critical attributes of 21st century education

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8 CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

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7 Key Features of 21st Century Learning

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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21st Century education focuses on personalization, equality, collaboration, communication and community relationships.

These skills are required in a rapidly changing global economy. Students will be training for jobs that do not even exist yet. These jobs will require the types of problem solving and communication skills that can only be learned through 21st Century approaches to learning.

7 Key Features of 21st Century Education are:

• Personalized learning.
• Equity, diversity and inclusivity.
• Learning through doing.
• Changed role of the teacher.
• Community relationships.
• Technology.
• Teacher professionalization

Explanations of each are provided below.

21st Century Learning: Key Characteristics

These 7 features of 21st Century learning and teaching are adapted from (and build upon) Bolstad et al. (2012).

1. Personalized Learning

A personalized approach recognizes that not all students learn in the same manner.

Personalized learning involves differentiating instruction so that students can learn in ways that suit their personal needs. 

Educators can adjust their teaching methods in several ways. They could:

• Differentiate content difficulty;
• Differentiate modes of delivery; and 
• Differentiate assessment strategies. 

By contrast, the 20th Century approach was characterized by a one size fits all approach.

In the old model, all students in the class were taught the same content in the same way at the same time. Instruction was usually transmission-style under a paradigm of teaching often referred to as the banking model of education .

The significant shift from the one size fits all to personalized approach can be attributed to evolving understandings of how people learn.

Theories such as the sociocultural theory gained prominence in the latter decades of the 20th Century, which are now dominant in the 21st Century. These theories recognize that learners are influenced significantly by social, cultural and environmental factors which lead to differentiated outcomes.

Many theorists now believe that students need to learn through various different learning modalities depending on the student’s needs.

Examples of personalized learning include:

• Differentiated instruction ;
• Individualized education plans;
• Student-led projects in the classroom;
• Enhanced freedom of choice in the classroom.

2. Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity

In the 20th Century students were expected to conform to the mainstream or be excluded. But in the 21st Century, social inclusion and difference are celebrated.

We embrace equity, diversity and inclusivity in classrooms by:

• Equity: A goal of 21st Century educators is to achieve equality of outcomes. Educators are attempting to close achievement gaps between rich and poor. Hopefully one day your family’s wealth will not determine how successful you are at school.
• Diversity: Diversity is now considered a strength in classrooms. When students are different, they learn that difference is okay. They befriend people of different cultures and learn not to be afraid of other cultures around them.
• Inclusivity: We now believe that people of all ability levels, physical disabilities, or learning disabilities deserve to be included in mainstream classrooms. This can help them contribute to mainstream life and show them they are welcome and equal participants in the world.

Driving factors behind the turn toward increased equity, diversity and inclusivity include:

• A shift to the social model of disability , which argues that society needs to adapt to include people with learning and physical disabilities into mainstream classrooms;
• Increased cultural diversity leading to greater awareness of differences between cultures;
• Feminist and critical theories gaining currency in society, leading to awareness of the need for greater gender equality

3. Learning through Doing

Old behaviorist methods of education that were typical in the 20th Century saw learning as:

• Memorization of information.
• Transmission of information from teacher to student.
• Filling your mind up with facts.

These methods are thrown out in a 21st Century learning approach. 

Now, we encourage students to learn through doing .

The central idea in the ‘learning through doing’ approach is that we are much better at knowing, remembering and using knowledge if we learn actively, rather than through passive learning .

When we are learning through doing, we:

• Have first-hand experience with applying information to the real world.
• Get the opportunity to learn through trial-and-error (so we know why something is true or not).
• Aren’t told something, but rather we discover things through our engagement with the world around us.
• Learn information that isn’t just theoretical but can be applied to things in our lives somehow.

There are many approaches to education that fit within this 21st Century ‘learning through doing’ paradigm. Here are just a few:

• Cognitive Constructivism: This is a theory of learning that believe we learn by constructing ideas in our heads (rather than having them inserted into our minds). We construct information when we place ideas in our working memory, compare it to our existing prior knowledge , and make decisions about how useful, truthful or valuable this new knowledge is to us before saving it, using it to change our minds, or discarding it. We don’t just take bits of information for granted: we ‘mull them over’ and ‘consider them’ before deciding how to use them.
• Problem Based Learning : PBL is a classroom-based constructivist teaching strategy . It involves learning through solving problems. This is clearly very different to learning by being told facts. That’s because students aren’t given answers to problems: they have to solve the problems themselves to discover the truth. That’s why sometimes we also call PBL discovery learning .
• Problem Posing Education (PPE): PPE is very similar to problem based learning. In a problem posing environment, the teacher or student will come up with a problem and present the problem to the class. The class and the teacher need to learn the answer to this problem together. So, not even the teacher enters the classroom with the answers in this approach. It therefore creates a very democratic co-learning atmosphere in the classroom.
• Project Based Learning: In a project-based classroom, students will work on one big problem for many lessons (maybe even weeks or months) at a time. Students will often work together and use resources around them like community members or the internet to create something new (their project!).
• Phenomenon Based Learning (PhBL): PhBL is an approach that is popular in Finland. Rather than learning through subjects (mathematics, languages, science, history), students focus on a ‘phenomenon’ (or ‘topic’) that requires them to use multiple different forms of knowledge from different subject areas to learn about the phenomenon in a holistic way.

4. Rethinking Learner and Teacher Roles

In the 21st Century, classrooms have changed from being teacher-centered to student-centered .

In the past the students all focused on the teacher and listened to the teacher’s words. Now, the teacher focuses on the students who are the center of attention. The teacher’s job is to help coach the students as they learn.

In the 20th Century , teacher and learner roles were very rigid:

• Teacher as Authority: The teacher was the active participant. They did all the talking and were the ultimate authority on all topics. They were the ‘sage on the stage’. This is why we often call a 20th Century approach “teacher-centered”.
• Passive Students: The student was the passive participant. They sat, listened and memorized. They had very few opportunities to contribute their prior knowledge, exercise choice or challenge the teacher’s points.

In the 21st Century , the roles of both the teacher and the student have changed:

• Teacher as Facilitator: The teacher is now a co-learner with the students. The teacher may still need to control the environment by making it safe and focused on learning. The atmosphere of the classroom is still very much up to the teacher. However, teachers are no longer just the authorities on topics. Instead, their job is to help guide students as the students learn through active processes. The teacher is no longer the center of attention – that’s the student!
• Active Students: Students learn through doing rather than listening. The teacher is no longer the authority on knowledge, so students need to come to conclusions themselves using their critical thinking and creative skills.

5. Community Relationships

We are increasingly realizing how important community engagement is for learning.

In our communities there are amazingly useful people who can teach and inspire our students far better than we can.

Teachers know they can’t be experts on everything. But there is an expert for every topic out there in the world.

So teachers need to seek out experts and bring them into the classroom. By leveraging the skills and knowledge of the community, we can create a better learning experience for our students.

In multicultural societies, community members can also teach us about how to best teach children within their cultures. For example, children from Indigenous cultures may have grown up with very different learning styles from other children in the class. By engaging with local Indigenous people, teachers can learn how best to teach those children in their class.

Bringing people from different walks of life into the classroom also helps our students to create connections with people who aren’t like themselves. This can help inclusion, education for social justice, and create links between people of different cultures.

6. Technology

Modern technologies can be incredibly helpful in classrooms today. Walk into a classroom now and you’ll be shocked at how much things have changed in just a decade. Technology is everywhere!

It is important to use new learning technologies in appropriate ways. Students shouldn’t use technology to prevent them from thinking or help them cheat. Instead, technology should be used to help students access information or think in ways they couldn’t have done so otherwise. We call technologies that help students think harder ‘ cognitive tools ’ for learning.

Read Also: 13 Examples of Education Technology in the 21st Century

7. Teacher Professionalization

Teaching children in this century is clearly much more complicated than it was in the last one! We need to create personalized lessons, be inclusive, aim for eqaulity, encourage creativity , engage with the community, use technology to enhance learning, and more!

To ensure students get the best learning possible, teachers in the 21st Century need ongoing training and support. They need to know all the latest research on best teaching practices. They need opportunities to ask questions themselves, try out new strategies and learn from experts throughout their career.

One of the biggest challenges for teachers is the rapidly changing educational environment. New technologies are quickly coming into classrooms to help us personalize and support learning for all our students.

Teachers need time and space to learn how to use technology and new pedagogies in ways that will best help their students. 

21st Century education is influenced by globalization , rapid social change and new research into how people learn. The role of the teacher in the 21st Century classroom is to ensure learning is student-centered rather than teacher-centered. This sort of student-focused learning has seven key characteristics:

• Teacher professionalization.

