Importance Of Inculcating 21st-Century Skills In Students

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” – Charles Darwin.
The 21st century is a technology era. Today’s world is an innovative and knowledge era where dynamic competency and skills are the major prerequisites of any profession. Also, the concept of the workplace is drastically changing with time. Therefore, to cope up with all the changes it is a need of the modern world to inculcate 21st-century skills in the students.

One of the major aspects of the 21st-century is to promote student-centered learning. It refers to all the skills which will train the students to deal with the changing work environment. Hallmark Public School, the top school in Panchkula, There are 4 C’s which can help us to understand the 21st-century skills better to work in a complex work environment. Here, are those 4 C’s:

 Communication – Communication should not be one way. Two-way communication will enable students to come up with better thoughts, questions, ideas, and solutions. It will help them to convey their ideas, which will finally enhance their communication skills. This will also teach them to speak up and present their opinions while working with others.

 Collaboration – This will help the students to address a problem and reach a goal by working together and deciding the best course of action. Collaboration with others will make them realize that they have a unique opinion on every conversation, and everybody might not agree with their views. This is how they will find their individuality.

 Critical Thinking – Critical thinking enables students to separate facts from opinions. They look at both the things in a new way, identifying the pros and cons, which again is a key requirement in this 21st century.

 Creativity – Creativity knows no limit. Creativity and innovation in students will prove to be a boon at a societal level. They will always be ahead of all the rapid changes taking place continuously.

Associations such as Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and the National Education Association (NEA) rightfully assert that the world we live in is quite more complex than it was 50 years ago. According to Educational Leadership, “A growing number of business leaders, politicians, and educators are united around the idea that students need ‘21st-century skills’ to be successful today.”

Preparing a child for the 21st century is no more an easy task for any teacher. What are the new age teaching methods a teacher should adopt so that a student grasps the concepts? There are three W’s that will facilitate the student-teacher relationship, which will further develop the quality of digital thinking in students.

The 3 W’s are:

• What did we learn today? Students must be asked about the topics discussed at the end of the last period.

• What are its relevance and usefulness?

• What can we predict from the learning?

The world recognizes increased globalization, and consequently, there is more need for global cooperation. By the time current students will enter the world of work, the workforce will have undoubtedly increased exponentially. How does a 21st-century classroom look like to integrate 21st-century skills into the classroom? There are several strategies educators can use to incorporate 21st-century skills. Hallmark Public School, the best CBSE school Panchkula, believes that technology plays a major role in 21st-century learning and must be included in the classrooms, as suggested below.

• The podcasts, audio and video blogs, and online learning should be incorporated.

• Utilizing digital tools for research and communication.

• Fostering creativity in the classroom

• Implementing project-based learning

• Digital Storytelling

• Language Acquisition

• STEM/ STEAM is the means to develop a 21st-century classroom.