21st century skills refer to the knowledge, life skills, career skills, and traits that are critically important to student success in today’s world, particularly as students’ progress through education and into adult life.
They are in essence life skills to assist with the practical aspects of everyday life. Some examples of 21st skills are Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information, oral and written communication, ICT skills, public speaking and presenting & listening.
The basic premise is that students, who will come of age in the 21st century, need to be taught different skills than those learned by students in the 20th century, and that the skills they learn should reflect the specific demands that will placed upon them in a complex, competitive, knowledge-based, information-age, technology-driven economy and society.
Why are 21st century skills important? “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” John Dewey Education like so many other sectors is constantly evolving and adapting and we need to respond and adapt accordingly schools should be preparing students for the test of life and not a life of tests.
Teaching and learning and the students experience of same is and should be at the core of what and why we work in education. 21st century skills recognise this and their implementation certainly engage the students more in their learning.
On reflection and as an administrative primary school principal and teacher with 14 years’ classroom experience, it has always been the fun project based learning, once off competitions, guest speakers, debating competitions, student council activities and all hands on practical activities within PE, art and drama that were popular and which students enjoyed the most. As a teacher, engagement in these projects provided me with the invaluable opportunity to observe students engaging in group work etc. and to informally assess.
In essence, 21st century skills are important because if we don’t embrace and integrate them more into our education systems, we are ill equipping the future generation. We need to teach students how to think and not what to think.
Tips on how to introduce 21st century skills into your classroom “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” Benjamin Franklin The system in which the student is passive and the teacher is active is no longer the most effective form of education.
Educators need to become facilitators more regularly in order to promote effective teaching practices and 21st century skills within the classroom.
Students are not developing them because they are not being explicitly taught.
The best teachers are those who show you where to look but do not tell you what to see. Crucially, the adoption of 21st century skills within classrooms changes the dynamic from didactic learning to peer led nd teacher facilitated learning thus iving the pupils more independence, wnership and involvement in their earning. ome teaching strategies for onsideration whilst planning Continue to consider all learners of all abilities.
Continue to be relevant - if students find lessons relevant to their lives, they are more intrinsically motivated to learn.
Continue to embrace technology as a valuable resource; Technology offers the potential to develop students’ 21st-century skills by providing them with new ways to develop their problem solving, critical thinking, and communication skills. Technology can help students practice transferring those skills to different contexts, reflect on their thinking and that of their peers, practice addressing their misunderstandings, and collaborate with peers.
Foster student relationships via empowerment, peer led learning, inquiry based learning etc.
Continue to be creative with your lesson planning, put yourself in the shoes of the students.
Engage in CPD and upskill.
Ceannairí Draíochta / The Magical Leaders Programme
Zeeko’s Magical Leaders programme is a peer-led programme that helps children develop 21st century and transversal skills. The programme is engaging, fun, and crucially interactive.
The Magical Leaders programme is designed by educators, with detailed lesson plans and instruction manuals included. It is funded by Enterprise Ireland and is free to schools in Ireland with excellent resources and training provided.
I am extremely proud to have been involved in the formulation of Ceannairí Draíochta and I would highly recommend it for the senior classes 3rd-6th class. See www.zeeko.ie for more details.