Knowledge Base >> Institutions >> 21st Century Skills for Learning
In this article, we ponder on some of the ideas on how educational institutes can best prepare students to succeed in the first decades of the 21st century. The educational institutes need to focus on six key elements of 21st century learning. They are:
Core Subjects: The importance of the core subjects challenge the institutes and policymakers to expand their focus beyond "basic competency" to understanding the core academic content at much higher levels.
Learning Skills: To cope with the demands of the 21st century, students need to know more than core subjects. They need to know how to use their knowledge and skills-by thinking critically, applying knowledge to new situations, analyzing information, comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving problems, and making decisions.
21st Century Tools: Recognizing that technology is, and will continue to be, a driving force in workplaces, communities, and personal lives in the 21st century, the emphasis should be on importance of incorporating information and communication technologies into education from the elementary grades up.
21st Century Context: Experiences that are relevant to students' lives, connected with the world beyond the classroom, and based on authentic projects are central to the sort of education as the appropriate context for learning in the information age.
21st Century Content: We believe that certain content essential for preparing students to live and work in a 21st century world is missing from most of the education boards’ syllabii and standards.
New Assessments that Measure 21st Century Skills: As pervasive as assessment seems to be today, it remains an emerging and challenging field that demands further study and innovation. The institutes need to move beyond standardized testing as the sole measure of student learning; balancing traditional tests with classroom assessments to measure the full range of students' skills; and using technology-based assessments to deliver immediate feedback.
In 21st Century, learning includes skills such as higher-order thinking, personal abilities, and technology literacy. These are essential for preparing students for a knowledge-based economy.
Though there are plenty of learning skills that have nothing to do with technology. However, the 21st century tools — including computers, telecommunications, and audio- or video-based media — are critical enablers of learning in a number of realms. And the fact that the information age that has resulted from the widespread adoption of such tools places us in a world of almost unlimited streams of trivial and profound information of enormous opportunity, necessitates an emphasis on information and communication technology literacy skills.
The value of rich, multidisciplinary, technology-infused learning seems so obvious to educators who have seen its impact on young people that it is often frustrating to be asked to prove it using tests. According to a number of researchers, rich 21st century learning experiences commonly do translate into higher test scores. It is interesting to note that these sorts of gains are true in spite of the fact that allowing students to solve real-world problems, collaborate with others, and create presentations to demonstrate their learning takes more time.
Regardless of the impact of 21st century learning on test scores, there is clearly a need for assessment tools that measure those essential skills that will never be captured by traditional tests. VEDAS is one such technology platform that is developed to provide such assessment facilities to the educational institutes.
