Die vier Dimensionen der Bildung: Was Schülerinnen und Schüler im 21. Jahrhundert lernen müssen

by Bernie Trilling, Charles Fadel, Maya Bialik

Bildungspolitische Diskussionen drehten sich zuletzt meist um die Frage, WIE das Lernen in Schulen organisiert sein soll. Eine zentrale Frage ist dabei in den Hintergrund gerückt: WAS müssen junge Menschen für das 21. Jahrhundert lernen?
Dabei fehlt es nicht an Vorschlägen für die Ergänzung der Lehrpläne, für neue Schulfächer, für berufliche Qualifikationen oder für übergreifende Kompetenzen. Doch diese einzelnen Bausteine bleiben Stückwerk und wirkungslos, weil die Anforderungen an Schule ohnehin schon überborden. Nur ein integrierter Ansatz verspricht, den umfassenden Anforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts gerecht zu werden und für die Schulen vor Ort praxistauglich und umsetzbar zu sein.
Das Buch „Die vier Dimensionen der Bildung“ liefert erstmals eine fundierte Grundlage für längst überfällige Diskussionen um die Neugestaltung von Bildungszielen und Curricula.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Parenting, Professional Development, Adult, Business

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2009

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book details (with some redundancy)skills schools should be helping children develop in order to become successful adults. Schools need to move beyond traditional school skills (reading, writing, math)and focus on helping students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students will need to work collaboratively, and be innovative, flexible, and self directed. They will also need well developed technology and digital literacy skills. The authors painstakingly outline how schools can prepare students for the future by building curriculum around these skills. Project based instruction that encourages inquiry and discovery, problems, design and invention, collaboration and presentation is essential if students today are going to be prepared for tomorrow. That's the message this books shares...repeatedly. I liked the message; I didn't always appreciate the delivery.

[Eric Kalenze · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually don't record any thoughts here, but can't resist.

Though this book is dressed up as a work to help American Education, it's basically a heap of junk thought justifying why American schools must design themselves to become more tech-driven. Worse, it's brought to you by--you guessed it--very ed-concerned and -expert employees of Cisco and Oracle, a couple of the world's largest technology companies.

As long as American Education allows vendors to dictate the conversation according to their long-term sales strategies (look for yourself: '21st Century Skills' language and guiding principles are being built into many districts' goals across America), its objectives will continue to swing from one ineffective fad to the next--and we all will be out billions. (Well, not all of us. The vendors, of course, will be doing GREAT.)

Simply, this book-length advertisement unintentionally contains pretty well everything that's broken in American education. Please read critically, if at all.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really dig the premise. The book developed a series of skills and attitudes young people need to succeed that differ from those of previous generations. The authors then suggest implementing new ways of teaching to develop those skills along side content mastery.

I liked it a whole bunch because the use of technology was always highlighted as an effective way to develop these new skills. Unlike the other texts I had to read for this grad school, the focus was on recognizing that our students need to develop different skills, not simply needing new ways to teach the same old content. The goal of the technology was to blend seamlessly into the class, not to use it as a novelty.

Safe to say this book caused the biggest, "we're doing this all wrong" moments. I tend to have those during the summer. They are stressful, but create some fun changes for the next school year.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read along with a group of teachers in an Internet blogging book club. It was a dry commentary on the technological skills that students need in the 21st century. Why I don't disagree with the basic outline the author diagrammed out, I think it also discounted intrinsic motivation, home expectations, and discipline.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It provided some great insight into what needs to be changed in education today to better prepare our students for today and tomorrow. I liked it, but the other book I read on 21st century education for this course was much better.

[Kevin Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is an important message at the root of this book, but the redundancy and dryness buries it. This book would make a better 2 page article.

[Gordon Eldridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ostensibly about 21st century skills, the book is more an attempt to persuade educators of the benefits of project-based learning. This would be fine if there enough depth to the explanations about exactly how project-based learning truly fosters the acquisition of the skills. Both the book and the DVD are far too shallow to achieve this, however. Rather than really dissecting projects to show how they can be used to explicitly teach and assess skills, the book DVD simply give shallow descriptions of projects and lists of skills.