The 7 elements outlined in this article are adapted from:

• Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future oriented learning and teaching . New Zealand: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

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21st Century Education

At GEII we look at education for the 21 st century in the following ways:

See 21st Century Education in Action

Competencies in the Intrapersonal Domain

1) Intellectual Openness, including:

Flexibility, adaptability, artistic and cultural appreciation, personal and social responsibility, cultural awareness and competence, appreciation for diversity, adaptability, continuous learning, intellectual interest and curiosity

2) Work Ethic & Conscientiousness, including:

a. Initiative, self-direction, responsibility, perseverance, grit; productivity, type 1 self-regulation (metacognitive skills, including forethought, performance, and self-reflection), professionalism/ ethics; integrity; citizenship, career orientation

b. Positive Core Self-Evaluation, including: i. Type 2 self-regulation (self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-reinforcement), physical and psychological health

For more about this domain, please see National Research Council. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2012. doi:10.17226/13398 .

Competencies in the Interpersonal Domain

1) Teamwork & Collaboration, including:

Communication, collaboration, teamwork, cooperation, coordination, interpersonal skills, empathy/perspective taking, trust, service orientation, conflict resolution, negotiation

2) Leadership, including:

Leadership, responsibility, assertive communication, self-presentation, social influence with others

Competencies in the Cognitive Domain

1) Cognitive Processes & Strategies, including:

Critical thinking, problem solving, analysis, reasoning and argumentation, interpretation, decision making, adaptive learning, and executive function

2) Knowledge, including:

Information literacy, including research using evidence and recognizing bias in sources; information and communication technology literacy, oral and written communication, active listening

3) Creativity, including:

Creativity and innovation

Values and Attitudes

The values and attitudes cultivated in participants by each program will vary by country, region, philosophies, and other social and cultural factors. However, as values and attitudes are central to developing a person’s character and shaping the beliefs, attitudes, decisions and actions of a person, we felt it was important to ask each organization included on our website to explicitly name the particular values and attitudes they seek to nurture in their program participants.

There are many sources about what kind of values, and we note that they vary according to different contexts. One document might be a helpful resource among many is the following by Margaret Sinclair titled, “ Learning to Live Together: Building Skills, Values, and Attitudes for the 21st Century ” published in 2005 by the International Bureau of Education: 

Active, Engaging, and Empowering Pedagogy

21st Century pedagogy includes a focus on active, engaging, and empowering learning. Personalization, participation, and learning through authentic real-world contexts, solving problems creatively, developing projects from the beginning to the end, working collaboratively with peers and mentors, with a focus on developing metacognitive abilities, adapting and applying new knowledge while integrating it into existing conceptual frameworks are all examples of powerful pedagogy.

For more on this topic, please see this working paper from UNESCO (December, 2015) by Cynthia Luna Scott, titled, “ What Kind of Pedagogies for the 21st Century? ” among many others: 

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The skills needed in the 21st century

To thrive in today’s innovation-driven economy, workers need a different mix of skills than in the past. In addition to foundational skills like literacy and numeracy, they need competencies like collaboration, creativity and problem-solving, and character qualities like persistence, curiosity and initiative.

Changes in the labour market have heightened the need for all individuals, and not just a few, to have these skills. In countries around the world, economies run on creativity, innovation and collaboration. Skilled jobs are more and more centred on solving unstructured problems and effectively analysing information. In addition, technology is increasingly substituting for manual labour and being infused into most aspects of life and work. Over the past 50 years, the US economy, as just one of many developed-world examples, has witnessed a steady decline in jobs that involve routine manual and cognitive skills, while experiencing a corresponding increase in jobs that require non-routine analytical and interpersonal skills (see Exhibit 1 ) . Many forces have contributed to these trends, including the accelerating automation and digitization of routine work.

The shift in skill demand has exposed a problem in skill supply: more than a third of global companies reported difficulties filling open positions in 2014, owing to shortages of people with key skills. [1] In another example, across the 24 countries included in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an average of 16% of adults had a low proficiency in literacy and an average of 19% had a low proficiency in numeracy. [2] Only an average of 6% of adults demonstrated the highest level of proficiency in “problem-solving in technology-rich environments.” [3]

Exhibit 1: The labour market increasingly demands higher-order skills

Tasks by percentile for the us economy, 1960-2009.

To uncover the skills that meet the needs of a 21st-century marketplace, we conducted a meta-analysis of research about 21st-century skills in primary and secondary education. We distilled the research into 16 skills in three broad categories: foundational literacies , competencies and character qualities [4] (see Exhibit 2 ; see also Appendix 1 for definitions of each skill) .

Only an average of 6% of adults demonstrated the highest level of proficiency in “problem-solving in technology-rich environments.”

• Foundational literacies represent how students apply core skills to everyday tasks. These skills serve as the base upon which students need to build more advanced and equally important competencies and character qualities. This category includes not only the globally assessed skills of literacy and numeracy , but also scientific literacy , ICT literacy , [5] financial literacy and cultural and civic literacy . Acquisition of these skills has been the traditional focus of education around the world. Historically, being able to understand written texts and quantitative relationships was sufficient for entry into the workforce. Now, these skills represent just the starting point on the path towards mastering 21st-century skills.
• Competencies describe how students approach complex challenges. For example, critical thinking is the ability to identify, analyse and evaluate situations, ideas and information in order to formulate responses to problems. Creativity is the ability to imagine and devise innovative new ways of addressing problems, answering questions or expressing meaning through the application, synthesis or repurposing of knowledge. Communication and collaboration involve working in coordination with others to convey information or tackle problems. Competencies such as these are essential to the 21st-century workforce, where being able to critically evaluate and convey knowledge, as well as work well with a team, has become the norm.
• Character qualities describe how students approach their changing environment. Amid rapidly changing markets, character qualities such as persistence and adaptability ensure greater resilience and success in the face of obstacles. Curiosity and initiative serve as starting points for discovering new concepts and ideas. Leadership and social and cultural awareness involve constructive interactions with others in socially, ethically and culturally appropriate ways.

Exhibit 2: Students require 16 skills for the 21st century

While all 16 of these skills are important, we have observed little consistency in their definition and measurement. This is especially true for competencies and character qualities. The lack of comparable indicators poses a challenge for policy-makers and educators in measuring progress globally. Another problem is that most indicators focus on foundational literacies, while the development of indicators measuring competencies and character qualities still remains at an early stage. In addition, differences in scores between some competencies and character qualities, such as creativity, initiative and leadership, are likely influenced by cultural factors and as such may be difficult to compare. For seven skills within competencies and character qualities we were unable to make any comparisons due to the absence of comparable data at scale, even for the more developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is of crucial importance that measures for these skills be developed and tracked in the future. (See Appendix 2 for a discussion of the challenges of measuring performance across countries, as well as Appendix 3 for the sources used in this report for each indicator.)

Much more needs to be done to align indicators, ensure greater global coverage for key skills, establish clear baselines for performance integrated with existing local assessments, standardize the definition and measurement of higher-order skills across cultures and develop assessments directed specifically towards competencies and character qualities.

• ^ “ The Talent Shortage Continues: How the Ever Changing Role of HR Can Bridge the Gap. ” Manpower Group. 2014. Note: Manpower Group interviewed more than 37,000 employers in 42 countries in the first quarter of 2014 and found that on average 36% reported having difficulty filling jobs, the highest proportion in seven years.
• ^ “Low proficiency” corresponds to adults performing at level 1 (the lowest proficiency level) or below.
• ^ “ OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills. ” Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2013.
• ^ We referenced frameworks from European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO), Partnership for 21st-Century Skills, enGauge, Brookings and Pearson.
• ^ ICT stands for information and communications technology.

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A Comprehensive Guide to 21st Century Skills

Jenna Buckle

The concept of "21st century skills" isn't new—skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving have been taught in classrooms for decades. 

Yet, as the demands of our changing economy rise, many school districts are now including 21st century skills in strategic plans to better prepare students for college, career, and life.

What are 21st century skills, why do they matter, and how can your district implement 21st century learning strategies into curriculum, assessment, and instruction? This guide shares information, research, and examples to bring you up to speed.

Table of Contents

1. What Are 21st Century Skills?

2. The Importance of 21st Century Skills

3. Frameworks and Examples of 21st Century Skills

4. 21st Century Learning Strategies and Implementation

5. Additional Resources

Free Download: Panorama's Social-Emotional Learning Survey

What Are 21st Century Skills?

Districts, schools, and organizations prioritize different 21st century skills depending on what is most important to their respective communities. Generally, however, educators agree that schools must weave these skills into learning experiences and common core instruction. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the most commonly cited 21st century skills.

• Critical thinking
• Communication skills
• Problem solving
• Perseverance
• Collaboration
• Information literacy
• Technology skills and digital literacy
• Media literacy
• Global awareness
• Self-direction
• Social skills
• Literacy skills
• Civic literacy
• Social responsibility
• Innovation skills
• Thinking skills

The Importance of 21st Century Skills

While the bar used to be high school graduation, the bar for today's students is now college, career, and real-world success. Let’s take a look at why 21st century skills matter.

• Higher-education and business leaders cite soft skills as being the most important driver of success in higher-level courses and in the workplace.
• In today’s world, our schools are preparing students for jobs that might not yet exist. Career readiness means equipping students with a nuanced set of skills that can prepare them for the unknown.
• Social media has changed human interaction and created new challenges in navigating social situations.
• The age of the Internet has dramatically increased access to knowledge. Students need to learn how to process and analyze large amounts of information.
• Content knowledge from core subjects can only go so far; students need to be taught how to apply facts and ideas towards complex problems.

