Learners will have to acquire a set of skills and adopt certain characteristics in order to become successful in 21st century society:
Creativity and Innovation
“Creativity is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.”– Sir Ken Robinson, 2013
Today, creativity and innovation are critical skills for students to possess (Delp, 2011; NEA, 2012). Not only are these capacities fundamental drivers in the global workforce, but they are rapidly becoming key requirements for success personally and professionally (NEA, 2012). Both the National Education Association (2012) and Andain and Murphy (2008) believe that if children are leaving school without having this innovative capacity and not knowing how to be creative, they are at risk of being underprepared for the workforce and challenges that society brings. Creative skills and innovation are highly desired in the 21st century learner.
21st century children need to be able to think creatively, work creatively with others and also implement innovation in their everyday lives (NEA, 2012; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009). This means that students need to be capable of developing creative solutions to the many problems and challenges that they may face and that the 21st century brings (Delp, 2011). Children need to be able to think creatively, develop new ideas that are entwined with originality and inventiveness and demonstrate imagination and curiosity in their learning (NEA, 2012; P21CS, 2009). They can then maximise their creative efforts, by elaborating and analysing their ideas for improvement (NEA, 2012). The 21st century learner also works creatively with others, being able to develop and implement their creative ideas through communication and collaboration with the group (NEA, 2012; P21CS, 2009). They are able to act on their creativity and make creative contributions to areas where innovation occurs (NEA, 2012; P21CS, 2009).
These aspects of creativity and innovation should be promoted in the classroom (NEA, 2012). Teachers needs to foster and support the development of creative skills in children and give 21st century learners the opportunities to pursue creativity and innovation (Andain & Murphy, 2008). They need to provide children with an education that allows for them to take part in creative exploration and discovery (Andain & Murphy, 2008; NEA, 2012). By giving children these challenging problems they are encouraged to use more of their potential creativity, using innovation and to overcome these challenges (NEA, 2012). 21st century learners view failures and mistakes as productive and as opportunities to learn and enhance their creative thinking capability (Andain & Murphy, 2008; NEA, 2012).
Collaboration and Communication
The world children are growing up in today is a world where communication, collaboration and teamwork is essential (Andain & Murphy, 2008). Due to the increasing improvement of technology and economic globalization, these skills are now absolutely necessary, without them students would not succeed in modern society (Delp, 2011;NEA, 2012).
Effective collaboration requires students to learn to respect each other’s differences and use their different personalities (Delp, 2011; NEA, 2012). This allows children to collectively solve problems as a team, creating and innovating original ideas (Delp, 2011). Learning to collaborate effectively will greatly increase any given student’s employment opportunities in the future as the collaboration of knowledge is a key factor in today’s global corporate world.
The ability to communicate effectively is an essential ingredient in any successful collaboration between students. Students need to have the ability to present their ideas articulately through a range of oral, written and non-verbal communication platforms (P21CS, 2009; NEA, 2012). In order to become an effective communicator, students must first learn to listen effectively. Listening effectively will aid in the development of communication within a team environment, where communication and collaboration is used in a range of team and ‘pair-and-share activities, as well as in group and partner discussion (NEA, 2012). Using communication in a group context will enable students to teach one another, sharing skills and knowledge to develop the group’s overall intelligence (NEA, 2012).
Once communication and collaboration is being used effectively, students must learn to adapt their skills for a range of purposes in a variety of diverse environments (P21CS, 2009; NEA, 2012). Collaboration and communication can be further developed through the use of multimedia and technology by students to achieve collaborative and communicative outcomes (NEA, 2012).
The 21st century learner already has a collaborative advantage due to their increased exposure to technology from a young age, allowing them to collaborate with a wide variety of peers across their nation and globally (NEA, 2012). The technological advances 21st century learners have access to allow them to learn and collaborate within different contexts and cultures, broadening their learning experience beyond just the classroom (NEA, 2012).
Collaboration and communication are necessities in any 21st century classroom (Andain & Murphy, 2008; Delp, 2011). These skills need to be developed on a daily basis in order to prepare students for the reality of today’s globalised society (Delp, 2011). In later life, students will need to work with diverse cultures in an array of different contexts to achieve their personal and business objectives (NEA, 2012). 21st Century learners in essence cannot survive in today’s world without these two absolutely essential skill sets, the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively drives creativity and innovation; skills which modern society demands and practices globally on a daily basis (NEA, 2012).
