Schools need to address 21st century skills

Kay is president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an influential group of business and education leaders.

Kay described the six key elements of 21st century learning identified by the partnership:

• Core subjects. These include English, reading and language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics, government, economics, arts, history, and geography.

• 21st century content. These are content areas that are typically not emphasized in school today but that business leaders have identified as critical to success in communities and workplaces. They include global awareness; financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health and wellness awareness.

• Learning and thinking skills. These are skills that help students know how to keep learning and make effective and innovative use of what they know, throughout their lives. They include critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, communication skills, creativity and innovation skills, collaboration skills, contextual learning skills, and information and media literacy skills.

• ITC literacy. Information and communications technology (ITC) literacy is the ability to use technology to develop 21st century content knowledge and skills.

Technology helps students analyze, innovate, and create, Kay says, but it should not be taught as a stand-alone subject.

Students learning how to create PowerPoint presentations aren’t learning 21st century skills if they don’t recognize that PowerPoint may be replaced in 10 years and they’ll have to adapt to the changes, he says.

• Life skills. These skills include leadership, ethics, accountability, adaptability, personal productivity, personal responsibility, people skills, self-direction, and social responsibility.