Strategic Plan 2011

21st Century Skills

Plan Goal #1:  Highlight and advance the teaching of 21st Century skills throughout the curriculum, focusing especially on initiative and creativity; collaboration and student leadership; effective oral, written and visual communication; and accessing and analyzing information.

Rationale

Students entering college and the workforce in the 21st Century need a unique blend of skills. As a rigorous institution focused on preparing students for success, MFS must offer a balanced curriculum and extra-curricular programs that help students become both knowledgeable and marketable. Students need to develop the skills to turn “information” into “knowledge” and the ability to assess their world critically with an eye toward making positive change.  To that end, the MFS curriculum must teach the skills students will need at the college level and beyond to compete in a changing global economy and to utilize continued advances in technology.  These skills include fostering creativity and cultivating student ownership in the educational process; improving collaboration  and offering opportunities for student leadership; developing effective oral, written, listening and visual communication skills; and enhancing the ability of students to access, analyze, and evaluate information.  

Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap, writes that, “Leaders today want to see individuals take more initiative and even be entrepreneurial in terms of the ways they seek out new opportunities, ideas, and strategies for improvement.”  Students who have experienced self-directed learning and who have practiced finding creative solutions to challenging problems will gain the confidence necessary to display initiative both in their college experience and future careers.  Wagner further notes that the 21st Century workplace requires the ability to work collaboratively and lead by influence.  In addition, oral, written, listening and visual communication skills provide the foundation for human interaction.  The ability to communicate effectively is critical for success in college and beyond.  Lastly, given the immediate availability of information today, students must have the ability to seek out accurate, reliable and relevant sources of information, apply critical thinking skills to that information, and then transform it into useful knowledge and practical outcomes.

Overarching Strategies

• Review the curriculum to identify areas where 21st Century skills are emphasized.
• Create a scope and sequence plan through all divisions for the 21st Century skills.
• Develop curriculum to fulfill the scope and sequence plans for the teaching of these skills.
• Utilize professional development opportunities to develop curriculum and support the teaching of 21st Century skills.
• Evaluate student progress in the use of 21st Century skills by instruments such as the High School Survey of Student Engagement, the College Work Readiness Assessment, and Accreditation for Growth goals.  

Creativity and Initiative Strategies

• Review curricular and extra-curricular offerings to enhance opportunities for student-directed learning. 
• Provide professional development opportunities for faculty to explore inquiry-based models of instruction including project-based learning, expeditionary learning, and student-centered classrooms.
• Provide entrepreneurial experiences for students.

Collaboration and Student Leadership Strategies

• Provide and support technological resources and develop curriculum to enhance student collaboration and teamwork on and off campus.
• Explore curricular options to promote cross-cultural and international collaborative experiences.
• Examine the schedule, physical facilities and school furniture to identify ways to enhance and promote collaborative work among teachers and among students.
• Provide teachers with professional development opportunities that model collaboration such as the Critical Friends Protocol.

Communication Strategies

• Develop curriculum and activities that strengthen a student’s ability to make effective and age-appropriate formal and informal oral presentations using a variety of media. 
• Ensure that effective listening skills are emphasized throughout the entire curriculum.
• Encourage opportunities for persuasive speaking, in and outside of the formal classroom setting (e.g. Model United Nations, Debate League).
• Provide opportunities for students to practice effective and secure online communication.
• Maintain a focus on the skills required by World Language proficiency (reading, writing, listening, speaking).
• Explore opportunities to develop film and video production skills.

Accessing and Analyzing Information Strategies

• Develop curriculum that focuses on close analysis and critical interpretation of texts, visual arts, film, musical composition, and scientific concepts.
• Teach information literacy skills throughout all divisions and departments in collaboration with the library.

• Philadelphia Web Design