Advocates for 21st Century models of learning in Canada are offered three significant trends of interest

By John Kershaw, President of C21 Canada, President of 21st Century Learning Associates, and the former Deputy Minister of Education for New Brunswick

When hosting a booth at the recent CONNECT conference in Niagara (May 6/7) C21 Canada was encouraged by the number of education leaders who advised us they are using our Shifting Minds strategy to guide their strategic planning efforts. The Peel County School Board and Mohawk College are two examples of those who are using C21 Canada’s vision and framework in their  own planning efforts. As this trend continues C21 Canada wishes to hear from those educators who use Shifting Minds to guide their planning efforts. Contact us via our website and share your Shifting Minds stories.

The Skills Gap issue in Canada is gaining national profile, with numerous business and education groups highlighting the need for both short and long term remedies. Cited in some instances as “the  21st Century skills race” the global scope of the skills challenge is to ensure Canadians share in the wealth creation and employment opportunities arising from the knowledge and digital era.  The Canadian Chambers of Commerce’s document entitled the Top Ten Barriers to Competitiveness is a case in point. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives is also showing leadership in this area, convening a recent forum on the role of public education in addressing the issue. C21 Canada is actively engaging these organizations in recognition of the direct relationship between the skills gap issue and the 21st century learning movement. Education and business leaders across Canada need to better communicate and coordinate their respective efforts on these two inter-related fronts.

A potential bright light on the Canadian 21st Century learning horizon is  Alberta Education assuming the Chair of CMEC in the fall. Alberta is a leader in transforming its education system to the 21st century reality.  C21 Canada is hopeful that the Honourable Jeff Johnson, Alberta’s Minister of Education, and his newly appointed Deputy Minister, Greg Bass, will lead CMEC into infusing a  21st Century learning vision and into its pan Canadian education strategy, Learn Canada 2020. In the absence of a federal education agency, CMEC must seize the “national” leadership mantle and signal its support for the 21st century learning movement as the single most priority for all Canadian learners, and Canadian society as a whole.