[Hanhnguyen_94 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of Why and What and not enough How

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times is a great very accessible articulation of a vision for modern schools. Authors, Trilling and Fadel, co-chairs of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' Standards, Assessment, and Professional Development committee, articulate a rationale for an expanded curriculum that encompasses what Frank Levy and Richard Murnane named expert thinking and complex communication in The New Division of Labor as well as the habits of mind that are explored by Arthur Costas and information and communication technology skills. These ideas encompass a ground swell shift on what our schools should focus. Following their rationale for why make the shift, Trilling and Fadel explore what the shift should look like and then give some practical advice about how it can be implemented.

My one criticism of the book is that the framework from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills places information, media, and technology skills on the same level as learning and innovation skills (their name for expert thinking and complex communication) and life and career skills (what I equate with the habits of mind). To my own thinking, technology skills should be folded into the traditional basic skills and knowledge because they are functional procedural knowledge that impact how we practice reading, writing, and general mathematics. Sure we need to intentionally name that students should be able to critically read information on the internet and produce content for web pages, but these are extensions of how we read and write. Thus I would reduce the focus on technology, but I also realize that Trilling, global director of the Oracle Foundation, and Fadel, at Cisco Systems, are not likely to diminish the role of technology when their livelihood depends on it.

With that one caveat aside, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in schools today and everyone should be. Written with a broad audience in mind, it doesn't get into some of the nitty-gritty of project based learning, but makes a strong case for all schools moving in that direction.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The focus on this book is how schools need to change the way 20th century skills and curricula which primarily focused on critical thinking and problem solving, are taught. These skills are still very important and highly sought after by employers but with the overwhelming amount of information and technology, the authors argue that the method of teaching and learning these skills needs to change.

The authors discuss how different learning models - such as "authentic learning" and "internal motivation" can be used to learn the skills of critical thinking more effectively. Students must learn how to identify quality information out of the large quantity that will result in an online search. Technology can be beneficial because it can help spread information and connect people but it can also be overwhelming. Teaching students how to sift through and deal with the rubbish and rubies is essential in the 21st century. The key is to give students the tools to continue learning throughout their lives in this technology-driven world.

The book also discusses how globalizing learning can assist with 21st century education and motivation in learning, and how it is important that the educational system be updated or altered (staff trained, assessments changed) to support creative learning rather than rote learning.

[Claudia Fett · Rating 4 out of 5]

When answering four questions: 1) What will the world be like twenty years from now? 2) What skills will your child need in the future you painted? 3) What were the conditions that made your high-performance learning experiences so powerful? 4) What would school be like if it were designed around your answers to questions 1-3?, it is clear that education must look different than it does currently in many of our main stream schools. Building 21st century environments for each child involves changes in the educational use of space and time, increased technology available, community-wide support and teacher leaders to help bring about this change. Each child in the 21st century needs to be: a communicator, a self-direct learner, a collaborator, a creative/innovative thinker, a complex thinker, and a global citizen.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I completely believe in the need to teach 21st Century Skills; however, this book didn't really speak to me. It was OK and there was some good information but it didn't really pertain to me and where I am as an educator. I am well on my way to understanding 21st Century Skills and the basics were a little too basic for me. As an early childhood teacher none of the examples applied or were anywhere near anything in the primary grades. I do think a middle school or high school teacher would get more out of it. I also think its an easy intro into 21st Century Skills for someone who is new to the idea.

The quality information in this book would be better shared through some more focused articles that would alleviate the redundancy of the book.

[Diz · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know that feeling you get when a consultant is invited to speak at your office and he tells you about the problems that you are already aware of and are already working towards fixing? This book feels a lot like that. It flashes catchphrases like "thinking" and "digital" without giving any substantive coverage to the application and implications of the issues being discussed. If you have any involvement with education or human resources, there will be absolutely no new information here for you. Additionally, it feels weakly supported. In discussing 21st century skills, the authors return repeatedly to a single student project to illustrate their claims. Just a simple Google search should have helped the authors find more than one project. I would recommend to give it a pass.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard co-author Charles Fadel speak (with Sandy Kelly) at MSLA a couple of years ago. He and Bernie Trilling do a good job of identifying some of the flaws in our current educational initiatives and providing insight into what needs to change. I like the way they precisely define "21st century skills" and also describe a model for inquiry, the Project Learning Bicycle, to replace curriculum instruction.
http://books.google.com/books?id=6nJy...

