about the world
Seven dimensions evaluated for the 3 different components of each C.
Aspects of the overall educational program teaching, emphasizing, and promoting the 4Cs | |
Availability and access to different means, materials, space, and expertise, digital technologies, mnemonic and heuristic methods, etc. to assist in the proper use and exercise of the 4Cs | |
Actual student and program use of available resources promoting the 4Cs | |
Critical reflection and metacognition on the process being engaged in around the 4Cs | |
The formal and informal training, skills, and abilities of teachers/trainers and staff and their program of development as promoters of the 4Cs | |
Use and integration of the full range of resources external to the institution available to enhance the 4Cs | |
Availability of resources for students to create and actualize products, programs, events, etc. that require the exercise, promotion, or manifestation of the 4Cs |
* Educational-level dependent and potentially less available for younger students or in some contexts.
The grid itself can be used in several important and different ways by different educational stakeholders: (1) by the institution itself in its self-evaluation and possible preparation for a certification or labelization process, (2) as an explicit list of criteria for external evaluation of the institution and its 4Cs-related programs, and (3) as a potential long-term development targeting tool for the institution or the institution in dialogue with the labelization process.
Dropping the component of “creative person” that is not relevant at the institutional level, this evaluation grid is based on Rhodes’ ( 1961 ) classic “4P” model of creativity, which remains the most concise model today ( Lubart and Thornhill-Miller 2019 ). The three “P” components retained are: creative process , creative environment , and creative product . Creative process refers to the acquisition of a set of tools and techniques that students can use to enhance the creativity of their thinking and work. Creative environment (also called “Press” in earlier literature) is about how the physical and social surroundings of students can help them be more creative. Finally, creative product refers to the evaluation of actual “productions” (e.g., a piece of art, text, speech, etc.) generated through the creative process.
Our evaluation grid divides critical thinking into three main components: critical thinking about the world , critical thinking about oneself (self-reflection), as well as critical action and decision making . The first component refers to having an evidence-based view of the exterior world, notably by identifying and evaluating sources of information and using them to question current understandings and solve problems. Self-reflection refers to thinking critically about one’s own life situation, values, and actions; it presupposes the autonomy of thought and a certain distance as well as the most objective observation possible with regard to one’s own knowledge (“meta-cognition”). The third and final component, critical action and decision making, is about using critical thinking skills more practically in order to make appropriate life decisions as well as to be open to different points of view. This component also addresses soft skills and attitudes such as trusting information.
Our evaluation framework for critical thinking was in part inspired by Barnett’s “curriculum for critical being” (2015), whose model distinguishes two axes: one defined by the qualitative differences in the level of criticality attained and the second comprised of three different domains of application: formal knowledge, the self, and the world. The first two components of our framework (and the seven dimensions on which they are rated) reflect and encompass these three domains. Similar to Barrett’s proposal, our third rubric moves beyond the “skills-plus-dispositions” model of competency implicit in much theorizing about critical thinking and adds the importance of “action”—not just the ability to think critically and the disposition to do so, but the central importance of training and practicing “critical doing” ( Barnett 2015 ). Critical thinking should also be exercised collectively by involving students in collective thinking, facilitating the exchange of ideas and civic engagement ( Huber and Kuncel 2016 ).
The first component of collaboration skills in the IICD grid is engagement and participation , referring to the active engagement in group work. Perspective taking and openness concerns the flexibility to work with and accommodate other group members and their points of view. The final dimension— social regulation —is about being able to reach for a common goal, notably through compromise and negotiation, as well as being aware of the different types of roles that group members can hold ( Hesse et al. 2015 ; Rusdin and Ali 2019 ; Care et al. 2016 ). (These last two components include elements of leadership, character, and emotional intelligence as sometimes described in other soft-skill and competency-related systems.) Participation, social regulation, and perspective taking have been identified as central social skills in collaborative problem solving ( Hesse et al. 2015 ). Regarding social regulation in this context, recognizing and profiting from group diversity is key ( Graesser et al. 2018 ). When describing an assessment in an educational setting of collaborative problem solving (with a task in which two or more students have to collaborate in order to solve it, each using a different set of resources), two main underpinning skills were described for the assessment: the social skill of audience awareness (“how to adapt one’s own behavior to suit the needs of the task and the partner’s requirements”, Care et al. 2016, p. 258 ) and the cognitive skill of planning and executing (developing a plan to reach for a goal) ( Care et al. 2016 ). The former is included in the perspective taking and openness rubric and the latter in the social regulation component in the IICD grid. Evans ( 2020 ) identified four main collaboration skills consistently mentioned in the scientific literature that are assessed in the IICD grid: the ability to plan and make group decisions (example item from the IICD grid: teachers provide assistance to students to overcome differences and reach a common goal during group work); the ability to communicate about thinking with the group (assessed notably in the meta-reflection strand of the IICD grid); the ability to contribute resources, ideas, and efforts and support group members (included notably in the engagement and participation as well as the social regulation components); and finally, the ability to monitor, reflect, and adapt individual and group processes to benefit the group (example item from the IICD grid: students use perspective-taking tools and techniques in group activities).