We've reviewed the definition of 21st century skills and why they're important in a changing world. Now, let's review a few frameworks and how school districts are putting 21st century learning into practice.

Frameworks for 21st Century Skills

The framework for 21st century learning.

This popular framework was designed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) . Describing the skills, knowledge, and expertise students must master to succeed in work and life, the framework combines content knowledge, specific skills, expertise, and literacies. P21 believes that the "base" of 21st century learning is the acquisition of key academic subject knowledge, and that schools must build on that base with additional skills including Learning Skills, Life Skills, and Literacy Skills.

• Learning Skills: Also known as the "four Cs" of 21st century learning, these include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
• Life Skills: Flexibility, initiative, social skills, productivity, leadership
• Literacy Skills: Information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy

World Health Organization 

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies the fundamental life skills as decision-making and problem solving, creative thinking and critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, self-awareness and empathy, and coping with emotions and stress. The WHO focuses on broad psychosocial skills that can be improved over time with conscious effort.

Redefining Ready! Initiative 

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Redefining Ready! initiative offers a framework that many districts use to define college, career, and life readiness. AASA provides readiness indicators to capture the educational landscape of the 21st century. Metrics include Advanced Placement courses, standardized testing, college credits, industry credentials, attendance, community service, and more. On the topic of life readiness, AASA argues:

School District Frameworks

21st century skills take hold in various ways for school districts. A " Portrait of a Graduate " is one common strategy for communicating what it means for students to be college, career, and future ready. To develop a profile of a graduate, districts often adapt existing 21st century skill frameworks to fit their needs. Input from stakeholders—such as the district board, teachers, parents, partner organizations, and students—ensures that the final "portrait" is authentic to their community. Here are some Portrait of a Graduate examples.

Everett Public Schools in Everett, Washington defines 21st century skills as citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and growth mindset. The district believes that graduates are college, career, and life ready when they have the academic knowledge, attitudes, and skills to transition to college level coursework, workforce training, and/or employment.

Gresham-Barlow School District (GBSD) in Gresham, Oregon has a mission to develop culturally responsive graduates who will thrive in an ever-changing global community. The district’s Portrait of a Graduate represents the GBSD community's collective vision of what their graduates should look like. The portrait consists of six learner profiles: Independent Lifelong Learner, Adaptable Collaborator, Compassionate Communicator, Responsible Creator, Open-Minded Critical Thinker, and Globally Aware Community Member.

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District (SCUC ISD) in Schertz, Texas has a strategic goal around graduating college and/or career and/or military ready students. Within this vision, SCUC ISD has outlined five Traits of a Graduate: Dynamic Leader, Self-Motivated, Skilled Communicator, Service Oriented, and Future Ready.

Council Bluffs Community School District in Council Bluffs, Iowa, developed a Profile of a FutureReady Graduate that encompasses both academic and social-emotional indicators of success. The district’s social-emotional indicators—aligned to the CASEL framework—include Self-Management, Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision Making.

North Kansas City Schools just north of Kansas City, Missouri, identified seven competencies that span time, space, jobs, and occupations, ensuring that students' life skills are highly transferable. The district's competencies—developed with input from students, community and business leaders, teachers, and administrators—include Adaptability, Communication, Collaboration, Empathy, Integrity, Learner's Mindset, and Problem Solving. 

Download our guide to developing your district's own vision for college, career, and life readiness

21st Century Learning Strategies & Implementation

Having a strong vision for 21st century learning is just the first step. Without an intentionally designed plan for implementation, it's unlikely that your students will acquire the skills outlined in your district's vision. Here are some best practices from Panorama's partner districts to set you up for success.

1. Build staff capacity to demonstrate 21st century skills in support of student learning.

It all starts with the adults in your building. Teachers and staff need to deeply understand and model the skills that you want your students to develop. Integrate 21st century skills into staff professional development as a precursor to growing these competencies in students. Download our Adult SEL Toolkit for ideas, worksheets, and activities to build adult SEL.

2. Develop strategies to support teachers with implementation of 21st century skills.

It can be helpful to create a playbook of recommended strategies and approaches that span across content areas. For instance, you might encourage teachers to add comments to report cards about students' 21st century skills.

3. Assess students’ 21st century learning skills.

What gets measured matters. Regularly collect data on how students are progressing in this area, whether the data is anecdotal, qualitative, or quantitative. For example, you might administer a biannual survey in which students reflect on their development of 21st century, social-emotional skills . Keep in mind that the data you gather should be formative rather than evaluative. Be transparent about the purpose.

4. Equip educators with data to proactively identify and support students who are off track.

Once you have data on students' 21st century skills, you'll want to ensure that the data is actionable for educators. Many districts opt to implement an early warning system with indicators across academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional learning/21st century skills. This helps educators make data-driven decisions about the best way to keep each student on track.

Additional Resources

Looking for more information on 21st century skills? Here are some other articles and resources to explore:

• "Why Social and Emotional Learning and Employability Skills Should Be Prioritized in Education" via CASEL and Committee for Children 
• "Teaching 21st Century Skills For 21st Century Success Requires An Ecosystem Approach" via Forbes
• "Bringing 21st Century Skill Development to the Forefront of K-12 Education" via Hanover Research
• "How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning?" via Education Week

Honing in on 21st century skills is essential to ensuring that students are prepared for college, career, and civic life . While there is no one "right" way to approach this work, we hope that the information in this guide inspires you to explore what 21st century learning could look like in your district!

Develop students' 21st century skills with Panorama's Social-Emotional Learning Survey

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How do we teach 21st century skills in classrooms?

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, esther care , esther care former nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development , center for universal education helyn kim , and helyn kim former brookings expert alvin vista alvin vista former brookings expert.

October 17, 2017

This is the first in a six-part blog series on teaching 21st century skills, including  problem solving ,  metacognition , critical thinking ,  collaboration , and communication in classrooms.

Over the past several decades, there has been increased demand for formal education to include the development of generic skills as well as traditional academic subjects, i.e., to include competencies for ways of thinking, ways of working, tools for working, and skills for living . These skills for today’s rapidly changing society, such as communication, problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking, are being acknowledged increasingly all over the world. The big challenge, however, is knowing how to support and teach these skills in schools and classrooms.

In the absence of well-established, evidence-based approaches that demonstrate how to teach the skills and show how students have benefited from the process, countries are selecting a variety of paths to explore optimal models. For example, the “ Singapore Swiss Roll ” approach, which is starting to be implemented across the core curriculum, adopts a value-centric framework that incorporates 21st century competencies, including civic literacy, global awareness, and cross-cultural skills; critical and inventive thinking; communication, collaboration and information skills; as well as social and emotional competencies. Syllabi provided by the Ministry of Education offer guiding principles for the variety of teaching approaches that teachers can implement to enhance learning. Australia’s national curriculum of 2010 identified seven general capabilities , which teachers are expected to integrate throughout their teaching. They are guided by online resources provided by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.

In Costa Rica, with the understanding that the education system needs to progress to respond to the changing demands for skills, the National Development Plan for 2015-2018 and a new curriculum being rolled out in 2018, aims to emphasize the development and application of key 21st century skills and attitudes, such as socioemotional, communication, critical thinking, citizenships, and problem solving. Similarly, Kenya is currently developing their new competency-based curriculum , which is designed to integrate seven competencies within and across all subject areas, to ensure a comprehensive approach to skills development.

A major recommendation from an Asia-based review of the challenges facing countries as they adopt or integrate “21st century skills”, was to undertake in-depth research into the nature and development of the skills themselves. If we don’t understand what skills actually “look like” as children and adolescents at different levels of competence demonstrate them, then expecting our subject-based and trained teachers to teach them is an unfair impost at best and destined for failure at worst. We have historically taught children based on curricula—roadmaps to learning. These curricula have outlined the substance of what is to be taught, sequences to follow to ensure movement from the simple to complex, and expectations about the quality of anticipated student performance or knowledge.

Where are the curricula for skills? Surely, in order for teachers and students to know what simple forms of communication through to sophisticated look like, they need a roadmap . This roadmap then provides the guidelines for how educators can integrate development of student skills within existing and reform subject-based curricula. Creation of these roadmaps requires us to think developmentally, to identify how we develop the competencies. An important component is to identify what demonstration of these competencies might look like and how to elicit or stimulate performance so that we know what the individual is ready to learn.

In this new blog series, we will highlight classroom practices that provide concrete examples of how just a few different 21st century skills could be seamlessly integrated throughout the school day—not as a subject area, but by making it part of the classroom culture. We start with our next blog on problem solving, while the following one will be focused on a more “social” skill. Each blog will provide concrete examples of how professionals in teaching and research can pool their resources and expertise to demonstrate activities that can be undertaken with children in classrooms here and now.