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
In a constantly changing world, students need the ability to think critically and solve any problem which may occur in their lives (P21CS, 2009; NEA, 2012; Pacific Policy Research Centre, 2010). Constant technological advancements mean that students need to be prepared to adapt to any change and continue to perform at their potential, both in their education and future employment (NEA, 2012). To be able to adapt to change effectively, students need to have the ability to make connections between information and arguments, interpret information to draw conclusions and reflect critically on learning experiences and processes (P21CS, 2009; PPRC, 2010). To adapt, students need to have the ability to solve problems in both a conventional manner and through the use of innovation. This ability will allow students to adapt to any changes in future employment, allowing them to continue as an effective team member.
In addition to this, students need to make judgements and decisions, based on effectively analysing and evaluating evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs (P21CS, 2009; PPRC, 2010). Making these decisions will give students the ability to innovate in order to problem solve, allowing them to adapt to changing social and technological factors in both their current and future lines of employment (NEA, 2012).
Whilst these skills are all quite traditionally based, 21st century learning changes their level of importance as advanced technology is now available for acquiring, creating, changing, maintaining, storing, communicating and analysing various different types of information (PPRC, 2010). Teaching critical thinking and problem solving to 21st century students is essential, as it leads students to develop other more important skills, such as high levels of concentration, increased ability to analyse information, and an improvement in the way students process thoughts and information (NEA, 2012; PPRC, 2010).
Global Citizens
As today’s world economy rapidly globalising, so too do our student’s learning needs. 21st Century learners need to be effective as global citizens, in order to be prepared for this, they need to be educated about the different cultures and lifestyles of the world (PPRC, 2010). Students need the ability to interact with people from various different cultural and linguistic origins (Davy, 2011; NEA, 2012).
Becoming a global citizen complements the skills of collaboration and communication, as it allows students to effectively learn from and work collaboratively with a host of different individuals from diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles (Davy; 2011). This encourages a classroom and work environment of open mindedness and mutual respect for one another (PPRC, 2010). To be successful in developing this environment, students need to become internationally minded citizens, considering other cultures, nations and lifestyles in each decision they make, as well as learning to effectively collaborate with a variety of people from different backgrounds (NEA, 2012; PPRC, 2010). Students can utilise their 21st century learning skills to understand and engage with global issues and diverse learning communities, better preparing them for the global workforce of tomorrow (Davy, 2011; NEA, 2012).
Technology Literacy
In the 21st century, technology has completely revolutionised the way we live our lives. It has reinvented the way we work, learn, shop and how we are entertained (Andain & Murphy, 2008). Advanced technology and all forms of digital media are completely integrated into modern society and are an integral aspect of a 21st century learner’s life, whether it be in how they learn, work or even socialise (Andain & Murphy, 2008). With instant access to a vast array of information via the internet, smart phones and other devices, today’s students are digital learners and will adapt to technological change far easier than any generation beforehand (PPRC, 2010). 21st century students are accustomed to frequent changes in technology and welcome any technological innovations as they occur (PPRC, 2010).
The rapid advances of technology in modern society mean that students need to learn the skills necessary to exceed in a technology rich environment (Cater, 2010). Students need the ability to access information efficiently and effectively, navigating through ‘waste’ to find the correct and relevant information for each situation (P21CS, 2009). This means using information accurately and creatively whilst still managing the relevance of information coming from a wide variety of sources (P21CS, 2009; PPRC, 2010). In addition to this, they need to then have the ability to critically and competently evaluate any information they come across, learn what is relevant and what to discard so they can then present this information to fellow classmates and co-workers as definitive research (Andain & Murphy, 2008).
In a world where virtual tools and open-source software eliminate learning boundaries for students, it is important that they learn to use technology as an effective research tool to organise, evaluate and communicate information to a wide range of different audiences (Berry, 2010; Andain & Murphy, 2008).
Lifelong Learners
21st century society is constantly evolving, as a result students need to have the ability to become lifelong learners in order to adapt to changes and succeed in modern society (Mauch, et. al., 2001). Globalisation and technological advancement are the key drivers for lifelong learning skills, and students need to adapt to these skill sets otherwise they will not become successful in later life (Mauch, et. al., 2001).
How does the International Baccalaureate Programme accommodate for the 21st Century Learner? ———> http://wp.me/P3mPLt-g
Advertisem*nt