The evaluation grid for communication is also composed of three dimensions: message formulation, message delivery, and message and communication feedback . Message formulation refers to the ability to design and structure a message to be sent, such as outlining the content of an argument. Message delivery is about effectively transmitting verbal and non-verbal aspects of a message. Finally, message and communication feedback refers to the ability of students and teachers to understand their audience, analyze their social surroundings, and interpret information in context. Other components of communication skills such as theory of mind, empathy, or emotional intelligence are also relevant and included in the process of applying the grid. Thompson ( 2020 ) proposes a four-component operationalized definition of communication for its assessment in students. First, they describe a comprehension strand covering the understanding and selection of adequate information from a range of sources. Message formulation in the IICD grid captures this dimension through its focus on content analysis and generation. Second, the presentation of information and ideas is mentioned in several different modes, adjusted to the intended audience, verbally as well as non-verbally. The message delivery component of the IICD grid focuses on these points. Third, the authors note the importance of communication technology and its advanced use. The IICD grid also covers the importance of technology use in its tools and techniques category, with, for example, an item that reads: students learn to effectively use a variety of formats of communication (social media, make a video, e-mail, letter writing, creating a document). Finally, Thompson ( 2020 ) describes the recognition of cultural and other differences as an important aspect of communication. The IICD grid aims at incorporating these aspects, notably in the meta-reflection category under each of the three dimensions.
5.1. the 4cs in informal educational contexts.
So far, the focus has been on rather formal ways of nurturing the 4Cs. Although institutions and training programs are perhaps the most significant and necessary avenues of education, they are not the sole context in which 4Cs’ learning and improvement can manifest. One other important potential learning context is game play. Games are activities that are present and participated in throughout human society—by those of all ages, genders, and socio-economic statuses ( Bateson and Martin 2013 ; Huizinga 1949 ; Malaby 2007 ). This informal setting can also provide favorable conditions to help improve the 4Cs ( van Rosmalen et al. 2014 ) and should not be under-appreciated. Games provide a unique environment for learning, as they can foster a space to freely explore possibilities and one’s own potential ( de Freitas 2006 ). We argue that games are a significant potential pathway for the improvement of the 4Cs, and as such, they merit the same attention as more formal ways of learning and developing competencies.
Compared to schools and educational institutions, the focus of IICD’s evaluation framework for games (see International Institute for Competency Development 2021 ) is more narrow. Thus, it is fundamentally different from the institutional grid: games, complex and deep as they can sometimes be, cannot directly be compared to the complexity of a school curriculum and all the programs it contains. The evaluation of a game’s effectiveness for training/improving a given C rests on the following principle: if a game presents affordances conducive to exercising a given skill, engaged playing of that game should help improve that skill.
The game’s evaluation grid is scored based on two criteria. For example, as a part of a game’s rating as a tool for the development of creativity, we determine the game must first meet two conditions. First, whether or not the game allows the opportunity for creativity to manifest itself: if creativity cannot occur in the game, it is obviously not eligible to receive ratings for that C. Second, whether or not creativity is needed in order to perform well in the game: if the players can win or achieve success in the game without needing creativity, this also means it cannot receive a rating for that C. If both conditions are met, however, the game will be considered potentially effective to improve creativity through the practice of certain components of creative behavior. This basic principle applies for all four of the Cs.
As outlined in Table 3 , below, the evaluation grid for each of the four Cs is composed of five components relevant to games that are different for each of the Cs. The grid works as follows: for each of the five components of each C, we evaluate the game on a list of sub-components using two yes/no scales: one for whether it is “possible” for that subcomponent to manifest and one for whether that sub-component is “required for success” in the game. This evaluation is done for all sub-components. After this, each general component is rated on the same two indicators. If 60% (i.e., three out of five) or more sub-components are positively rated as required, the general component is considered required. Then, the game is evaluated on its effectiveness for training and improving each of the 4Cs. If 60% or more components are positively rated as required, the game will be labelized as having the potential to be effective for training and improving the corresponding C.
