedback from students and give them immediate feedback on their progress. This is a valuable formative assessment tool.

4. Using Sway to create a lesson plan in a flipped classroom approach, embed videos and other resources.

5. Use Search coach to develop students reseacrh skills, as a teacher I can guide students towards certain sources that I want them to use, this is really helpful for younger students.

By the use of this ICT in the classroom students will be more independant learners and will learn to take ownership of their learning. They will get feedback through Forms/assignements and improve their work from there. Many 21st century skills can be hit here

 

[Emer Magee]

 

Write a reflective piece (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post on how you are going to focus on developing the particular skill in your classroom. Include a sharing link to the Sway you have created above.

Collaboration is a key skill for life in the 21st Century. The ability to work productively with other people in daily life is something that everyone should know how to do in an effective way. This will not only be beneficial in our children’s future workplaces but also in their daily interactions with friends, family and neighbours.

As an administrative principal, I will not have the opportunity to directly teach these skills in my classroom. However, it is something that I feel very strongly about in my professional life. Life is all about relationships. Being able to collaborate is essential i.e. with colleagues as part of the in-school management team, staff meetings, sitting down with the student council communicating with parents, the Board of Management and external professionals – the list is long!

In my sway I refer to giving opportunity to work together. Staff need this opportunity to feel ownership over decisions being made in the school so that there is a shared responsibility for the running of the school and a shared ownership of that responsibility. If you make yourself an island, you will become an island.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi again Emer,

You’ve highlighted the importance of collaboration not only in the classroom but across the wider school community. Granted, as a walking principal you may not be directly teaching pupils, however, you’ve outlined clearly how you model good collaborative practice through your work with staff, pupils, parents, the BOM and external professionals. As with all changes to approaches/work  practices it’s essential that the senior leadership team lead by example to ensure buy in from all staff. Your emphasis on shared ownership and decision-making is particularly valuable and indeed refreshing. Anecdotally, whilst there’s quite a lot made of distributed leadership, in reality this isn’t always reflected on the ground, from my experience so it’s  great to see your commitment to making it meaningful.

[Aileen Moriarty]

After engaging with Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century (Hallissy, Butler, Hurley & Marshall, 2013), I was struck by how central collaboration is to preparing students for the future. After teaching over 20 years I also recognise the importance of collaboration in our school amongst the teachers to help share experience and have a shared vision together for the future of the school as staff can change year on year. The paper highlights that learning should be active, participatory and rooted in solving problems together—skills that are really valuable in this modern age.

In my classroom, I will be focusing on developing collaboration by designing opportunities where students must work as a team to reach a shared outcome. For example, I plan to use group projects, where pupils take on different roles (researcher, designer, presenter etc) to solve a problem and then bring their contributions together into one cohesive solution. Digital tools such as Microsoft Sway, Padlet, or Google Docs will support this, making it easy for students to co-create and also reflect on the process. In our school we love to share our projects with other classes across the school sharing all of these collaborations is a wonderful thing to promote.

By embedding structured collaborative tasks, I aim to help the pupil’s practice listening, negotiating along with compromising while also valuing diverse perspectives. In doing so, they not only build stronger social and emotional skills but also learn how to thrive in real-world team environments.

Here’s the Sway I created with ideas for classroom collaboration opportunities:

[Jamie O’Sullivan]

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/IWBp2Tiu8RbDs6GH?ref=Link

I’m not sure this has worked properly and I have tried it a few times. I have based my Sway around “Running a Food Truck”. This is a lesson I do which integrates a number of subjects and allows the class to incorporate and develop many of the 21st century skills. The best lessons allow the pupils to work and explore much of what has been mentioned in this module. Working and collaborating in their groups and communicating their views and opinions to settle and agree on their food truck idea. It doesn’t always work when voices aren’t heard or listened to which is a great skill for the class to solves and come to a resolution with. The task itself allows for real life problem solving with pricing and marketing. After studying this module I’m wondering how through the new apps we have explored I can add ICT to it through coding or sway or Powerpoint which will take the project to the next level.

[Rafe Garland]

Focusing on multidisciplinary, open-ended problem solving in a primary classroom shifts learning from memorizing content to creating solutions. When students face challenges without a single correct answer—like designing an inclusive playground or planning an eco-friendly lunch menu—they must draw knowledge from several subjects, collaborate with peers, and justify their decisions. This process develops resilience, creativity, and systems thinking.

As a teacher, my role becomes more of a facilitator, guiding students to research, test, and revise their ideas rather than supplying answers. Using this approach also allows for greater integration between subjects, for example literacy through persuasive writing, numeracy through budgeting, science through testing materials, and digital skills through presenting findings.

By intentionally designing problem solving opportunities, we are prepare children to face the complex, unpredictable problems of tomorrow’s world with confidence. We are also providing them the chance to do so while, collaborating with others, which ties in with some of the others 21st century skills.

[Carmel Hogan]

Having looked through the paper  I was interested to read the piece answering the question do children learn differently today? Personally I think children always had the capability to learn differently – by actively participating in their own learning and getting to show their learning in different ways.  It was the education system that denied them this with its focus on rote learning and teaching to the test.  However with the introduction of the JCT, with its key skills the Irish education system is catching up.

In order to equip students for the working world schools need to focus on developing students’ ability to collaborate together on real life problems.  Allow them to think outside the box and come up with solutions to problems they are faced with.

In the school I work students struggle greatly with regulating their emotions due to trauma in their childhood.  Self-regulation involves students developing the ability to regulate their emotions, thoughts and behaviours to enable them to be functioning in a positive way in the world. For my students self regulation is the main goal in each class that makes any kind of learning possible and encourages well being.

Due to the fact that our students have been so damaged by their experiences before coming to us the key lesson we aim to teach them is to build relationships and trust those around them.  It is only when this takes place that learning can take successfully.

[Carmel Hogan]

The skill I would focus on for my sway is as I mentioned above Self Regulation.  I work generally 1-1 with students who do not understand what self regulation is.  I will explicitly state what self regulation, using examples through videos.  I would Provide them with strategies to self regulate. I would get them to focus on one strategy and check in with them at the end of the week to see how they are doing.

[Rafe Garland]

not sure if that sway link is loading. https://sway.cloud.microsoft/7QFrlglp8WpVqUdy?ref=Link maybe that is better

[Author]

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