Over the past few years, there has been a major shift in the traditional education paradigm aimed at helping students become better prepared for the demands of work following graduation. This 21st Century Skills initiative changed the focus for students’ education from just cognitive skills, such as math proficiency, to cognitive and also non-cognitive job skills rooted in personality, attitudes and beliefs. Why should that matter to you and your children? Because schools are changing, and how schools measure student readiness for graduation is also changing.
Check out this video for an interesting take on 7 skills students need for their future according to Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard’s Change Leadership Group, which includes:
- Critical thinking and problem-solving
- Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
- Agility and adaptability
- Initiative and entrepreneurialism
- Effective oral and written communication
- Accessing and analyzing information
- Curiosity and imagination
Want more information? You can download this study from Microsoft Partners in Learning and Pearson Foundation, which looks at the relationship between developing 21st century skills in the classroom and how it relates to perceived quality of work later in life.
