Embedding 21st Century Skills in math lessons

Millennials need to see and experience the connection between education and how it will benefit them in their adult lives directly. Merely stating that education is important or that it will help them get good paying, challenging jobs instead of menial, low paid work does not resonate with them. It is not just the skill or the content that we teach that prepares our students for life in the 21st Century, it is the ability to think clearly and logically that will carry them through the rapidly changing world they will experience and this is where the 21st Century Career Skills come into play. It is the demonstration of the ability to navigate the challenges of education and the ability to master the thinking and reasoning skills that a good education requires them to master that will sustain them in uncertain situations. Fear not, I come not to bury curriculum, I come to praise it! By connecting the lessons of today’s classroom with these important abilities, we can assist them in engaging in those lessons and thus, better prepare them for life after high school wherever they choose to pursue it.