Five different components evaluated for each C by the 4Cs assessment framework for games.
Originality | Divergent Thinking | Convergent Thinking | Mental Flexibility | Creative Dispositions | |
Goal-adequate judgment/ discernment | Objective thinking | Metacognition | Elaborate eeasoning | Uncertainty management | |
Collaboration fluency | Well-argued deliberation and consensus-based decision | Balance of contribution | Organization and coordination | Cognitive syncing, input, and support | |
Social Interactions | Social cognition | Mastery of written and spoken language | Verbal communication | Non-verbal communication |
The evaluation grid for creativity is based on the multivariate model of creative potential (see Section 2.1.1 and Lubart et al. 2013 for more information) and is composed of four cognitive factors and one conative factor: originality , divergent thinking , convergent thinking , mental flexibility , and creative dispositions . Originality refers to the generation of ideas that are novel or unexpected, depending on the context. Divergent thinking corresponds to the generation of multiple ideas or solutions. Convergent thinking refers to the combination of multiple ideas and the selection of the most creative idea. Mental flexibility entails changing perspectives on a given problem and breaking away from initial ideas. Finally, creative dispositions concerns multiple personality-related factors conducive to creativity, such as openness to experience or risk taking.
The evaluation grid for critical thinking echoes Halpern’s ( 1998 ) as well as Marin and Halpern’s ( 2011 ) considerations for teaching this skill, that is, taking into consideration thinking skills, metacognition, and dispositions. The five components of the critical thinking grid are: goal-adequate discernment, objective thinking, metacognition, elaborate reasoning, and uncertainty management. Goal-adequate discernment entails the formulation of inferences and the discernment of contradictions when faced with a problem. Objective thinking corresponds to the suspension of one’s own judgment and the analysis of affirmations and sources in the most objective manner possible. Metacognition, here, is about questioning and reassessing information, as well as the awareness of one’s own cognitive biases. Elaborate reasoning entails reasoning in a way that is cautious, thorough, and serious. Finally, uncertainty management refers to the dispositional propensity to tolerate ambiguity and accept doubt.
The evaluation grid for collaboration is based on the quality of collaboration (QC) method ( Burkhardt et al. 2009 ; see Section 2.4.2 for more details) and is composed of the following five components: collaboration fluidity, well-argued deliberation and consensus-based decision, balance of contribution, organization and coordination, and cognitive syncing, input, and support. Collaboration fluidity entails the absence of speech overlap and the presence of a good flow in terms of turns to speak. Well-argued deliberation and consensus-based decision is about contributing to the discussion and task at hand, as well as participating in discussions and arguments, in order to obtain a consensus. Balance of contribution refers to having equal or equivalent contributions to organization, coordination, and decision making. Organization and coordination refers to effective management of roles, time, and “deadlines”, as well as the attribution of roles depending on participants’ skills. Finally, cognitive syncing, input, and support is about bringing ideas and resources to the group, as well as supporting and reinforcing other members of the group.
The five components used to evaluate communication in games include both linguistic, pragmatic, and social aspects. Linguistic skills per se are captured by the mastery of written and spoken language component. This component assesses language comprehension and the appropriate use of vocabulary. Pragmatic skills are captured by the verbal and non-verbal communication components and refer to the efficient use of verbal and body signals in the context of the game to achieve one’s communicative goals ( Grassmann 2014 ; Matthews 2014 ). Finally, the grid also evaluates social skills with its two last components, social interactions and social cognition, which, respectively, refer to the ability to interact with others appropriately—including by complying with the rules of the game—and to the understanding of other people’ mental states ( Tomasello 2005 ).
Each of the 4Cs is a broad, multi-faceted concept that is the subject of a tremendous amount of research and discussion by a wide range of stakeholders in different disciplines, professions, and parts of the educational establishment. The development of evaluation frameworks to allow support for the 4Cs to be assessed and publicly recognized, using a label, is an important step for promoting and fostering these skills in educational contexts. As illustrated by IICD’s 4Cs Framework for educational institutions and programs, as well as its games/activities evaluation grid, the specific criteria to detect support for each C can vary depending upon the educational context (e.g., formal and institutional level or informal and at the activity level). Yet considering the 4Cs together highlights some additional observations, current challenges, and opportunities for the future that are worthy of discussion.
