We are living through an education revolution. The pace and methodologies of learning are being redesigned. School and universities are redefining the experiences of students and teachers. The impact is being felt by millions of children around the globe. The world is witnessing a shift in the way faculty are teaching and students are assimilating information. This change in educational patterns is all set to open up newer avenues for the teaching and learning groups, paving way for a modern school of thought.
As popularly known, the 21st century skills include the four C’s which are:
Creativity: the ability to think out of the box by coming up with innovative ideas
Collaboration: the ability to successfully work with someone and achieve a desired result
Communication: the ability to exchange information verbally and/or by other means with others effectively.
These four skills are not to be understood as units or even subjects, but as themes that should be overlaid across all curriculum mapping and strategic planning. They should be part of every lesson in the same way as literacy and numeracy.
There are other skills that are vital, which fall within these four areas. Information literacy (understanding facts, statistics), media literacy (understanding platforms and methods by which information is published) and technology literacy (understanding the working and logarithms of the ever-increasing technologies) are foundational literacy skills without which education in the expanding digital world is incomplete.
Entrepreneurship can be considered a skill of its own. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the most important keys to successful work and relationships. Life skills such as leadership, flexibility, productivity, social skills, etc. are also of prime importance. Education needs to be all about empowering students with transferable skills that help them adapt to a rapidly changing world.
Students consume, produce and communicate information in previously unimaginable ways, being born in the globalised world. As they grow up, they head towards a hyper connected, busy, competitive world which is filled with more mobile and better qualified individuals than ever before. They have the choice of careers opportunities that span various jobs, skill sets and positions, some of which have not even been discovered yet. Therefore, the education requires massive modifications, building 21st century skills using enabling technologies and personalizing learning to engage students in varied and creative ways.
‘The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.’ – Albert Einstein. Gone are the days of mugging the facts. We are working towards the holistic development of this generation. Opportunities should be there for the children to develop mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, morally and spiritually. Creativity needs to be encouraged. The available technology needs to be used to the maximum extent for our benefit.
- Practical learning based on personalized learning strategies
- Learning online using mobile technologies; that will enable learning anytime, anywhere
- Skill centric education (the 4 C’s)
- Flexible learning patterns based on students’ preferences
- Collaborative form of learning
- Internship embedded education
‘IF WE TEACH TODAY AS WE TAUGHT YESTERDAY, WE ROB OUR CHILDREN OF TOMORROW.’ –JOHN DEWEY
This quote by John Dewey seems very accurate when we look at how education has transformed over the past many years. The shift from textbook based learning to digital learning is picking up pace at a rate faster than ever. The digital content today is providing ways and means for richer learning experiences and methodical changes. The global pandemic is forcing global experimentation with remote teaching. In the 21st century, students across the globe will be at the receiving end of multiple benefits that will not only strengthen their knowledge-base but will also pave way for lucrative and high-paying careers they are dreaming of.
All the Best, Keep Shining !
Also published on Medium.