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• Our Mission

10 Hallmarks of 21st Century Teaching and Learning

With one prominent exception, 21st century teaching and learning best practices are largely the same even if the century numbers are inverted. Sound, effective educational best practices in the 21st century share certain strategic, timeless characteristics. To that end, we have identified ten experience based Hallmarks of 21st Century Teaching and Learning that can be used as touchstones in the educator's pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.

The overarching caveat, of course, is that technology in the 21st century has permeated most aspects of education and culture and has changed everything. How we, as educators, use technology with our students is now the key to unlocking those 21st century global skillsets so that our students can lead and compete in a world where geography has become, in many ways, superfluous.

1. Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is the primary gateway through which the Hallmarks are realized. There are consistent characteristics that make a Project viable. Some of these are that Projects should be:

• Collaborative
• Multi-Disciplinary
• Student Centered

Just as any discussion about the design of 21st century teaching/learning spaces includes, by nature, flexibility of those spaces, so too the design of 21st century teaching and learning must also be flexible. With technology an integral aspect of our lives, more than ever our students have individual learning styles that must be taken into account. PBL provides a plethora of opportunities for students and teachers to be engaged in ways that are best suited to their optimum learning styles.

This short video demonstrates a real world boat building Project featuring middle grade students at a Philadelphia charter school that authentically models these characteristics:

2. Ownership and Engagement

When students are interested and invested in the completion of a school-based project, they begin to own their educational processes. With ownership, all aspects of their school career, including mastery of curriculum become important to them. With ownership also comes:

• Personal responsibility
• Strategies like critical thinking and generating hypotheses and extension of learning becomes commonplace
• Motivation to succeed

Ownership starts with you, the teacher! Get invested in the processes of PBL. Initiate projects with your students that interest you, so you can authentically model ownership.

Ownership and engagement are essentially 2 sides of the same coin. When students take ownership and personal responsibility for the successful outcome of their Project, it follows that they are engaged and interested. Any good Service Learning project will present students with many opportunities to think critically, make hypotheses, and extend what they have learned. Engagement is the door to performing these important skills, which in turn, engenders academic and civic success.

This high school Project activity using the built environment is a great example of student engagement: 

3. Collaborative Teaching and Cooperative Learning

Teacher collaborations present powerful opportunities for educators to learn from each other, which can increase the strategies available to them in their pedagogical toolboxes. With technology, it is now just as possible to collaborate virtually with the teacher across the globe as it is across the hall.

Students working cooperatively in small groups to achieve project-based goals is a powerful strategy to achieve curricular and standards based objectives. Moreover, when students are focused on the goals of a project, they are more inclined to negotiate with their peers which clarifies their understandings and solidifies their learning. The cooperative nature of small groups working together for successful completion of the project also has an extremely positive effect on the classroom climate and behavior issues are significantly mitigated.

This Project with post graduate students demonstrates experientially collaboration and cooperation:

4. Citizenship, Leadership, and Personal Responsibility

Development of good citizenship skills as part of the fabric of teaching and learning is critical to the long term, real-life success of our students.

Civic skills give greater depth, context and meaning to student mastery of curriculum and standards. Integral to a Project is the inclusion of Community Partnerships. Professionals who freely give their time and expertise to benefit students are models of good citizenship.

Project Based Learning requires administrative and teacher leadership while developing those qualities in our students. One of the key components of effective leadership is having the humility to know what you don't know and having the ability to listen and learn, from those who do. So, for teachers and administrators:

• Leadership involves having the inner strength to make decisions and to take personal responsibility for the consequences of those decisions
• Leadership is enabling those whom you lead to be innovative problem solvers without feeling threatened by their success
• Leadership is being able to buffer and protect those you lead from distractions and impediments so they may carry out their responsibilities unimpeded by those distractions
• Leadership is the ability to turn mistakes into "teachable moments" rather than "blamable moments"
• Leadership is knowing when to step back to give opportunities for those in your charge to take the lead, while understanding that ultimate responsibility rests with you
• Leaders understand that leadership is a way of life and therefore unbound by the time constraints of the school or business day/week

It is incumbent upon us as educators to instill in our students that, as much as the teachers have a responsibility to present information in interesting, informative, and innovative ways, students also have the personal responsibility to make sure that they have mastered the requisite information to satisfy the goals and objectives of the Project. Student engagement, ownership, and interest in the successful completion of the Project engenders personal responsibility. Ultimately, one of our most critical functions as educators is to inculcate this sense of personal responsibility in our students.

5: Community Partnerships

Community Partners are the heart of Project Based and 21st century teaching and learning. Having real-world professionals and others in the community work with our students to help address real-world problems present powerful opportunities for students to get involved and engaged as citizens and leaders while achieving and retaining, curricular and standards-based proficiencies. Community Partners also model good citizenship/leadership and provide opportunities for taking class trips that are fun and demonstrate real-world learning skills.

This video demonstrates how Community Partnerships both in, and out of, classrooms can have a transformational effect on students:

6. Mastery of Curriculum and Higher Order Thinking Skills

The primary rationale to employ Project Based Learning is, in fact, as a tool for student achievement, both academically and socially. A project's success is ultimately determined by whether the project-based activities are connected to grade appropriate curriculum and state standards and more importantly, whether these connections enable students to achieve mastery across a range of academic disciplines. We have seen that when students work within the Project Based methodology they own their educational processes, are engaged in a project's activities, work cooperatively to achieve success, and see citizenship modeled by the Community Partners, then mastery of curriculum becomes more likely.

This video shows second graders making and testing hypotheses:

Universal access to the internet by our students has changed the equation of how they learn, whether we, as educators, are ready for this change or not. Unlike the traditional teaching and learning experience, with the Project Based methodology students are gaining knowledge experientially. Rather than feeding the students disconnected facts to be regurgitated on a test, Project Teachers coach the students to apply that knowledge to real world situations which engenders Higher Order Thinking Skills like evaluation, synthesis, and analysis. Many of the videos on the Guerilla Educators blog authentically demonstrate HOTS in Action.

7. Technology and 21st Century Skills

Technology is the #2 pencil of the 21st century. As such, any good Service Learning project will be embedded with a wide array of real-world technology-based applications. We still, by and large, teach interminably about how to use tech applications with our students. Well, that ship has sailed given the fact that the younger we are, the greater our ability to use technology in an agile way. So now, more than ever we need an educational paradigm shift away from learning how to use technology and towards using it.

This high school Project activity using the built environment is a great example of students using technology:

8. The Teachable Moment

Agile educators nimbly take advantage of those "off the curriculum grid" spontaneous learning opportunities when they occur. These teachable moments are powerful opportunities for effective, authentic teaching and learning to take place. Being able to identify and use real-time teachable moments is one of those transcendent qualities that good educators possess.

9. Reporting and Celebration

Students will report out to peers, school staff, and the larger community:

• What they learned
• How they addressed the problems or issues
• Their final products
• They will be celebrated for their important, authentic, real-time work

As a 4th grader concisely put it some years ago, "Teacher John, if it ain't fun, why would we do it?" School and Fun? While the terms are usually perceived to be in diametric opposition to each other, students having FUN within the framework of their school-based activities is an integral aspect of Effective Teaching and Learning and is one of the overarching links that facilitate academic and civic success.

This short video is a compilation from 2 elementary schools conducting on-site water monitoring and having FUN:

This piece was originally submitted to our community forums by a reader. Due to audience interest, we’ve preserved it. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own.

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• The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training
• Theme 2: Learners must cultivate 21st‑century skills, capabilities and attributes

Table of Contents

• About this canvassing of experts
• Theme 1: The training ecosystem will evolve, with a mix of innovation in all education formats
• Theme 3: New credentialing systems will arise as self‑directed learning expands
• Theme 4: Training and learning systems will not meet 21st‑century needs by 2026
• Theme 5: Jobs? What jobs? Technological forces will fundamentally change work and the economic landscape
• Acknowledgments

Will training for the skills likely to be most important in the jobs of the future work be effective in large-scale settings by 2026? Respondents in this canvassing overwhelmingly said yes, anticipating improvements in such education will continue. However, when respondents answered the question, “Which of these skills can be taught effectively via online systems?” most generally listed a number of “hard skills” such as fact-based knowledge or step-by-step processes such as programming or calculation – the types of skills that analysts say machines are taking over at an alarming pace right now. And then, when asked, “What are the most important skills needed to succeed in the workplace of the future?” while some respondents mentioned lessons that might be taught in a large-scale setting (such as understanding how to partner with AI systems or how use fast-evolving digital tools) most concentrated on the need for “soft skills” best developed organically, mentioning attributes such as adaptability, empathy, persistence, problem-solving, conflict resolution, collaboration and people skills, and critical thinking.

Tough-to-teach intangibles such as emotional intelligence, curiosity, creativity, adaptability, resilience and critical thinking will be most highly valued

Learning will, in itself, become important. The skill to continue to learn will be important in all jobs Anonymous respondent

[how to use]

Overall, as these respondents foresee a big re-sorting of workplace roles for machines and humans, they expect that the jobs-related training systems of the future will often focus on adding or upgrading the particular capabilities humans can cultivate that machines might not be able to match.

