This paper focuses attention on international school reforms that position students to gain critical 21 st century work skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Special attention is given to a category of instructional methodologies known as project-based learning (PBL). PBL aptly teaches standards-based curriculum while also challenging students to inquire, make decisions and communicate with others as they work collaboratively to complete a project. PBL comes in many forms from problem-based, more centered on student thinking processes, to activity-based, making a product, and, finally, place-based, which is generally focused in the community. This paper addresses the latter kind as it involves an Oral History community project in a Lithuanian secondary school. This particular project was selected, not only to showcase the many benefits of PBL, but also to highlight 21 st century skills that students gained while working on the project. As the paper makes a case for incorporating 21st century skills into international school reforms, it also hopes to inspire other educators who may wish to consider incorporating PBL pedagogies in their own schools.
This paper offers a comparative reflection on how two nations, the U.S. and Lithuania, are implementing inquiry-based science in elementary classrooms. The qualitative study explored how fourth grade teachers in Southern California and in Lithuania employed effective inquiry-based strategies in their classrooms. A teacher's use of questioning strategies to guide critical thinking and the role of inquiry-based pedagogy plays in promoting student engagement were commonalities in both countries. "Exercise moments", resource conservation, and "voyeuristic investigations" were noted in Lithuanian inquiry practices while pacing guides and standards coverage were prevalent issues in US inquiry practices.
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