What is Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)

This chapter provides a method for meeting the educational demands of the 21st century. The Content through Action method (CTA) provides a process to plan integrated instructional units for connecting various subject matter areas. Based on the researcher's experience in designing interdisciplinary units, the chapter includes the CTA process of building a unit and the research-based rationale behind each step of the process. The literature review includes discussion of the Four Cs, the 21st-century classroom, the motivation of learners, and the teacher's role. The theoretical framework is built on the foundation provided by constructivism, heutagogy, design thinking, the theory of change, and the growth mindset. After teaching other methods such as problem-based and design-based learning, the author asserts that the CTA method of instructional planning promotes the development of thinking skills compatible with the needs of the 21st-century learner.