21st Century Skills for Students. Important but Hard to Teach

21st Century Skills for Students.  Important but Hard to Teach

Why do Students Need These Skills?

"In this globally and digitally interconnected world, all learners, from cradle to career, need new skills and knowledge to succeed. If we want to prepare our children for success in school, work and life, opportunities to learn 21st-century skills are essential" (Empowering Our Students with 21st-Century Skills for Today).

Our workforce is dynamic and changing. We are preparing many of our students for jobs and opportunities that do not currently exist.  That is why this type of skill development is so important, they will give students the tools that they need to be successful in any future that we can envision.

In the four minute video below, Tony Wagner makes a case for the importance of these 21st Century Skills and why students need them.

What are the 21st Century Skills that Every Student Needs?

Check out this amazing info graphic from https://www.aeseducation.com/career-readiness/what-are-21st-century-skills!!!! 

The Four 'C's

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:

• using sound reasoning for decision making
• problem solving process
• decision making
• 'big picture' thinking

Creativity:

• thinking 'outside the box'
• see concepts differently 
• innovation
• helps students to realize their potential

Collaboration

• getting people to work with others
• embracing different perspectives
• achieve compromises
• develops learning and mental and emotional health

Communication

• allows students to put the best representation of themselves out into the world
• these skills are essential for verbal, written and non-verbal communication
• articulate thoughts and ideas in a variety of contexts

Literacy Skills: 

Information Literacy: 

• understanding facts, figures, statistics, and data

Media Literacy: 

• understanding the methods and outlets in which information is published

Technology Literacy: 

• gives students the basic information they need to understand what gadgets perform what tasks and why

Financial Literacy: 

• essential for students to become productive, contributing members of society
• also important for students to effectively manage their money and build a financially secure future

Life Skills:

Flexibility: 

• deviating from plans as needed
• humility 
• a willingness to learn

Leadership: 

• motivating a team to accomplish a goal

Initiative: 

• the ability to start, manage and plan projects independently 
• one of the hardest skills to learn and practice

Productivity: 

• maintaining efficiency in an age of distractions
• challenging in our digital world

Social skills: 

• meeting and networking with others for mutual benefit

The How.....

I wish I magically had answers here.  These skills are hard to teach.  I have outlined few suggestions below however, teaching these requires educators to be vulnerable themselves and try things in their classrooms.  They also might have to learn through failure

• Collaborative structures and group work
• Project Based Learning: many of these skills are required to effectively drive and manage these 'real world' projects
• meta-cognition strategies
• Critical Thinking Exercises
• Gamification
• Reflection and questioning techniques
• Opportunities for peer feedback 
• Differentiation and passion projects
• Promote and value the process in learning
• Encourage transfer of learning
• Leverage technology to support

Technology to Support

There are various forms of technology, programs and apps that can be used to support these.  I have outlined a few below.  

G-Suite:

• Google Docs, Forms, Sheets, Keep, etc.  
• helps with project management and collaboration in group-work

Blogger:

• Making learning public, authentic audience

Social Media:

• Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc
• fosters important conversations about social media presence

Feel free to comment or add your own ideas.  The list I provided is not exhaustive and is merely meant to start the conversation.

Sources: 

P21 Framework Definitions. (2015). P21: Partnership for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved May 23, 
               2019.

Applied Educational Systems, Inc. (n.d.). What Are 21st Century Skills? Retrieved from     

               https://www.aeseducation.com/career-readiness/what-are-21st-century-skills

Bell, S. (2010). Project-Based Learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the Future. The Clearing
               House, 83, 39-43. Retrieved May 24, 2019, from
               file:///C:/Users/bairdm/Downloads/5ProjBLof21stcentskills.pdf

Empowering Our Students with 21st-Century Skills for Today. (2018, August 15). Retrieved from
               https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/04/empowering-students-21st-century-skills/

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (n.d.). The Critical 21st Century Skills Every Student Needs and Why.      

              Retrieved from https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/skills-every-student-needs