One very important issue for understanding the 4Cs and their educational implementation that can be simultaneously a help and a hindrance for teaching them—and also a challenge when assessing them—is their multidimensionality and interrelatedness. In other words, the 4Cs are not entirely separate entities but instead, as Figure 2 shows, should be seen as four interlinked basic “elements” for future-oriented education that can help individuals in their learning process and, together, synergistically “bootstrap” the development of their cognitive potentials. Lamri and Lubart ( 2021 ), for example, found a certain base level of creativity was a necessary but not sufficient condition for success in managerial tasks, but that high-level performance required a combination of all four Cs. Some thinkers have argued that one cannot be creative without critical thinking, which also requires creativity, for example, to come up with alternative arguments (see Paul and Elder 2006 ). Similarly, among many other interrelationships, there is no collaboration without communication—and even ostensibly individual creativity is a “collaboration” of sorts with the general culture and precursors in a given field. As a result, it ranges from impossible to suboptimal to teach (or teach towards) one of the 4Cs without involving one or more of the others, and this commingling also underscores the genuine need and appropriateness of assessing them together.
“‘Crea-Critical-Collab-ication’: a Dynamic Interactionist Model of the 4Cs”. (Illustration of the interplay and interpenetration of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication shown in dimensional space according to their differing cognitive/individual vs. social/interpersonal emphases; (© 2023, Branden Thornhill-Miller. All Rights Reserved. thornhill-miller.com; accessed on 20 January 2023)).
From this perspective, Thornhill-Miller ( 2021 ) proposed a “dynamic interactionist model of the 4Cs” and their interrelated contributions to the future of education and work. Presented in Figure 2 , this model is meant to serve as a visual and conceptual aid for understanding the 4Cs and their interrelationships, thereby also promoting better use and understanding of them in pedagogical and policy settings. In addition to suggesting the portmanteau of “crea-critical thinking” as a new term to describe the overlap of much of the creative and critical thinking processes, the title of this model, “Crea-Critical-Collab-ication”, is a verbal representation of the fluid four-way interrelationship between the 4Cs visually represented in Figure 2 (a title meant to playfully repackage the 4Cs for important pedagogical and policy uses). This model goes further to suggest some dimensional differences in emphases that, roughly speaking, also often exist among the 4Cs: that is to say, the frequently greater emphasis on cognitive or individual elements at play in creativity and critical thinking in comparison to the social and interpersonal aspects more central to communication and collaboration ( Thornhill-Miller 2021 ).
Similarly focused on the need to promote a phase change towards future-oriented education, Lucas ( 2019 ) and colleagues have suggested conflating creative thinking and critical thinking in order to propose “3Cs” (creative thinking, communication, and collaboration) as new “foundational literacies” to symmetrically add to the 3Rs (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic) of previous educational eras. Although we applaud these efforts, from our applied research perspective, we believe that the individual importance of, and distinct differences between, creative thinking and critical thinking support preserving them both as separate constructs in order to encourage the greatest development of each of them. Moreover, if only three categories were somehow required or preferable, one could argue that uniting communication and collaboration (as “collab-ication” suggests) might be preferable—particularly also given the fact that substantial aspects of communication are already covered within the 3Rs. In any case, we look forward to more such innovations and collaborations in this vibrant and important area of work at the crossroads between research, pedagogy, and policy development.
The rich literature in each of the 4Cs domains shows the positive effects of integrating these dimensions into educational and professional curricula. At the same time, the complexity of their definitions makes them difficult to assess, both in terms of reliability (assessment must not vary from one measurement to another) and of validity (tests must measure that which they are intended to measure). However, applied research in this area is becoming increasingly rigorous, with a growing capacity to provide the necessary tools for evidence-based practice. The development of these practices should involve interdisciplinary teams of teachers and other educational practitioners who are equipped and trained accordingly. Similarly, on the research side, further exploration and clarification of subcomponents of the 4Cs and other related skills will be important. Recent efforts to clarify the conceptual overlap and hierarchical relations of soft skills for the future of education and work, for example, have been helpful and promising (e.g., Joie-La Marle et al. 2022 ; Lamri et al. 2022 ). But the most definitive sort of taxonomy and measurement model that we are currently lacking might only be established based on the large-scale administration of a comprehensive battery of skill-measuring psychometric tests on appropriate cross sections of society.
