Wow! I LOVE the 4 C's but not just for usage and integration of technology into classroom learning. Not just because they mirror the most desirable employ-ability skills. Simply because it is a beautiful rainbow of learning. No seriously, The 4 C's might just be the magic bullet that American education needs to stop "middling" compared to our international competitors.
A study from the Harvard's Program on Education Policy and Governance from this summer indicated that compared to our international counterparts, American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading. Yowza. If you ask me, creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are nearly impossible to judge basec on an FCAT score. That might be a conversation for another time, but then again, it might be exactly the reason the US is so unimpressively average when it comes to our educational swagger.
For a visual of the international rankings from the Harvard survey, see the black line below:
This "hilarious" (read: depressing) article by the Huffington Post also includes a graphic of the Education Olympics that you might find entertaining.
How does our "middling" relate to educational technology you might ask? Well, without digressing down a rabbit hole of epic proportions about our current educational policies, the need for literacy reform and a shift in cultural attitude about the universal "need" for a post-secondary degree for any American under the age of 45... the short answer comes from another recent international rankings report from an agency of the United Nations. This time the the U.S. ranked 10th in the Global Innovation Index, a report published by Insead. This report seemed to upset some folks, so do with our 10th spot rank what you will, but I think the bottom line is clear. In no area are we happy with our current educational status. Rather than focus on our deficits, let's focus on how the 4 C's can help!
My own teacher education program focused on a Constructivist theory of pedagogy that emphasized collaborative learning, critical thinking, communication and creativity. Genius! These methodologies can be used to instruct, differentiate and assess which make them ideal for all types of learners. Because I was entrenched in these methods from the start, providing students with a robust, exploratory learning environment just seems logical to me. And if you think about it, isn't that what our vision of the internet is for students?
If we were to use these guiding principles to incorporate technology and innovation into our classrooms, we might just be hitting on the jackpot of educational environments. How might this be best achieved? This article from the BYOTNetwork explains how to incorporate both the 4 C's and your students' very own cell phones. Now that's innovative.
Do you agree that incorporating these ideals into curriculum planning will help us bring technology into the classroom? Or do you think reform in these areas needs to start at the policy level? What are your thoughts on the 4 C's?
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