An anonymous respondent ’s terse description of top future skills was echoed by many dozens of others in this study: “Learning will, in itself, become important. The skill to continue to learn will be important in all jobs.”

Susan M ernit , CEO and co-founder at Hack the Hood, explained, “At Hack the Hood, the tech-inclusion nonprofit I lead, the most valuable skill we teach low-income young people of color, ages 16-25, is that they have the ability and the discipline to learn harder and harder things – the most critical skill for the emerging workplace. Research shows that for our cohorts a blend of online and real-world learning is an effective mix.”

George McKee , a retiree, predicted, “As always, the most important skills will be the ability to learn and organize new things and to discriminate sense from nonsense. Public schools will continue to fall behind in their ability to foster these skills in large populations.”

Meryl Krieger , career specialist at Indiana University, Bloomington’s Jacobs School, replied, “The most important skills in the workforce of the future are 1) transferrable skills and 2) training in how to contextualize and actually transfer them. These are really hard to teach at scale, but then the workforce of the future is something we are barely coming to have the dimmest perceptions about.”

Jessica Vitak , an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, observed that the most-needed skills are capabilities that have always had value, writing, “As much as people like to imagine the future being heavily reliant on robots and high-tech gadgets, I don’t see too much of the workforce shifting dramatically in terms of the skills required to complete tasks.”

Many of the skills of the future are hybrid skills – requiring expertise or fluency across some of our traditional domains. Trevor Hughes

Many other participants in this study said highly valued strengths of human character will be necessary to partner with technology in jobs of the future. An anonymous respondent wrote, “The increasing reach of data, automation and eventually AI will force those jobs that remain to require even greater human touch.”

Susan Price , a digital architect at Continuum Analytics, expanded on that point, explaining, “People will continue to prefer and increasingly value human nurses, teachers, writers, artists, counselors, ethicists and philosophers. This shift has been apparent over the past 20 years or so. As we have come to prefer ATMs over tellers and travel apps over travel agents, our patronage of other ‘human contact’ specialists such as counselors and therapists, personal trainers, manicurists, and massage therapists has increased. Example: People skills in user interface and experience design will be increasingly in demand, but will greatly benefit from artificial intelligence and machine learning for usability evaluations and testing. Another example: The role of truck drivers will need to evolve as they are replaced with self-driving transports. There will remain the need for humans to manage transportation tracking and auditing, perform problem-solving, and occupy stakeholder contact roles such as sales and customer support communication.”

Trevor Hughes , CEO at the International Association of Privacy Professionals, replied, “Training will indeed be an important part of preparing the workforce for our digital future, but it won’t be easy. Many of the skills of the future are hybrid skills – requiring expertise or fluency across some of our traditional domains. Take privacy as an example. Any digital economy professional needs to understand privacy and how it creates risk for organizations. But that means grasping law and policy, business management, and technology. Modern professionals will need to bridge all of these fields.”

An anonymous respondent replied, “The two trends with the most hype right now are AI and VR. Let’s assume that these technologies will have a large impact on the nature of the future work. The workforce of the future (that is not completely displaced by this tech) then needs the skills to utilize these technologies. Some broad skills I anticipate are interacting with machine learning systems, reasoning with underlying algorithms and embedded judgments, being comfortable delegating tactical decisions to those algorithms, etc.”

Michael Rogers, author and futurist at Practical Futurist, said, “In a rapidly changing work environment populated by many intelligent machines, we will need to train people from an early age in communication skills, problem-solving, collaboration and basic scientific literacy. Without those basics in place, occupational training is insufficient.”

The anonymous director of evaluation and research at a university ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. wrote, “Sure, Lynda.com and Udacity and others that can provide skills, just like the corporate training programs we use now. … But those skills won’t be the same as an education – as the habits of mind and social interleavings that make for the types of problem definition, interdisciplinary perspectives, and incisive thought that will be most needed – deep engagement with the stuff of distinctly human capabilities.”

Justin Reich , executive director at the MIT Teaching Systems Lab, observed, “The most important skills for the future will be the kinds of things that computers cannot readily do, places where human workers have a comparative advantage over computers. Two important domains of human comparative advantage are ill-structured problem solving and complex, persuasive communication. (Frank Levy and Richard Murnane’s ‘ Dancing with Robots ’ offers a nice summary of the research informing this position.) Ironically, computers are most effective at teaching and assessing routine tasks, the kinds of things that we no longer need human beings to do. Large-scale learning, which generally depends on automated assessment, is most effective at teaching the kinds of skills and routine tasks that no longer command a living wage in the labor market.”

An anonymous CEO for a nonprofit technology network argued that some “soft” skills can be taught, observing, “Many research reports have demonstrated that one of the most important skills in our developing workforce is reasoning and complex problem solving. The internet enables us to teach and practice these skills in a unique and appropriate way by connecting and engaging people across geographies, backgrounds, ages, etc.” And an anonymous professor at the University of California, Berkeley said, “I do think there will be a lot more online training in the future – and it will actually be more successful at teaching things that are not directly translatable to jobs (humanities subjects, such as art history, media studies, etc.) – the things that television documentaries are already good at teaching. I’m not sure that great writing skills or public speaking/presentation skills will be taught in this format.”

Alf Rehn , professor and chair of management and organization at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland, responded, “The key thing to realize about skills and the future is that there is no one set of skills that we can identify as core or important. The future of skills is going to be one of continuous change and renewal, and any one special skill we can identify now will almost certainly be outdated in not too long. Creativity and critical thinking will be as important in the future as it is today, but beyond this we should be very careful not to arrogantly assume too much. And this is precisely why new programs, online and off, will be so crucial. Innovative, faster and more agile training systems will not only be helpful, they’ll be critical.”

An anonymous self-described “chief problem solver” said the world needs problem solvers, writing, “Huge portions of the human condition can be effectively learned through one-to-many learning environments enabled through the internet. Many cannot. … If you take a look at the prevalence of strong problem-solving skills in our society now versus 20 years ago, you’ll notice that an overwhelming majority are now quite specialized in their particular areas of interest/work, but on average have less ability than their counterparts 20 years ago to adequately handle new/incongruous/conflicting information or tasks. Instead of figuring it out and thereby training up our ingenuity-focused skills, we now tend to simply Google someone else’s answer. While this is ‘efficient’ in terms of getting to an adequate solution rapidly, it means that … people are not able to handle new inputs, be flexible, or actually puzzle out new problems.”

Many participants mentioned the general categories of communication and people skills. An anonymous respondent summed it up, writing, “No matter what kind of hard skills one comes to the workplace with, at the end of the day things always seem to boil down to people and communication challenges.”

Micah Altman , director of research at MIT Libraries, wrote, “Given the increased rate of technical change and the regular disruptions this creates in established industries, the most important skills for workforces in developed countries are those that support adaptability and which enable workers to engage with new technologies (and especially information and communication technologies) and to effectively collaborate in different organizational structures.”

No matter what kind of hard skills one comes to the workplace with, at the end of the day things always seem to boil down to people and communication challenges. Anonymous respondent

An anonymous technology analyst for Cisco Systems commented, “The gig economy takes over, and micro-skill training will come to the fore. Debate is a most important skill that can be taught online, emphasizing the importance of preparation.”

[there will be]

An anonymous respondent observed, “The job of the future is the one that combines technical, operational, managerial and entrepreneurial skills.”

Axel Bruns , professor in the Digital Media Research Center at Queensland University of Technology, wrote, “Over the past decade there has been a substantial growth in generic digital literacies training, and this is now being replaced or enhanced by literacies training in specific areas and for particular purposes (social media literacy for communication professionals, data literacy for journalists, etc., to name just two particularly obvious fields). There has also been the emergence of a range of specialist positions that address the cutting edge of such literacies – under job titles such as data scientist or computational journalist, for instance. Across the creative industries, and beyond, the possession of such skills will increasingly serve as a differentiator between job applicants, and within organisational hierarchies in the workplace. Those who possess these skills are also more likely to branch out beyond their core disciplines and industries, as many such skills are inherently interdisciplinary and enable the worker to engage in a wider range of activities. Beyond generic digital literacies, some of the key areas I see as important are: 1) platform-specific literacies, e.g., social media literacies; 2) data science, i.e., the ability to gather, process, combine, and analyse ‘big data’ from a range of sources; 3) data visualisation. Until the accreditation schemes for workers with these skills are standardised, which eventually they will be, we will continue to see leading workers in these areas … be able to enter the workplace on the basis of their demonstrated expertise and track record rather than on the basis of formal accreditation. While there are many MOOCs and other online courses now purporting to teach these skills, it is important to point out that there is a substantial qualitative component to these skills – somewhat paradoxically, perhaps, especially where they deal with ‘big data’: the engagement with such large datasets is less about simply generating robust quantitative metrics and more about developing a qualitative understanding of what such metrics actually mean . Such an understanding is difficult to teach through semi-automated online courseware; direct teacher/learner interaction remains crucial here.”

