The phrase “21st Century Skills” is an idiom I can do without, but we will be hearing the phrase more and more as the concept becomes a major component of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. The problem is that I have no idea what it means.
Our own Governor Easley created the nation’s first Center for 21st Century Skills. Perhaps they know what the phrase means. According to the Center’s website, 21st century skills are “skills needed for success in the global economy.” Darn! This sounds familiar but doesn’t help me at all.
Rep. George Miller (D-California), the chairman of the House education committee, is addressing 21st century skills amid his committee’s work on No Child Left Behind. Miller says,
These measures can no longer reflect just basic skills and memorization. Rather, they must reflect critical-thinking skills and the ability to apply knowledge to new and challenging contexts. These are the skills that today’s students will need to meet the complex demands of the American economy and society in a globalized world.
Critical thinking? Problem solving? Those sound like 20th century skills to me. And then I came across this statement in the same article:
Schools must no longer prepare our students to be autonomous problem solvers. The workplace they enter tomorrow will increasingly require them to work in teams, collaborating across companies, communities, and continents. These skills cannot be developed solely by simple multiple-choice exams.
That’s it! Collaboration – the buddy system – is the quintessential 21st century skill. This one is easy to teach. If a student cheats on a test, he or she fails the exam. But if the class collaborates to cheat on the test, they get a perfect score. Brilliant.
