Kids today are being taught 20th-century skills using 19th-century teaching methods for a 21st-century global economy. And they are falling behind in crucial skills as a result of this severe mismatch. At 21stCentEd, we are here to help your child learn important 21st-century skills through STEM-focused virtual learning.
With an emphasis on the 4Cs (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity), 21stCentEd makes STEM learning accessible to all students with self-paced courses that allow them to explore and learn online. With courses in animation, gaming, robotics, and digital media, and more…every child can find something to love about STEM.
Self-paced curriculum provides more opportunities for children to take ownership of their learning. 21stCentEd’s STEM and CTE courses are all self-paced, self-directed, with mulitple project-based activities mixed with formative assessments and quizzes to check for understanding.
The 4 C’s (collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication) are by far the most popular 21st-Century Skills, however, there are more. We promote adaptability, confidence, problem-solving, curiosity, perseverance, active listening, leadership, self-discipline, and self-regulation.
Project-based learning (PBL) is learning by doing. There are 10 projects in each course ensuring that student have rich PBL experience. So even if you have no other PBL opportunities, they get plenty with 21stCentEd.
The SEL framework identifies five core competencies Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness. Our empathy warm-ups which are required before taking a course, are structured in the design thinking process using the FIDS (feel, imagine, do, share) model that fosters empathy and student agency.
Design Thinking/Engineering Process is a framework for innovative solutions utilizing creative problem-solving. There are five stages: Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. As students learn to code, start a business, or create anything for someone else, this experience is crucial for a successful outcome.
Personalized learning is designed to foster the academic success of each student by providing learning experiences that are customized—to a greater or lesser extent—for each student. Because of the variety of STEM courses we offer, students can pursue STEM according to learning needs, interests, and aspirations.
Learner-centered education ensures that each learner is unique in meaningful ways, each learner has unbounded potential, each learner has an innate desire to learn. The job of the education system is to unleash that desire. With ubiquitous access to STEM, we meet the students where they are and provide the support they need by making our courses accessible wherever they are so they can be unleashed to soar.
Voice and Choice is about letting students decide what they want to study, who they want to work with, what outcomes they expect, and where and when they do their work, according to Edutopia. Some students may want to start the STEM experience with Sound and Audio mixing, not coding. Some students may prefer to learn coding at the local community center, let them. We provide the resource and tool to help you give student voice and choice.
With 45 and counting STEM courses, we go way beyond just coding and robotics with gateway courses such as Sound and Audio Mixing. Parents say that we have “the perfect balance between ‘fun’ and ‘educational’ aspects [in our courses].” We meet your children where they are and help them progress to their ability level.
Digital Citizenship is about safe, respectful, and responsible use of technology and especially the internet. Every student must have this background and it’s all packed in a course.
Empathy is essential to the process of education not only for relationships between teachers, between students, and between teacher and student. Empathy is also essential to the creative process. We provide an empathy warm-up as a pre-course assignment to establish a powerful frame of mind for creating via STEM.
If we put the right foundation under them–a classical education plus comprehensive STEM, students will have four solid options post-high school: college, work, entrepreneurship, or military. What they will decide to do will be based on preference not, preparation. That’s true college and career readiness.
In 2020, we have seen a massive change in the way our children learn. As schools and teachers have scrambled to adapt to a virtual learning model, gaps in learning have emerged. With 21stCentEd, virtual is already who we are. We have simply adapted what we already do with school districts into a unique program you can bring directly into your home.
But the truth is that no matter what the current climate is, supplemented STEM learning is always a good idea. Exposing your child to STEM learning early and often will give them the confidence and skills they need to be successful later in life in any career they might pursue, STEM or not STEM-related.
Read through our grade-level options to select the suite of courses most aligned with your child’s interests and age.
Click ENROLL to create your 21stCentEd account for your selected suite of courses.
Show your child how to access their courses and sit back as they get prepared for a brighter future, all while having fun.
Our focus is on providing multiple STEM experiences as early as possible and throughout their education that will allow your child to develop the key creative, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills that they will need in the world of 21st-century jobs.
And the good news is that you yourself don’t need to be a STEM expert to help your child become one. 21stCentEd provides the resources you need, including mentor support, so your child can learn and grow alongside you. Who knows – you just might learn something too.