An anonymous vice president of product at a new startup commented, “In a grand folly of correlation being mistaken for causation, we’re trying to pipeline all kids into college to try to juice their earnings, while steering kids away from practical technical skills like manufacturing tech that might be a better fit, opting instead to saddle them with student loans for a degree they won’t finish from a school that no employer will respect.”

The consultant said one more skill that could be most critical: “An important skill for the workforce of the future is an ability to cultivate a strong network, so if your job disappears you’re able to quickly find a new role.”

[to choose]

Practical experiential learning via apprenticeships and mentoring will advance

Several experts wrote about the likelihood that apprenticeship programs will be refashioned offline and online via evolving application of human knowledge and technology tools. An anonymous security engineer at Square commented, “Never before in history has it been so easy for anyone to learn to become anything they want to be, and that will only continue to improve.”

Connecting the virtual to the physical will change everything. Will Kent

Cory Salveson , learning systems and analytics lead at RSM US, predicted, “There will be a big market for this: more self-directed or coached/mentored, project-based, online learning options that coexist with traditional brick-and-mortar university degree credentialing to make the labor market more agile, whether it wants to be or not.”

Will Kent , e-resources librarian at Loyola University-Chicago, replied, “Connecting the virtual to the physical will change everything. Anyone can learn anything online now. With the right kind of career or social positioning/privilege/luck/connections, users can sidestep traditional degree processes. For those in industries that still demand degrees as currency, the requirements for degrees will change, continuing education will become more embedded in the workplace or new types of evaluation will become more popular. Deliverable-based time constraints rather than 9-5, asynchronous offices/projects will be commonplace, and employers will have to make time for employees to self-educate or else they will fall behind. New credentialing systems will complement, not compete with, older iterations. One will not be favored above the other in practice (i.e., if you can do your work, no one will question how you learned what you learned).”

D. Yvette Wohn , assistant professor of information systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, wrote, “Knowledge can be acquired through massive online means, but skills will still require a small-group, personalized approach with much individual feedback. In the future, the technology will be advanced such that the modality – online or offline – is not the issue; rather, it is the size and intimacy of the learning environment that will matter. Formalized apprenticeships that require both technical skills and interpersonal interaction will become more important. As more people get degrees, university degrees will matter less, but that does not mean that higher education does not have its place. Schools that are able to provide a more holistic learning experience that does not focus on a specific skill but is able to provide students with an interdisciplinary and social experience will become more valuable.”

John B. Keller , director of e-learning at the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, Indiana, wrote, “Online training will continue to improve, and … any skills or knowledge updating that can reasonably be delivered online will be. That said, there will still be a need in many areas for verifiable performance of complex skills and behaviors that may not be possible to be accomplished algorithmically. Skills demanded in the future will include analysis of big data sets, interpretation of trends within historic contexts, clear and effective intercultural communication, design and systems thinking, as well as the ability to advance and advocate for distinctly human contributions to progress and the advance of culture. As more and more skills are broken down into repeatable processes, they will be handed off to technology and video as key transfer platforms. The demand for skills that cannot be easily transferred via online systems will ensure that experience, mentorship, coaching, apprenticeship and demonstrated proficiency all have prominent roles to play against a backdrop of online learning.”

An anonymous respondent wrote, “Online classes can teach prerequisite knowledge that can prepare workers for further hands-on training or apprenticeship.”

[I include]

Some respondents believe mentoring does not have to be in person – in the traditional face-to-face sense – to be one-to-one. In fact, they say the online world has already multiplied the number of available mentors in every subject.

Valerie Bock , VCB Consulting, former Technical Services Lead at Q2 Learning, responded, “To develop proficiency, we seem to need exposure to war stories of others who were there when the usual rules didn’t apply. MIT’s … EdX platform has a code checker built in, which means well-structured classes can be created with automatically graded exercises supplemented by discussion forums where students can ask their questions and move past places where they are stuck. These courses actually provide the coaching learners need to become skillful. So yeah, coding is probably a skill that can be taught and credentialed effectively via a self-directed online course. In the meantime, a lot of coders learn their craft informally, by examining code written by others and asking questions about it. To me, the most promising application of the internet is the way it increases the number of potential mentors. Global organizations are already leveraging the asynchronous properties of online venues to put their subject matter experts in touch with mentees half the world away, spanning time and distance obstacles. … People use the internet every day, informally, to learn bits and pieces that help them be more effective in the work (paid and unpaid) they do, sometimes by accessing content, but often by contacting other people. The value added to human welfare by parenting forums, elder care discussions, recipe exchanges, addiction recovery communities and even stain removal resources is deeply underestimated.”

Ed Dodds , digital strategist at Conmergence, added, “The global startup ecosystem and makerspace ecosystem will both be intersecting and growing in parallel. … More intentional formal mentorship networks (guilds) are likely to proliferate.”

“What would help,” added an anonymous respondent , “is improving people’s efficiency at providing supports to others. Sort of Slack on steroids.”

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How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning?

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The term “21st-century skills” is generally used to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today’s world. In a broader sense, however, the idea of what learning in the 21st century should look like is open to interpretation—and controversy.

To get a sense of how views on the subject align—and differ—we recently asked a range of education experts to define 21st-century learning from their own perspectives.

Richard Allington Professor of Education, University of Tennessee; Early-Reading Expert

I’m an old guy. I’ve never Tweeted, Skyped, Facebooked, or YouTubed. Oddly, I don’t feel the least bit disenfranchised by technology. I am preparing this response on my laptop, I use (though not much) my Blackberry every day, and I will e-mail this response. But I’m still stuck on fostering 18th-century literacy in citizens. As far as I can tell, illiterates rarely use 21st-century literacies if only because they never developed the 18th-century kind of literacy. I think we actually could teach everyone to read (the old way) and for the life of me I cannot understand why schools would spend funds on computers when their libraries are almost empty of things students might want to read. I cannot understand why classrooms have whiteboards but no classroom libraries. The research, to date, has provided no evidence that having either computers or whiteboards in schools has any positive effect on students’ reading and writing proficiencies. But school and classroom libraries are well established as essential if we plan to develop a literate citizenry. However, there is no buzz about books.

Barnett Berry Founder and CEO, Center for Teaching Quality

Twenty-first-century learning means that students master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures. Students demonstrate the three Rs, but also the three Cs: creativity, communication, and collaboration. They demonstrate digital literacy as well as civic responsibility. Virtual tools and open-source software create borderless learning territories for students of all ages, anytime and anywhere.

Powerful learning of this nature demands well-prepared teachers who draw on advances in cognitive science and are strategically organized in teams, in and out of cyberspace. Many will emerge as teacherpreneurs who work closely with students in their local communities while also serving as learning concierges, virtual network guides, gaming experts, community organizers, and policy researchers.

Sarah Brown Wessling 2010 National Teacher of the Year

Twenty-first-century learning embodies an approach to teaching that marries content to skill. Without skills, students are left to memorize facts, recall details for worksheets, and relegate their educational experience to passivity. Without content, students may engage in problem-solving or team-working experiences that fall into triviality, into relevance without rigor. Instead, the 21st-century learning paradigm offers an opportunity to synergize the margins of the content vs. skills debate and bring it into a framework that dispels these dichotomies. Twenty-first-century learning means hearkening to cornerstones of the past to help us navigate our future. Embracing a 21st-century learning model requires consideration of those elements that could comprise such a shift: creating learners who take intellectual risks, fostering learning dispositions, and nurturing school communities where everyone is a learner.

Karen Cator Director, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education

Success in the 21st century requires knowing how to learn. Students today will likely have several careers in their lifetime. They must develop strong critical thinking and interpersonal communication skills in order to be successful in an increasingly fluid, interconnected, and complex world. Technology allows for 24/7 access to information, constant social interaction, and easily created and shared digital content. In this setting, educators can leverage technology to create an engaging and personalized environment to meet the emerging educational needs of this generation. No longer does learning have to be one-size-fits-all or confined to the classroom. The opportunities afforded by technology should be used to re-imagine 21st-century education, focusing on preparing students to be learners for life.

Milton Chen Senior Fellow & Executive Director, Emeritus, The George Lucas Educational Foundation; author of Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools

Twenty-first-century learning shouldn’t be controversial. It is simply an effort to define modern learning using modern tools. (The problem is that what’s modern in 2010 has accelerated far beyond 2000, a year which now seems “so last century.”)

Twenty-first-century learning builds upon such past conceptions of learning as “core knowledge in subject areas” and recasts them for today’s world, where a global perspective and collaboration skills are critical. It’s no longer enough to “know things.” It’s even more important to stay curious about finding out things.

The Internet, which has enabled instant global communication and access to information, likewise holds the key to enacting a new educational system, where students use information at their fingertips and work in teams to accomplish more than what one individual can alone, mirroring the 21st-century workplace. If 10 years from now we are still debating 21st-century learning, it would be a clear sign that a permanent myopia has clouded what should be 20/20 vision.

