Page 50 - 21st Century Competencies: Foundation Document for Discussion

48 21st Century Competencies
3. A culture of innovation, risk taking, and continuous learning as well as capacity-building activities are key to the transformations in pedagogical practice, new learning partnerships, enhanced use of digital tools and resources, and strategic design of learning spaces required for the development of 21st century competencies.
Questions related to capacity building include the following:
• What levers can be used to promote educators’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities in creating conditions that will encourage students’ development of 21st century competencies?
• How can both novice and experienced educators enhance their professional knowledge about the competencies and their ability
to implement the pedagogical and assessment practices that support the development of the competencies?
• What resources and strategies are needed to build on the new peda- gogical approaches that support the development of 21st century competencies?
• What initiatives are needed to ensure the effective use of digital tools and resources for deeper learning?
• What skills are needed to underpin 21st century learning and the use of digital tools for deeper learning?
• What opportunities are available to schools for reconceptualizing learn- ing spaces to support the development of 21st century competencies?
4. New pedagogical approaches and a focus on 21st century competencies require a corresponding realignment of assessment policies and practices.
Questions raised by this requirement include the following:
• Different dimensions are used to assess different competencies. How can we ensure that assessment and reporting practices effectively and equitably address this diversity?
• What should be the relationship among the competencies, the learning skills and work habits, and the overall and specific expectations found in the curriculum? Are there opportunities to integrate them, or should these be treated separately?
• What are the next steps in developing and implementing new assess- ment practices that align with new pedagogies for deep learning, including new technology-enabled pedagogies?