Report Brief: Education for Life and Work

Posted by on October 01, 2012

Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century The National Academies

Business and political leaders are increasingly asking schools to integrate development of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration into the teaching and learning of academic subjects. Collectively these skills are often referred to as “21st century skills” or “deeper learning.” This brief clarifies the meaning of “deeper learning” and “21st century skills;” examines links between 21st century competencies and adult outcomes; identifies instructional methods that can support students’ development of transferable knowledge and skills in a subject area; examines the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts and NRC’s K-12 science education framework to assess how well they support deeper learning and 21st century competencies; and recommends that state and federal governments establish policies and programs to support students’ acquisition of transferable knowledge and skills.

http://www7.national-academies.org/bota/Education_for_Life_and_Work_report_brief.pdf