The World Economic Forum recently published its list of the skills every 21st century student needs.
But, it’s not what traditional schools have usually valued — especially in Asian cultures. When it comes to regular education, the focus has been on grades, tests, and rigorous rote memorization as opposed to developing enhanced skill sets that prove valuable for the long-term.
For example, instead of memorizing multiplication tables, what if you taught a child the philosophy behind exponential growth that could then be applied to everything from entrepreneurialism to balancing a checkbook?
Here are the skills 21st century students are now recommended to have:
Complex problem solving
Critical thinking
Creativity
Communication
Collaboration
Curiosity
Initiative
Persistence/Grit
Leadership
Adaptability
Social and cultural awareness
These skills transcend time and place.
At Acton Academy, we believe in the HOW over the WHAT.
With an ever-evolving world economy and social structure – especially when it comes to one’s own hero’s journey – how can smart education properly teach skills for the future in the here-and-now?
It requires disruptive teaching and learning.
Rather than the large-scale, factory-like system of decades past, students today thrive on personalized learning, mixed-age classrooms, and Socratic dialogue.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all, but rather a one-person-can-change-the-world-if-we-inspire-them-to-do-so.
Be sure you have a great teacher who engages students and can truly see their individual strengths and areas of improvement. Great teaching occurs when teachers (or anyone for that matter) is free to live to their greatest potential and to learn from any mistakes by trying and doing.
Facilitate independent thinking, because it’s this positive deviance that creates empires, change-makers, and world influencers.