Liberal Workforce Development?

Recommendation 2, from page 8 of “College Learning in the New Global Century"
seems to offer a counterpoint to the brewing idea that offering Stackable Certificates is the way to ensure effective workforce development. LEAP suggests that 2-year colleges, traditionally and currently the institutions that focus primarily on skills development for employability, should integrate liberal education into all coursework. Here is the excerpt from the report, with my emphases:


"Nearly half the nation’s college students, and the majority of
students from low-income families, begin their studies in two-year
institutions. It should be a national priority to ensure that these
students, whatever their career choices and preparation, become richly
prepared for a changing economy, for the option of further study, and
for a lifetime of continuous learning—as employees and as citizens.

This recommendation neither requires nor anticipates that
community college students should study only, or primarily, what
are conventionally known as arts and sciences or “general education”
courses. Rather, it calls on two-year and four-year institutions, in every
state and region, to collaboratively remap the curriculum so that arts
and sciences and professional or “career” courses can work together,
from first to final years, to foster the broad knowledge, sophisticated
skills, personal and social responsibility, and demonstrated achievement
that every student needs and deserves."

The Holy Grail?

I wish that i could remember how I linked to this site....I actually think that it was through the Ohio STEM Learning Network somehow.....



At any rate, College Learning for the New Global Century(2007), a report from the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) beautifully and compellingly describes what revsions need to occur in Liberal Arts education in order to make this field of study relevant in the 21st century. While STEM education is getting the lion's share of publicity, funding and fans, the authors of the LEAP report argue that Liberal Arts education is essential to student success and must not be ignored.



Of particular interest is the fact that authors of the LEAP report urge us to think deeply about what college grads need to know--a question, they argue, that has not been asked.



The authors of this report see liberal education as a "liberating education", one that shapes and melds civic awareness, global awareness, and complex problem solving ability through an interdisciplinary inquiry and knowledge base.



Echoing the tenets of STEM education, LEAP urges learner directed activities in education. Unlike STEM, LEAP encourages institutions of higher learning to avoid falling into the trap of educating within one discipline, one focus, one major. Think engineering majors who do a service project in rural Mali for 2 weeks (Miami University has done this) and then publish a paper on their experiences or science PhD candidates at OSU who, as thier graduate assistantship, serve at Metro High school, leading students though cutting edge experiences and inviting teachers to participate in experimental endeavors with them....

I feel somewhat validated

The following is an excerpt from David Loertcher's article "invention, transfer, efficiency, and innovation: 21st-century learning abilities can be taught", found in Teacher Librarian. 34.5 (June 2007). My comments are in italics at the end.

"Most learning experiences currently concentrate on efficiency: coming up with right answers using recognized techniques. . . [H]owever, these desirable learning characteristics--if really valued by society--must be assessed by using methods different from current standardized tests.

Action steps for the teacher-librarian when teaching alone or in collaboration with the classroom teacher follow:

At the beginning of a lesson, ask students to manipulate data on a topic to come up with an explanation, a formula, a way of seeing relationships--a preliminary invention of ideas. Do not criticize these efforts, even if they seem wrong. For example, if you know that students are going to face a wide spectrum of opinions on an issue, then provide them with a range of opinions in random order and ask groups or pairs of students to come up with a way to picture, group, or explain differences of opinion. Do not criticize charts or groupings; the students are inventing ways of thinking about data.

Teach the students how some experts deal with a range of opinions, by constructing an opinion line, such as that demonstrating for-and-against opinions or pro-and-con opinions. Have students retrieve articles on the subject and place the various opinions from the articles onto the opinion line; have them defend their placement.

Present students with a task that requires them to place articles on the opinion line as taught. They may argue among themselves about the position of a particular authority that seems to be taking a middle-of-the-road stance.

Assess their work as you normally would.
Finally, give the students a unique problem to solve where the technique taught might be one key in the solution to the problem. Assess their ability to encounter this novel problem in a new situation."

This is an English degree, only the "data" is words. If English studies - a core of Liberal Arts along with Philosophy, History, and other Humanities subjects - is already encouraging this type of intellectual pursuit and this type of intellectual pursuit is THE hot topic, why are the Humanities being underdiscussed, undervalued and underrecognized? People seem to discuss 21st century skills as something that needs to be incorporated into classrooms because it is not necessarily there.....but, in terms of critical thinking, it is.

21st Century Skills

From the 21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness Resource and Policy Guide

Our ability to compete as a nation—and for states, regions and
communities to attract growth industries and create jobs—demands a
fresh approach to public education. We need to recognize that a 21st
century education is the bedrock of competitiveness—the engine, not
simply an input, of the economy.

And we need to act accordingly: Every aspect of our education
system—preK–12, postsecondary and adult education, after-school and youth development, workforce development and training, and teacher preparation programs—must be aligned to prepare citizens with the 21st century skills they need to compete.

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My take:
It is easy to find information about he importance of bringing technology and associated 21st century skills into K-12 classrooms. What is not as easy to find is information on best pratcices for revamping higher education curricula to integrate 21st century skills into core programs and particular areas of study. Yes, everyone should know how to use a computer in this day and age, but genuine 21st century skill competency is much more than that. Yes, STEM education needs to be increased because these disciplines will shape the future economic success of our nation and of our Northeast Ohio region, but STEM education does not and should not replace liberal arts, business, or other professional studies.

So where are the best practices for integrating 21st century skills into college classrooms, into education, liberal arts, business, philosophy and other degree programs?

Colgate's strategic plan for implementing 21st Century Skills is here