21st Century Thinking Skills that Promote College and Career Readiness

(Grades K-12) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 104T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC40293

Course Description

Do the phrases college and career ready and 21st century skills keep popping up on your radar? Are you wondering exactly what they mean and what you can do as a teacher to help your students become better thinkers and learners? This online course is designed for K-12 teachers who are looking to explore strategies for incorporating students’ higher-order thinking skills into their classroom practices. In doing so, students become critical and creative thinkers and communicators who are able to work collaboratively while embracing others’ diverse cultural perspectives in a global community of 21st century learners. This course begins by discussing how the age of acceleration has shifted how students are taught so that their very important social-emotional skills are embraced, skills which are essential to college and career readiness in the 21st century. Teachers will learn how to create a culturally relevant and globally accessible classroom environment that embraces the “6Cs of education.” Teachers will take a deep dive into these six components of 21st century learning (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, culture, and civic and global readiness). By the end of this course, teachers will feel more confident in their quest to implement these essential 21st century thinking skills successfully into their own teaching practices. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.

"The content was great! I really enjoyed learning about the 21st Century Skills. The reading was interesting and I particularly liked the sample lessons and examples." - Bonnie Redding