The rapid development and integration of new technologies will also aid and change the contexts, resources, and implementation of the 4Cs. For example, the recent developments make it clear that the 4Cs will be enhanced and changed by interaction with artificially intelligence, even as 4Cs-related skills will probably, for the same reason, increasingly constitute the core of available human work in the future (see, e.g., Ross 2018 ). Similarly, research on virtual reality and creativity suggest that VR environments assist and expand individual and collaborative creativity ( Bourgeois-Bougrine et al. 2022 ). Because VR technologies offer the possibility of enhanced and materially enriched communication, collaboration, and information availability, they not only allow for the enhancement of creativity techniques but also for similar expansions and improvements on almost all forms of human activity (see Thornhill-Miller and Dupont 2016 )—including the other three Cs.
Traditional educational approaches cannot meet the educational needs of our emergent societies if they do not teach, promote, and assess in line with the new learner characteristics and contexts of the 21st century ( Sahin 2009 ). The sort of future-oriented change and development required by this shift in institutional practices, programming, and structure will likely meet with significant resistance from comfortably entrenched (and often outdated) segments of traditional educational and training establishments. Additional external evaluation and monitoring is rarely welcome by workers in any context. We believe, however, that top-down processes from the innovative and competition-conscious administrative levels will be met by bottom-up demands from students and education consumers to support these institutional changes. And we contend that efforts such as labelizing 4C processes will serve to push educators and institutions towards more relevant offerings, oriented towards the future of work and helping build a more successful future for all.
In the end, the 4Cs framework seems to be a manageable, focused model for modernizing education, and one worthy of its growing prevalence in the educational and research marketplace for a number of reasons. These reasons include the complexity and cumbersome nature of larger alternative systems and the 4Cs’ persuasive presence at the core of a number of early and industry-driven frameworks. In addition, the 4Cs have benefitted from their subsequent promotion by organizations such as the OECD and the World Economic Forum, as well as some more direct support from recent empirical research. The promotion, teaching, and assessment of the 4Cs will require a complex social intervention and mobilization of educational resources—a major shift in pedagogy and institutional structures. Yet the same evolving digital technologies that have largely caused the need for these massive, rapid changes can also assist in the implementation of solutions ( van Laar et al. 2017 ). To the extent that future research also converges on such a model (that has already been found pedagogically useful and policy-friendly by so many individuals and organizations), the 4Cs framework has the potential to become a manageable core for 21st century skills and the future of education and work—one that stakeholders with various agendas can already begin building on for a better educational and economic future together.
This research received no external funding.
Conceptualization, B.T.-M. and T.L.; writing—original draft preparation, B.T.-M., A.C., M.M., J.-M.B., T.M., S.B.-B., S.E.H., F.V., M.A.-L., C.F., D.S., F.M.; writing—review and editing, B.T.-M., A.C., T.L., J.-M.B., C.F.; visualization, B.T.-M.; supervision, B.T.-M., T.L.; project administration, B.T.-M., T.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Not applicable.
Data availability statement, conflicts of interest.
B.T.-M. and T.L. are unpaid academic co-founder and project collaborator for the International Institute for Competency Development, whose labelization frameworks (developed in cooperation with Afnor International and the LaPEA lab of Université Paris Cité and Université Gustave Eiffel) are used as examples in this review. S.E.H. and M.A.-L. are employees of AFNOR International. No funding was received to support this research or article, which reflects the views of the scientists and researchers and not their organizations or companies.
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Cooperative learning ; Creative thinking ; Problem-solving
The term “collaborative learning” refers to an instruction method in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal. Collaborative learning is a relationship among learners that fosters positive interdependence, individual accountability, and interpersonal skills. “Critical thinking” involves asking appropriate questions, gathering and creatively sorting through relevant information, relating new information to existing knowledge, reexamining beliefs, reasoning logically, and drawing reliable and trustworthy conclusions.
The advent of revolutionary information and communication technologies has effected changes in the organizational infrastructure and altered the characteristics of the workplace putting an increased emphasis on teamwork and processes that require individuals to pool their resources and integrate specializations. The...
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A great experience which has given me the opportunity to meet teachers from other countries, sharing with them our previous experiences and also the idea of collaborating together in order to find the best solutions.
This was my first and I am definitely richer for one new experience. I met a lot of dear people and learned something from each of them. I have learned some new ways to encourage creativity, collaborative work and communication with my students and I will use them in my future work. I'm looking forward for some new projects and courses!