Steven Farr Chief Knowledge Officer, Teach For America; author of Teaching as Leadership: The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap

Twenty-first-century learning must include the 20th-century ideals of Brown v. Board of Education . Sadly, we have failed to deliver on that promise. Our system perpetuates a racial and socioeconomic achievement gap that undermines our ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity.

As we study what distinguishes highly effective teachers in our nation’s most challenging contexts, we see that education reform requires much more than lists of skills. We need classroom leaders setting an ambitious vision, rallying others to work hard to achieve it, planning and executing to ensure student learning, and defining the very notion of teaching as changing the life paths of students. What will make America a global leader in the 21st century is acting on what we know to educate all children, regardless of socioeconomic background.

Steve Hargadon Founder, Classroom 2.0; Social Learning Consultant, Elluminate

Twenty-first-century learning will ultimately be “learner-driven.” Our old stories of education (factory-model, top-down, compliance-driven) are breaking down or broken, and this is because the Internet is releasing intellectual energy that comes from our latent desires as human beings to have a voice, to create, and to participate. The knowledge-based results look a lot like free-market economies or democratic governments (think: Wikipedia ). Loosely governed and highly self-directed, these teaching and learning activities exist beyond the sanction or control of formal educational institutions. I believe the political and institutional responses will be to continue to promote stories about education that are highly-structured and defined from above, like national standards or (ironically) the teaching of 21st-century skills. These will, however, seem increasingly out-of-sync not just with parents, educators, and administrators watching the Internet Revolution, but with students, who themselves are largely prepared to drive their own educations.

Lynne Munson President and Executive Director, Common Core

I define 21st-century learning as 20th- (or even 19th!-) century learning but with better tools. Today’s students are fortunate to have powerful learning tools at their disposal that allow them to locate, acquire, and even create knowledge much more quickly than their predecessors. But being able to Google is no substitute for true understanding. Students still need to know and deeply understand the history that brought them and our nation to where we are today. They need to be able to enjoy man’s greatest artistic and scientific achievements and to speak a language besides their mother tongue. According to most 21st-century skills’ advocates, students needn’t actually walk around with such knowledge in their heads, they need only to have the skills to find it. I disagree. Twenty-first-century technology should be seen as an opportunity to acquire more knowledge, not an excuse to know less.

Keith Moore Director, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of Interior

Students in the 21st century learn in a global classroom and it’s not necessarily within four walls. They are more inclined to find information by accessing the Internet through cellphones and computers, or chatting with friends on a social networking site. Similarly, many teachers are monitoring and issuing assignments via virtual classrooms.

Many of our Bureau of Indian Education schools are located in disadvantaged rural and remote areas. The BIE is working with various stakeholders to ensure that our schools have a Common Operating Environment so that students and teachers can access information beyond the classroom.

Within the federal BIE school system, we must rely upon the vision and the ability of our tribal leadership, parents, teachers, and students to work with the federal leadership to keep education a top priority.

Diane Ravitch Education Historian; author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System

To be prepared for the 21st century, our children require the following skills and knowledge: an understanding of history, civics, geography, mathematics, and science, so they may comprehend unforeseen events and act wisely; the ability to speak, write, and read English well; mastery of a foreign language; engagement in the arts, to enrich their lives; close encounters with great literature, to gain insight into timeless dilemmas and the human condition; a love of learning, so they continue to develop their minds when their formal schooling ends; self-discipline, to pursue their goals to completion; ethical and moral character; the social skills to collaborate fruitfully with others; the ability to use technology wisely; the ability to make and repair useful objects, for personal independence; and the ability to play a musical instrument, for personal satisfaction.

Susan Rundell Singer Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of Natural Sciences, Carleton College

Adaptability, complex communication skills, non-routine problem solving, self-management, and systems-thinking are essential skills in the 21st-century workforce. From my perspective as a scientist and science educator, the most effective way to prepare students for the workforce and college is to implement and scale what is already known about effective learning and teaching. Content vs. process wars should be ancient history, based on the evidence from the learning sciences. Integrating core concepts with key skills will prepare students for the workplace and college. We need to move past mile-wide and inch-deep coverage of ever-expanding content in the classroom. Developing skills in the context of core concepts is simply good practice. It’s time to let go of polarizing debates, consider the evidence, and get to work.

A version of this article appeared in the October 12, 2010 edition of Teacher PD Sourcebook as How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning?

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21st-Century Learning: What It Is and Why It’s Important

21st-century learning  is a term used to describe a shift in education from the traditional methods of the past to a more modern approach. This new approach focuses on preparing students for the future by teaching them the skills they need to be successful in a global economy. 21st-century learning is not memorization or recitation but critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. It is about preparing students for the real world, not just for a test.

Table of Contents

Introduction

It is becoming increasingly clear that 21st-century learning is essential for students to be successful in an ever-changing global economy. 21st-century learning is not simply an update to traditional education; it is a fundamental shift in how we think about and prepare students for their future.

21st-century learning is more than just the 3Rs (reading, writing, and arithmetic). It emphasizes the importance of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication – skills essential for students to thrive in the 21st century.

What is also clear is that 21st-century learning cannot occur in a traditional classroom setting. Students need to be actively engaged in their learning and have opportunities to apply what they are learning to real-world situations.

There are several ways that schools can incorporate 21st-century learning into their curriculum. One way to integrate 21st-century learning into the classroom is to focus on project-based learning. In project-based learning, students work on a project together. They use their creativity and critical thinking skills to solve problems. This type of learning is effective because it helps students learn how to work together and think critically.

Another way to incorporate 21st-century learning is to use technology in the classroom. Technology can facilitate collaboration and communication and provide students with opportunities to be creative and think critically.

The bottom line is that 21st-century learning is essential for students to be successful in the 21st century. It is about much more than just the 3Rs and cannot occur in a traditional classroom setting. Schools need to be creative in incorporating 21st-century learning into their curriculum.

21st-Century Skills Students Need for Learning

As the world changes, so do students’ skills to succeed. Here are 21st-century skills students need for learning:

• Communication:  Good communication skills are essential for students to work together and share their ideas.
• Critical Thinking:  The student needs to be able to think critically to analyze information and solve problems.
• Collaboration:  One must work effectively with others to achieve a common goal.
• Creativity:  Students need to think creatively to generate new ideas and solve problems innovatively.
• Digital Literacy:  Students must use technology effectively to access and create digital information.
• Information Literacy:  They must find, evaluate, and use information effectively.
• Media Literacy:  Students must critically analyze media messages to understand their impact on individuals and society. This critical analysis will help them understand how media messages can influence individuals and society.
• Problem-Solving:  Students must identify and solve problems to improve their learning.
• Self-Management:  Students need to be able to manage their learning to be successful independent learners.
• Social and Cultural Awareness:  Students need to be aware of the influence of social and cultural factors on their learning.
• Technological Literacy:  Students must use technology effectively to access and create digital information.
• Flexibility and Adaptability:  Students need to be able to adapt their learning to new situations and technologies.
• Initiative and Self-Direction:  Students need to take the initiative and be self-directed in their learning to be successful.
• Productivity and Accountability:  They must be productive and take responsibility for their learning.
• Leadership:  The students must take the lead in their education and motivate others to join them in learning.
• Social Responsibility:  Students must be aware of how their learning affects those around them and be respectful of others while learning.
• Sustainability:  It is essential for students to be aware of the impact their learning can have on the environment and to be considerate of environmental sustainability when they are learning.
• Ethical Responsibility:  Students need to be aware of the ethical implications of their learning and consider ethical responsibility in their learning.
• Global Perspective:  It is essential for students to be aware of the global context of their learning and to be considerate of international perspectives in their learning.
• Cultural Competence:  It is vital for students to be aware of the influence of culture on their learning and to be competent in cross-cultural communication.
• Diversity:  Students need to be aware of the diversity of perspectives and experiences in the world and be respectful of diversity in their learning.

These are just some skills students need to learn in the 21st century. As the world changes, so do students’ skills to succeed. Educators must stay up-to-date on the latest research and trends to prepare their students for the future.

The Importance of 21st-Century Learning

Here are just a few of the reasons why 21st-century learning is so important:

1.  It helps students develop the skills they need for the real world.

In the 21st century, employers are looking for workers who are not only knowledgeable but also adaptable, creative, and able to work collaboratively. 21st-century learning helps students develop these essential skills.

2.  It prepares students for an increasingly globalized world.

In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for students to be able to communicate and work with people from other cultures. 21st-century learning helps students develop the global perspective they need to be successful in an increasingly connected world.

3.  It helps students learn how to learn.

In a world where information is constantly changing, students need to be able to learn new things quickly and effectively. 21st-century learning helps students develop the metacognitive skills they need to be lifelong learners.

4.  It helps students develop a love of learning.

21st-century learning is hands-on, interactive, and engaging. This helps students develop a love of learning that will stay with them throughout their lives.

5.  It’s more relevant to students’ lives.

21st-century learning is relevant to students’ lives and the world they live in. It’s not just about memorizing facts but about developing the skills, students need to be successful in their personal and professional lives.

