What must our children do to measurably demonstrate their preparation and readiness to leave school and go into the world to work, live and play?
Before students do anything, society and educators need to clarify what skills are necessary to succeed in the real world. I have defined the skills that I think are the most important for my students. I teach English as a Second Language and English Language Arts (AP Language and Composition and AS General Paper) to international students looking to study in America or the United Kingdom. When my students first come to school they say they are learning English because they’ll be going abroad for university. I need to know how they can demonstrate their preparedness for the next chapters of their lives.
For my students, mastery looks like effective communication. Production of English content is the focus of my grade 12 ELA course. We write a lot of essays; not because essay-writing is the goal, but because a well-written essay exemplifies good communication. People find it difficult and stressful to operate in foreign environments. Too often, the natural solution is to stay quiet to simply get by. My goal is to prevent that shutdown and give them a voice when they are in foreign environments.
As a language arts teacher, I do not worry much about producing “highly educated, useless people” (Crockett et al. pg 9, 2011). The ability to create a nuanced thesis, describe supporting evidence, and explain the importance of these ideas will always be useful. Sometimes I wish we could practice these skills in different forms, but my students take standardized exams and the essay is a major component. Until the political winds change enough to truly drop or reform standardized testing, the best we can do is teach 21st-century skills in the context of these exams.
Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is not enough: 21st century fluencies for the digital age. 21st Century Fluency Project.
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