This course is the perfect way how to connect nice and useful things together. Susan is a very pleasant and professional lecturer. The lessons are perfectly developed all in a critical thinking way that is naturally applied in any step/method she uses. The course involves all we as teachers need in the education of the 21st century. It’s fun, motivating, educative, and definitely worth attending… In the end, you want it to happen again ♥️
This was the best course I have taken in my entire career. It is completely applicable in terms of contemporary education. I was given what I had expected and hoped for, new educational techniques, which will be immensely appreciated in my professional as well as my personal life. The structure of the course is fabulous, as well as its organization. Ms Susan Gagliano is simply fantastic as a lecturer and trainer.
Communication, critical thinking.
Increasingly it is recognized that American education should focus on those skills required to be successful in the 21st century. Most important of all will be the ability to deal with change, learn new things, and preserve one’s mental balance in unfamiliar situations.(see Yuval Noah Harari, “21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” p. 266).
Experts in the field of education and the sciences suggest the focus of education should be on the “four Cs”: collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. Clearly we recognize that when students are taught to “ collaborate “, they learn to work within teams that enhance knowledge utilization and dissemination. The intellect of the team far outstrips the intellect of the individual. Learning to “ communicate ” through writing, speaking, the arts, text and computers will lead to broader abilities to engage with local, national and international communities. “ Critical thinking ” is one of the most important skills students can learn. It involves analysis and evaluation of facts, data, evidence, arguments and observation to form and inform judgments. “ Creativity ” is the synthesis of ideas and thought that enables the act of turning new and imaginative concepts into reality. It is characterized by finding new ways to find hidden patterns, to make connections, to form new products, expressions and to solve problems. It is considered to be the highest level on Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy used to classify educational learning.
Since Empower Generations’ beginning, we have been committed to helping learners develop into well-rounded, lifelong learners empowered to lead in an ever-changing world. That’s why we focus on the four Cs of 21st-century learning:
These skills enhance the academic growth of Empower Generations’ learners and prepare them to succeed in life.
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There are multiple frameworks and standards for addressing modern learning environments. Among these is Partnership for 21st Century Learning's Framework. This framework is significant for it's inclusion of the 4Cs: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication. It also includes a multiple literacies including information literacy. This paper looks at the relationship between information literacy and the 4Cs in order to suggest information literacy should be conceptualized as situated and transformative, and that assumptions regarding the definition of information literacy should be addressed in developing critical approaches to instruction in the 4Cs.
Christine Susan Bruce
Mark McBride
Springer Texts in Education
Angela Repanovici
Sanna Talja
José-Antonio Gómez-Hernández
Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Information and Computer Sciences
Sylvia L. Edwards
Chuck Downing , Dr. JoAnn Jurchan
There are four academic skills--21st Century Skills--that are, in some combination or iteration, common to all successfully implemented, long-lasting educational reforms. 1. Communication 2. Collaboration 3. Creativity 4. Critical Thinking This report focuses on defining and describing each of those four academic skills and providing one strategy you can use, as a teacher or parent, with your students to encourage building—use of and improvement in—each of the skills. Included is a sample of student work using the strategy and a link to detailed information on other strategies that are also effective in transforming learning environments for increased engagement and understanding.
Sheila Webber
EdMedia 2015 - Montreal, Quebec
Rapid change in technology, information overload, conflicting definitions, emerging perspectives, and competing models have made it difficult to develop a consistent, coherent understanding of information literacy. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding and assessing information literacy in the 21st century. A review of 50 articles between 2004 and 2014 was conducted to identify major research themes and trends in understanding information literacy. A new framework, called the 5Ps (planning, picking, processing, producing, and presenting) was proposed to understand and assess new directions of information literacy. The 5Ps model reveals that information literacy is moving from an information seeking approach to an information producing approach calling for higher-order thinking skills.
abigail guzman gonzales
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Communications in Computer and Information Science
Shehaamah Mohamed
European Scientific Journal
Randa Saliba Chidiac
Christina Kanaki , Hara Brindesi
george chipeta
Informatics in Education
James Henri
Comminfolit
Sheril Hook , John Budd , Paulette Rothbauer
Library and Information Research
Annemaree Lloyd
Information and Knowledge Management
Moses Nwosu
Kevin Ketchner , John Doherty
nambuza halid
Hannah Gerber
Advances in Language and Literary Studies
Stephen J Hall
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Sandy (Sandra M.) Campbell
Joan Arelis Figueroa Rivera
Cameron Pour
Pieter Du Toit
Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo
Dr. Vivek Bhatt
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Susie Andretta
Georgina Trebbe
Education Review // Reseñas Educativas
Omer Farooq
Journal of Information Literacy
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Mihaela Banek Zorica
Joanne O'Mara , Chris Walsh
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Getting smart collective, impact update, at the intersection of creativity and critical thinking.
