PURPOSEFUL USE OF 21 ST CENTURY SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The term 21st century skills in a overarching description of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions seen as prerequisities for success in the global workplace of the future.The purpose of this paper is to describe the context and definition of 21st century skills, and to illustrate how each skill may be purposefully integrated into post-secondary teaching.

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The Framework for 21st Century Learning describes the skills, knowledge and expertise students must master to succeed in work and life.

21st Century Skills Framework

4CS OF 21 ST CENTURY LEARNING

Critical thinking and problem solving skills (which include reasoning effectively)

Communication skills (effective oral, written and non-verbal communication in a variety of forms)

Collaboration skills (working effective and respectfully with diverse teams)

Creativity and innovation skills (include thinking that creates new and worthwhile ideas)

Other frameworks for 21st Century Skills

Refer to their set of proficiencies as 21st century skills and identify them as ways of thinking; ways of working, including communication and collaboration; tools for working,including information and communication technology literacy; and ways of living in the world, including local and global citizenship, career, personal and social responsibility, and cultural awareness and competence.

The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL, 2003) also identified four categories of proficiencies that they label as 21st century skills. These skills include digital, scientific, economic, technological, visual, and multicultural literacy, as well as global awareness, inventive thinking, effective communication, and high productivity.

Another form of objection to 21st century skills is that some of them may be used destructively. Finn (2015) suggested that critical thinking promotes a negative put-down type of thinfing. Paul and Elder (2014) noted that 21st century skills can be destructive if they are not infused with intellectual virtues such as empathy, humility, courage, fair-mindedness, and perseverance. Warner (2014) suggest a return to more classical values.

People from ancient times also recognized the importance of what we now consider to be 21st century skills.Socrates and Plato were advocates of communication skills, intellectual development, and critical thinking.

21st Century Skills Not New to the 21st Century

Aristotle extolled the importance of collaboration and working in partnership with others, as well as the individual and communal need for invention or creativity.

Definition: Critical thinking means to reason effectively, recognizing connections between systems, concepts, and disciplines to solve problems and make decisions.

The following is required:Clarity.Accuracy.Precision of expression.Relevance of arguments

or questions.Logic of thought.Thinking with sufficient

depth and breadth to consider complexities and perspectives of an issue.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

HOW CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO POST-SECONDARY TEACHING

Socrates is reported to have said, “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Brickhouse & Smith, 1994, p. 201). The meaning of his statement could be refocused by saying, “Unexamined values/ideas/concepts are not worth holding.” Engaging students in personally meaningful critical thinking can be as simple as providing choice of a topic of personal interest within a subject area, or creating models to deepen interest. For example, a review of the literature could be assigned on a topic of students’ choice, and requiring the presentation of differing perspectives. For greater depth, students would be required to identify assumptions and the worldview that underlie each perspective, while providing evidence of their analyses.

Definition: Communication refers to the ability to effectively articulate, receive, and give feedback on thoughts and ideas transmitted orally, in writing, visually, through use of technology, or via non-verbal communication.

Communication also includes the effective use of listening skills to interpret meaning, including the use of emotional intelligence to infer values, attitudes, and intentions.

Communication Skills

How Communication Skills Can Be Integrated into Post-Secondary Teaching

These skills can be integrated into post-secondary teaching and could include the following types of student assignments:

• Deliver presentations, prepare reports, conduct meetings, lead groups, demonstrating ideas using visuals, graphics, multi-media, and other nonverbal means or technology related tools.

• Review, evaluate, critique, and report on communications efforts delivered by others, demonstrating accurate interpretations of information, knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions. (Includes nonverbal communication.)

• Collaborate and cooperate with others on group projects that require interpersonal skills.

• Other technology-related projects/products to demonstrate knowledge and appropriate use of technology.

Definition:As the ability to “work effectively in diverse teams, make compromises to reach a common goal, and value each individual’s contribution”.

Higher education faculty members need a network of connections to assist them in collaborating with others. Are adding a social component to distance learning.

Distance learning tools from Blackboard and Wimba were used to improve learning experiences and increase interactions between students and faculty. Social learning is still in its infancy when used in college classes; however, the need to increase collaboration is pushing the use of social media to accomplish those objectives.

Instructors need to offer many opportunities for collaboration in both onsite and online classes.

Collaboration

Beneficts for collaboration in online classes:• Provide access to skills and

strengths.• Develop skills.• Solve problems and innovate

faster.• Make work more efficient.• Increase Job satisfaction.

How Collaboration Can Be Integrated into Post-Secondary Teaching

P21 has made alliances with many key national organizations. One of these is the Collaborative Online Research and Learning (CORAL), a task force with members from various universities who create and test models that integrate technology with teaching and learning (NEA, 2012).

• Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a program that works worldwide to create a hands-on, school-based science and education program.

• The Partnership in Learning has also developed many classroom resources such as creating rubrics, using groups effectively, creating online professional learning communities, and translating good teaching practices to the virtual classroom.

• In an effort to make online and onsite courses more relevant to match the needs of 21stcentury students, many options need to be tried. Motivation does increase when an instructor includes experiences with social media, podcasts, blogs, and other practices that require feedback and interaction with fellow students in a class.

Definition:Creativity and innovation involve generating new and worthwhile ideas as well as

refining ideas that already exist. Creativity and innovation include being open and responsive to new ideas recognizing that these qualities can be enhanced through small successes and frequent mistakes.

Creativity and Innovation

• Creativity often involves working on a project with others and being open to various perspectives. Creative people work toward being inventive and original and view failure as an opportunity to learn from mistakes.

• Creativity is not only for the arts but should be embedded in math, science, history curricula, and in all disciplines.

• Creativity isn’t something you’re born with. It’s partially a skill, but it’s largely an attitude. It’s used a wide range of

idea-creation techniques:• Brainstorming.• Mind mapping.• Doodling.• Diagrams.

• Instructors who want their students (both online and onsite) to be more engaged and creative are beginning to share their ideas on college websites, at conferences, and in journal articles.

• If instructors model creativity in the way they structure assignments, their students will be more willing to take a chance in trying something new.

• Being the following some examples of assignments in all fields that motivate students to solve real problems, create innovative projects, and engage with topics in a fresh, new way.

How Creativity Can Be Integrated into Post-Secondary Teaching

How Creativity Can Be Integrated into Post-Secondary Teaching• In today’s world of global

competition and task automation, innovative capacity and a creative spirit are fast becoming requirements for personal and professional success.

• Gardner described “the creating mind” as one of the five minds we will need in the future. To cultivate such a mind, he wrote, “we need an education that features exploration, challenging problems, and the tolerance, if not active encouragement of productive mistakes”.

CONCLUSIONWhile it is useful to distinguish between specific 21st century skills, in practice they are closely intertwined. For example, one cannot engage in meaning-making without some level of critical thinking, without taking into consideration the perspectives of others, without interacting with others, or without considering alternatives. True education is seeing connections between ideas, concepts, and disciplines in ways that help students understand the relationships and the relevance of ideas to people and new situations.