An Examination of 5th Grade Mathematics Curriculum in Terms of 21st Century Skills

Abstract

It is seen that due to the social, economic, political and technological developments in the 21st century, the required professional qualifications began to change and their future expectations began to differ. Various changes are expected in the education systems in line with these expectations and needs. In today's world, it is more important to be able to make sense of information, to use it, to distinguish what is important and unimportant information and to associate information with daily life rather than transferring information to students. Schools should emphasize on life skills rather than technical skills, so that individuals can adapt to changes. In this respect, various institutions tried to define the skills that individuals should have in the 21st century and these skills were also called 21st century skills. 21st century skills are one of the most important issues that today focus on those who direct education. The reason for this is that we need to determine nowadays what skills and knowledge the generations will have after 20 years. Although 21st century skills are defined differently by different institutions, we can say that the main skills mentioned are often the same. In this study, it is aimed to find out which skills the objectives of the fifth grade mathematics courses taught in Turkey are covered in terms of acquiring 21st century skills through the acquisitions and explanations determined by the Ministry of National Education. In this direction, qualitative research method was used in this study. Document analysis was used in data collection process and descriptive analysis was preferred for data analysis. At the end of the study, there was no data found regarding to “learning to learn”, “taking initiative and entrepreneurship”, “communication” and “productivity” skills in the objectives of the fifth grade mathematics curriculum. The findings showed that “problem solving”, “critical thinking”, “creativity”, “ICT literacy”, “social and cultural skills and citizenship” and “cooperation” skills were found but inadequate in the objectives of the fifth grade mathematics curriculum. In general, the fifth grade mathematics curriculum focuses on “mathematics competence” skill in the objectives.