Creativity and critical thinking sit atop most lists of skills crucial for success in the 21st century. They represent two of the “Four Cs” in P21 ’s learning framework (the other two being communication and collaboration), and they rank second and third on the World Economic Forum ’s top ten list of skills workers will need most in the year 2020 (complex problem solving ranks first).
The various lists of 21st-century skills grant creativity and critical thinking such prominence in part because they are human abilities robots and AI are unlikely to usurp anytime soon. The picture of the near future that emerges from these compilations of skills is one in which people must compete against their own inventions by exploiting the most human of their human qualities: empathy, a willingness to work together, adaptability, innovation. As the 21st century unfolds, creativity and critical thinking appear as uniquely human attributes essential for staving off our own obsolescence.
Like many things human, however, creativity and critical thinking are not easily or consistently defined. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s list of “ Deeper Learning Competencies ,” for example, identifies creativity not as its own competency but as a tool for thinking critically. Bloom’s Taxonomy treats the two as separate educational goals, ranking creativity above critical thinking in the progression of intellectual abilities. Efforts to pin down these skills are so quickly muddled, one is tempted to fall back on the old Justice Stewart remark regarding obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” Unfortunately, that yardstick isn’t much help to teachers or students.
Definitions of creativity tend toward the broad and vague. One of the leading researchers in the area, Robert Sternberg, characterizes creativity as “a decision to buy low and sell high in the world of ideas.” While this is itself a creative approach to the problem of defining creativity, it is not a solution easily translated into a rubric.
Definitions of critical thinking don’t fare much better. According to one group of researchers , “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” Again, a curiously self-demonstrating definition, but not one ready-made for the classroom.
Generally speaking, creativity is associated with generating ideas, while critical thinking is associated with judging them. In practice, however, the two are not so easy to separate. As parents and teachers know well, creativity without critical judgment tends toward the fanciful, the impractical, the ridiculous. “Creative thinking” becomes a nice way of saying that someone’s ideas have run amok.
At the same time, critical thinking gets short shrift when reduced to making a judgment, since, at its best, critical thinking is also a way of making a contribution. It is fundamentally creative in the sense that its aim is to produce something new: an insight, an argument, a new synthesis of ideas or information, a new level of understanding.
Our grasp of creativity and critical thinking is improved when we see them in symbiotic relationship with one another. Creativity benefits from our recognizing the role of critical thinking in ensuring the value of novel ideas. In turn, critical thinking comes into clearer focus when we recognize it as a creative act that enriches understanding by giving rise to something that wasn’t there before.
What does this symbiotic relationship look like in the classroom? Here are a few educational contexts in which creativity is disciplined by critical thinking and critical thinking is expanded through recognition of its creative function:
The skills today’s students will need for success are, at a most basic level, the skills that humans have always relied on for success — the very things that make us human, including our creativity and our capacity for thinking critically. The fact that our defining qualities so often defy definition, that our distinctive traits are so frustratingly indistinct, is just another gloriously untidy part of us that robots will never understand.
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As we progress into an increasingly tech-driven world, the workings around us are rapidly changing, and so are the skills that are required to succeed at this fast pace. In today’s highly competitive and globalized economy, it is essential not only for kids but for every individual to possess a certain set of skills that go beyond the traditional academic curriculum. These skills are known as the “5 Cs”: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character . These 21st century skills for students can provide them with a great head start in life as they go on to tackle different obstacles.
In this blog, we will explore each of the 5 c’s skills in detail, discuss why they are important, and provide tips on how you can develop and enhance them in yourself. So, whether you are a student, a professional, or someone who is simply looking to improve their skill set, this blog is just for you!
Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, why is the 5 cs education important, frequently asked questions (faqs).
The capacity to analyze information and assess arguments is referred to as “critical thinking,” which is the first of the 5 c’s and one of the crucial 21st century skills for students. In today’s digital era, when we are continuously bombarded with information, being able to filter through it and discern what is factual and credible is critical. Critical thinking involves asking questions, evaluating opposing points of view, and drawing educated conclusions based on facts. Something that lays the foundation of complex problem-solving skills in young minds at the start itself.
BrightChamps programming for kids nurtures critical thinking, empowering young learners with essential problem-solving skills for a successful future.
Tips for developing critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills.
Communication skills have always been crucial, but they are becoming increasingly important in the twenty-first century. With remote work and virtual collaboration becoming the norm, the ability to communicate clearly and efficiently over numerous channels, such as email, video conferencing, and instant messaging, is critical. Individuals with strong communication abilities may also form connections and operate successfully in groups.
