Tomorrow I have the distinct pleasure to moderate a panel discussion on 21st Century skills at Fresno Pacific University. In addition to Bernie Trilling, panelists will be Larry Powell (Fresno County Superintendent of Schools), Kurt Madden (CTO/Associate Superintendent, Fresno USD), and Mark Archon (Madera County Office of Education). I expect that it will be great fun, but also of value to the folks who will be there.

If you would like to follow the day, I will be tweeting about it on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tcnixon.

In preparation for the visit to Fresno Pacific University by Bernie Trilling, I am reading 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. I expect that I will be sharing some of the key passages with you all as I go through the book.

Here’s the first one:

One of the Chinese delegates, Mr. Zheng, appeared increasingly excited the more he saw and heard [at Napa's New Technology High School]. By the time we gathered to recap the day’s experiences, he just couldn’t wait to speak any longer.

He held up the school’s curriculum guide and asked, in English, “Where in here do you teach creativity and innovation? I want to know how you teach this! We need our students to learn how to do this!”

The school’s curriculum director, Paul, took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, smiled, and answered slowly, “I have some not-so-good news…and some good news.

“The not-so-good news is…it isn’t in the curriculum guide.

“It’s more in the air we breathe — or maybe the water we drink; the history of our country — Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin; it’s in our business culture, our entrepreneurs, our willingness to try new ideas; the tinkering and inventing in our garages, the challenge of tackling tough problems and the excitement of creating something new; in being rewarded for our new ideas, taking risks, failing, and trying again.”