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for an introduction to P21, then this book will suffice. If you are already acquainted with P21 and you want to go the next level, then this book will be a handy guide. I ended up skimming most of the end of the book because most of this was common sense to me. I am very familiar with the standards and I have been in education for almost twenty years. But I do plan on using this book to help me set up the PD plan for the staff of the school where I teach. It has great lists and charts and offers so good facts. I do wish it had more anecdotes and scenarios, but I guess the DVD that came with it has those. I like to READ these and not view them, though.

[Robin Cicchetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Knowledge Age is upon us, and U.S.education was too busy trying to fulfill the mandates of No Child Left Behind to notice. Trilling and Fadel do a great job explaining the global and economic changes that have occurred and putting the impact on our children as future workers into context. Our kids need new skills to survive in the new, global economy.
This is a quick read and well worth the time.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are getting ready to go into curriculum cycle for our Computer Applications classes. I read this book to get some information in current trends in education. The book was informative and some fabulous examples of project based learning, but like every trend in education, implementing is difficult. I have been reading about collaboration and project-based learning, etc. for awhile now. It will take a massive alteration of current school system to implement this type of program in our schools.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Going by the star system: it was ok.

I didn't think this book really added much to the conversation about what students need to know. The basic skills we want our students to develop haven't changed much at all, it's just the tools that have changed.

Weak writing, lots of fluff, unnecessary figures all hamper the book's argument. Their point was made much more effectively through several articles published on education websites. Read them and save yourself the time.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of the skills our children will need in the 21st century. Our educational systems need to change to meet these needs. There is a great opportunity for industry and education to partner and make this happen. I've seen these skills in action within the insurance industry where carriers, agents and vendors come together to solve industry problems. It's amazing to see this in action and the end result of the collaboration.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very inspiring book that detailed a strategic overview of the skills necessary to teach in schools so that students can live and work in the future. I was impressed by the resources in the appendix at the end. The one shortcoming, as in many books that provide such optimistic frameworks of education, is the classroom level day-to-day planning necessary to achieve the strategic objectives.

[Andrew Rothstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure. I know Bernie Trilling and am glad he wrote this book. It is a very good description of what we need to be looking to accomplish in our educational systems. It captures the key areas and takes the conversation beyond the Common Core State Standards. There are also some excellent graphics that illustrate key concepts.

Well done.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of a class I was taking at the same time I served as a rep on a district wide technology design team. It was reassuring to see how well the text complimented the topics being discussed and decisions being made in our district regarding technology and functional spaces especially.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good overview of 21st century skills and a fairly quick read. I was going to give it three stars until I watched the DVD that was included. These examples, especially the first few, were extremely helpful at seeing 21st century skills being used in the classroom.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, accessible explanation of the oft used term, "21st Century Skills." It clearly shows us where we were in education, where we are and where we need to be. This should be read by school administrators and the rest of us interested in the best ways to prepare our students for the future.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great unpacking of what the 21st century learning model is all about. The DVD enclosed was very helpful to me. Very "21st century." I like to see and hear so this was helpful to my learning and reflection regarding the book's main points.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for those people who are just beginning to explore the meaning of teaching 21st century skills. It was a quick read that I would recommend to new teachers or teachers that are beginning their journey into the digital world. I enjoyed the four question exercise at the beginning of the book.

[Jonathan Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lucid introduction to the idea of 21st century skills in the American and global classroom. Accessibly written using good resources. Provocative without being intimidating. A great place to start if you're interested in 21st century skills.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm all about 21st century teaching & learning, so I had hoped this book would be right up my alley. While there is some valuable information in this book, it's very dry, dull, and redundant. If I wasn't reading it for a class, I wouldn't have finished it.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had read this book when we started our homeschooling journey I might have done things completely differently. Why are we using educational models from 100 years ago in today's digital and information age? This will definitely shape our homeschool plans for next year.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

A problem we have with education is big initiatives like this. They put learning in such a box that educators cannot deviate from. Are the skills mentioned in this book vital? To a certain degree yes. Are they worth revolving a curriculum, or even a minor portion of curriculum, around? No.