Mandatory 21st Century Skills
21st Century Skills
The Global Digital Citizen Foundation has given hundreds of presentations to educators and administrators in several countries over the years. Each time we’ve spoken, we have asked them what they feel are the most important 21st century skills students need above all others.
The answers that we’ve received most often are narrowed down below. This list comes from our book Literacy is Not Enough (Crockett, Lee et. al.; 2011). You’ll be able to see that these points correlate rather well with both the New Zealand’s capabilities list and the IB Learner Profile. They certainly cover the Common Core’s bases, too. It’s good to know we’re all on the same page, isn’t it? That’s great news for our students!
So, according to the folks we’ve asked, the consensus is that students need to acquire transparency-level skills in the following areas:
- Problem solving
- Creativity
- Analytic thinking
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Ethics, action, and accountability
This 21st century skills list is purposefully embedded within the crucial 21st Century Fluencies. You can learn about them right here. In the meantime, let’s talk more about why these skills are important. We’ll go through each point separately and talk about it in detail.
Problem solving
Students need the ability to solve complex problems in real time.
Why it’s important: In the future, complex problems that we can’t even conceive right now will be everywhere. As society advances, so will the complexity of its manageable conflicts. The more we focus on developing students who can devise effective solutions to real-world problems, the more successful those students will become. This is what Solution Fluency is all about—solving complex problems effectively in real time using unique and carefully-designed solutions.
In addition to this, problem-solvers can work independently of higher supervision. They are initiative- and risk-takers, and they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and make mistakes. They also learn from those mistakes, and habitually debrief their processes for the purpose of creating more efficient and economical ones.
Such an individual is an asset to any workforce, and these are the kinds of people who will be successful in a global marketplace such as ours. As such it’s worth mentioning that in this future we’re talking about, workers who are unable to think proactively towards solving problems in their own way will have a hard time finding employment.
Creativity
Students need to be able to think and work creatively in both digital and nondigital environments to develop unique and useful solutions.
Why it’s important: Our digital students are in a constant state of stimulation and neural development due to their technology use. They are natural producers and consumers—prosumers, you could say—of information. Problem-solving is a skill that comes naturally to them and this can be advanced profoundly with the proper engagement in their learning. This comes from doing rewarding projects and meaningful tasks that give them challenges to overcome in imaginative ways.
Ask any student about what they like to create and you’ll get a myriad of different answers. They are constantly searching for ways to express themselves and their uniqueness. Through social media, they display this creative edge and are given constant and instantaneous feedback from their peers. This same level of creative power is used as they face interesting challenges and figure out how to meet them using their own ingenuity and visualization techniques. This is why Creativity Fluency is one of the essential 21st Century Fluency skills.
Creativity is an essential outlet that inspires students to see who they are and what they can do, and to realize what they can accomplish. It is fundamental that this side of any student be allowed to shine forth in their learning.
Analytic thinking
Students need the ability to think analytically, which includes proficiency with comparing, contrasting, evaluating, synthesizing, and applying without instruction or supervision.
Why it’s important: Analytic thinking means being able to use the higher end of Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy, known as the HOTS , or higher-order thinking skills. You can learn more about this taxonomy, devised by educator Andrew Churches, by visiting his educational wiki Edorigami.
Tasks that require linear thinking and routine cognitive work are being outsourced more and more. So it’s essential to guide students towards being able to perform analytic thinking, as it is crucial to their ability to succeed in life after the classroom. Analytic thinking is a significant part of what makes up Information Fluency.
According to Palgrave Study Skills, the common piece of feedback that many first-year university students receive on early assignments is that they are “not analytical enough.” (Palgrave goes on to profile an in-depth explanation of what critical and analytical thinking is.)
Analytical thinkers see data and information in many different dimensions, and from multiple angles. They are adept at conceptualization, organization and classification, and knowledge synthesis. These types of skills are invaluable because they allow students to deal with problems of a social, mathematical, and scientific nature in practical ways. It empowers them to make effective and level-headed decisions in their lives and relationships. It’s easy to see why critical and analytical thinking skills are important to our students’ success beyond school.
Collaboration
Students must possess the ability to collaborate seamlessly in both physical and virtual spaces, with real and virtual partners globally.
Why it’s important: Students of the digital age are social by nature. They text, post, update, share, chat, and constantly co-create in technological environments with each other. When they are unable to do this in school, they become disengaged and unattached to their learning. Connection and collaboration with others is essential not only to their learning, but their mental and emotional health. It is a skill that we as educators must exercise with them regularly, and understanding Collaboration Fluency will assist greatly with this.
The workforces of the future (and even our present day) are globalizing due to the Internet. It is now the norm to communicate with and market for global demographics instantaneously and effectively. An organization’s business partners are now halfway across the world, and yet they meet and work with each other every day! The ability to collaborate and communicate in these types of situations is essential for our students’ success in the future.
This kind of interaction goes hand-in-hand with the mindset of global awareness that is part of Global Digital Citizenship. Simply put, better collaborators make better students—and better citizens.
Communication
Students must be able to communicate not just with text or speech, but in multiple multimedia formats. They must be able to communicate visually through video and imagery as effectively as they do with text and speech.
Why it’s important: Communication is a broad term that incorporates multi-faceted levels of interaction and imparting information to others. Students love to communicate using technology, and this is an essential part of Media Fluency. But it’s more than just being able to effectively use digital media—it’s about personal interactions as well.
We must remind our students that responsible communication practice puts forth their best representation of who they are as individuals in every relationship and alliance they make in their lives. Whether talking face-to-face, blogging, texting, or creating a visual product, their values and beliefs are defined by how well they communicate with others. Encouraging them to develop and hone every aspect of their communication skills will serve them well in both their personal and professional lives.
Ethics, Action, and Accountability
This includes adaptability, fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, environmental awareness, empathy, tolerance, and global awareness.
Why it’s important: These are among the many characteristics of the Global Digital Citizen. A well-rounded and responsible global digital citizen practices personal, global, and online responsibilities geared towards creating a better world for everyone. This is a selfless, helpful, and caring individual who is respectful of other cultures and belief systems, and diligent about being at their best with interactions of all sorts, both online and offline.
Teaching our kids about global awareness and Internet safety have become mainstream practices in education, and it’s a great thing to see them garnering the attention they deserve in our classrooms. The Global Digital Citizen Foundation continues to create resources to help educators all over the world incorporate these practices into their own teaching strategies.
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