The importance of 21st-century learning cannot be overstated. In a constantly changing world, it’s more important than ever for students to develop the skills they need to be successful.

The Challenges of 21st-Century Learning

In the 21st century, learning is becoming increasingly complex and challenging. With the rapid pace of change in the world, it is difficult for students to keep up with the latest information and skills. In addition, they must also be able to apply what they have learned to real-world situations.

The following are some of the challenges of 21st-century learning:

1.  The pace of change is accelerating.

In the past, knowledge and skills were acquired slowly over time. However, in the 21st century, the pace of change is much faster, meaning students must learn more quickly to keep up with the latest information.

2.  The world is becoming more complex.

As the world becomes more complex and interconnected, students must be able to understand and navigate complex systems. They must also be able to think critically and solve problems.

3.  Students must be able to apply what they have learned.

In the past, students were often tested on their ability to remember and regurgitate information. However, in the 21st century, students need to be able to apply what they have learned to real-world situations. This requires them to be creative and to think critically.

4.  There is a greater emphasis on collaboration.

In the 21st century, there is a greater emphasis on collaboration. This means that students must be able to work effectively with others to achieve common goals. They must also be able to communicate effectively.

5.  Technology is changing the way we learn.

Technology is changing the way students learn. With the advent of the internet and mobile devices, students can now access information and resources that were previously unavailable. This has changed how students learn and made it possible for students to learn anywhere and at any time.

6.  Learning is no longer just about acquiring knowledge.

In the 21st century, learning is about more than just acquiring knowledge; it is also about developing skills, values, and attitudes. This means that students must be able to learn how to learn and adapt to change and different situations.

The 21st century presents many challenges for learners. However, it also provides many opportunities. With the right approach, students can overcome these challenges and be successful in the 21st century.

How Educators Can Support 21st-Century learning

There are several ways in which educators can support 21st-century learning. 

First,  they can create learning experiences relevant to the real world.  This means incorporating problems and scenarios that students will likely encounter in their future lives and careers.

Second,  educators can use technology to support 21st-century learning.  Technology can be used to create engaging and interactive learning experiences, and it can also be used to provide students with access to information and resources that they would not otherwise have.

Finally,  educators can model 21st-century learning for their students.  This means being flexible and adaptable in their teaching and using technology and real-world examples to illustrate their points. By modeling 21st-century learning, educators can show their students that learning can be relevant, engaging, and fun.

In the 21st century, educators must be prepared to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. By creating relevant learning experiences, using technology to support learning, and modeling 21st-century learning for their students, educators can provide students with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.

Final Thoughts

As educators, we must prepare our students for the 21st century. We can do this by providing opportunities for them to develop essential 21st-century skills. Project-based learning is one of the best ways to do this.

Ultimately, we must commit to giving our students the 21st-century learning they deserve. This way, they will have the tools they need to thrive in a constantly changing world. They will also have the skills they need to succeed in whatever they choose to do.

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE

Llego, M. A. (2022, September 14). 21st-Century Learning: What It Is and Why It’s Important. TeacherPH. Retrieved September 14, 2022 from, https://www.teacherph.com/21st-century-learning/

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Mark Anthony Llego

Mark Anthony Llego, a visionary from the Philippines, founded TeacherPH in October 2014 with a mission to transform the educational landscape. His platform has empowered thousands of Filipino teachers, providing them with crucial resources and a space for meaningful idea exchange, ultimately enhancing their instructional and supervisory capabilities. TeacherPH's influence extends far beyond its origins. Mark's insightful articles on education have garnered international attention, featuring on respected U.S. educational websites. Moreover, his work has become a valuable reference for researchers, contributing to the academic discourse on education.

1 thought on “21st-Century Learning: What It Is and Why It’s Important”

so informative thank you for giving me the opportunity to read your manuscripts. Worth sharing.

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21st Century Teaching and Learning

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As a 20th century kid, I was awed by the mere mention of the twenty- first century. The optimist in me envisioned a 21st century that was sleek, modern, and bursting with gadgets that stretched the imagination. Although my dreams of flying cars and room-cleaning robots have not been realized just yet, the gadgets have not disappointed. The impact of abundant and ever-changing technology—particularly information and communication technology—frequently dominates conversations in and about modern society. The same holds true in the field of education, where technology integration and emphasis of the disciplines most closely associated with modern technologies (i.e., science, math, and engineering) are seen as vital. These are important considerations, but 21st century teaching and learning goes beyond technology integration and STEM content; it is also about fostering ways of thinking and promoting dispositions that support success in an age driven by rapidly changing and expanding technologies. Responsive 21st century teaching and caregiving requires educators to create environments and provide experiences that encourage exploration and inquiry, and nurture creativity and curiosity.

The July 2016 issue of Young Children celebrates and explores this 21st century approach to teaching and learning. The cluster articles provide a snapshot of the developmentally appropriate ways the needs of young children growing up today are being addressed.

Some of the most prominent components of 21st century education—problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, authentic learning, appropriate use of technologies, and cross-disciplinary teaching—are the focus in “Integrating the Curriculum to Engage and Challenge Children.” Geared toward practice in kindergarten through third grade, the article by Barbara A. Bradley discusses the ways in which educators of primary school children can incorporate these components in their teaching.

Information and communication technology is changing the way we get information and interact with each other. This is particularly true about social media. In “Are You (P)Interested in 21st Century Teaching and Learning?,” Rachael Huber and C.C. Bates provide an introduction to this popular social media platform and explore one of the new ways teachers are locating and sharing information.

Tracey Hunter-Doniger demonstrates the power of creativity and arts infusion in “ Snapdragons and Math: Using Creativity to Inspire, Motivate, and Engage .” Tracey describes the successful efforts of a kindergarten teacher and art educator who designed a cross-curricular collaboration aimed at promoting children’s engagement and enhancing learning.

One of the benefits of the ever-increasing availability of new technology is a shrinking world. In light of our global society, it is essential that crosscultural understanding be fostered in 21st century early childhood education settings. In “Classroom Contexts That Support Young Children’s Intercultural Understanding,” María V. Acevedo explores the efforts used to bridge gaps between a group of preschool teachers’ existing practices and the needs of the children in their classrooms.

In “ Beyond Bouncing the Ball: Toddlers and Teachers Investigate Physics ,” Eric Bucher and Marcos Hernández show us how topics that were once considered beyond the bounds of early childhood classrooms are now being introduced in developmentally appropriate ways. Bucher and Hernández position teachers as reflective co-investigators, a departure from the more traditional view of teachers as disseminators of information. The authors describe the educators in their article as teacher researchers and present a process that was implemented to promote reflective practice.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has long embraced teacher research—teachers’ systematic inquiry of their practice—and its potential for advancing the profession and promoting high-quality early childhood education. Since 2004, NAEYC has published Voices of Practitioners , the only teacher research journal dedicated to early childhood education. To bring teacher research to a wider audience, a new Voices of Practitioners article will be published regularly in Young Children, beginning with this issue. We are excited to continue promoting teacher research and to make this valuable resource available in print.

Finally, we are pleased that this particular cluster coincides with the debut of Growing in STEM, a new column focusing on developmentally appropriate practice related to early childhood science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Reflecting a 21st century-minded pedagogy premised on inquiry and integration, the column promises to support early childhood educators at all levels as they seek to enhance STEM teaching and learning in their classrooms.

We hope you find something in this exciting issue that inspires the 21st century educator in you! – M. Deanna Ramey, Editor in Chief

Photograph: © iStock

M. Deanna Ramey was formerly editor-in-chief of Young Children .

Vol. 71, No. 3

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The impact of cognitive flexibility on prospective EFL teachers' critical thinking disposition: the mediating role of self-efficacy

• Research Article
• Published: 31 August 2024

Cite this article

• Şenol Orakcı   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1534-1310 1 &
• Tahmineh Khalili   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6268-0991 2  

Critical thinking as one of the key skills for success in the 21st-century has been considered by many scholars in teacher education. This study tries to examine the interaction of critical thinking disposition with two other key characteristics of successful teachers: cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy. To this end, a sample of pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers was selected for this study. Based on the findings, a positive and strong relationship between cognitive flexibility and critical thinking disposition, and a positive and robust correlation between self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition were observed. Hence, it can be suggested that teacher-educationists can use this link for designing teacher-training courses with tailored tasks for both in and pre-service teachers. The main contribution of the findings might be beneficial for homogenizing teacher-training courses around the globe with the 21st-century trends. In addition, this line of research can be followed by empirical studies for checking the effectiveness of tailored tasks for provoking teachers’ critical thinking dispositions, cognitive flexibility, and self-efficacy in teaching activities.

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Orakcı, Ş., Khalili, T. The impact of cognitive flexibility on prospective EFL teachers' critical thinking disposition: the mediating role of self-efficacy. Cogn Process (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-024-01227-8

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Received : 22 March 2024

Accepted : 22 August 2024

Published : 31 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-024-01227-8

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• EFL teachers
• Cognitive flexibility
• Critical thinking disposition
• Self-efficacy
• Correlation
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