Tips for developing communication skills:
Collaboration is the ability to work effectively with others towards a common objective, which is another of the 5 c’s. Teamwork is crucial in today’s increasingly interconnected and globalized environment. Collaborative skills entail not just working together but also negotiating and compromising when required.
Tips for developing collaboration skills:
The capacity to develop fresh and inventive ideas is referred to as creativity. To handle issues and face difficulties in today’s fast-changing environment, it is critical to be able to adapt and think creatively. Creative abilities are important 21st century skills for students, and they include not just the ability to generate ideas but also the capacity to effectively apply them.
Tips for developing creativity skills:
Personal attributes such as honesty, integrity, and resilience are examples of character. In the twenty-first century, having a strong moral compass and a sense of purpose is becoming increasingly crucial. People with strong character are more inclined to persist in the face of adversity.
Remember, the developing character is a lifelong process. Be patient with yourself, stay committed to your values, and continue to seek out opportunities for growth and development.
Tips for developing character:
The 5 c’s of 21st century skills for students – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character – are becoming increasingly important in today’s world. Just like nourishing your kids with the benefits of stem education , giving them the 5 Cs education is crucial. Here are some reasons why:
Adaptability: The world is changing swiftly, and people who possess the 5 Cs are better able to adapt to new problems and opportunities. They can think critically, communicate easily, interact with others, produce original ideas, and work well with individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
Employability: There’s no question that employers are looking for people who exhibit the 5 Cs. These abilities are vital in today’s workforce, where collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity are valued.
Success in life: The 5 c’s are vital not just for professional success, but also for personal achievement. Individuals with these skills are better able to negotiate complicated social, cultural, and political situations. They can comprehend and accept multiple points of view, work well with varied groups, and give back to their communities.
Innovation: Creativity and innovation are required to handle the difficult issues that our planet faces today. Individuals that possess the 5 Cs education are more suited for developing new and original ideas, thinking outside the box, and solving complicated issues creatively.
Globalization: Individuals who possess the 5 Cs education are more suited to effectively interact with people from varied origins and cultures as the globe becomes more interconnected. They can respect other points of view, communicate effectively, and interact with others in a global setting.
The 5 Cs of 21st century skills are important for success in today’s rapidly changing world. They provide individuals with the adaptability, employability, and personal and professional skills necessary to manage complex environments and add to their communities. Whether you are seeking career success, personal growth, or simply want to become a more effective and adaptable individual, developing the 5 Cs education is a worthwhile pursuit. Developing these characteristics in kids from an early age can be extremely beneficial for them.
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In conclusion, in today’s society, the 5 Cs of 21st century abilities—critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character—are becoming increasingly vital. These abilities are necessary not just for professional success but also for personal growth and development. It’s possible to build and improve your 5 Cs by recognizing your values, practicing self-awareness, creating objectives, developing positive relationships, practicing gratitude, accepting difficulties, and committing to lifelong learning.
Remember that acquiring these abilities is a lifetime process that takes patience, perseverance, and a desire to make personal progress. However, the advantages of having these talents are numerous, ranging from flexibility and employability to personal and professional success. So begin your journey now and cultivate your 5 Cs to become a more successful, flexible, and productive person.
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The 5 Cs of 21st century skills are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character.
The 5 Cs are important for several reasons, including adaptability, employability, personal and professional success, innovation, and globalization.
Examples of critical thinking skills include analyzing information, evaluating arguments, solving problems, making decisions, and applying knowledge.
Examples of communication skills including speaking clearly and effectively, active listening, writing clearly and effectively, nonverbal communication, and adapting to different communication styles.
Developing the 5 Cs is a lifelong process that requires patience, dedication, and a commitment to personal growth. It may take time to develop these skills, but the benefits are immense, from personal and professional success to contributing to your communities and making a positive impact on the world.
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Components of education 4.0 in 21st century skills frameworks: systematic review.
2. materials and methods, 2.1. context of the study, 2.2. education 4.0 in industry 4.0, 2.3. learning dimensions, 2.4. stakeholders in the competency frameworks of the 21st century, 2.5. teaching and learning methods, 2.6. systematic literature review method, 4. discussion, 5. conclusions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.
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A40 | Smyrnova-Trybulska, E., Morze, N., Kommers, P., Zuziak, W., and Gladun, M. (2017). Selected aspects and conditions of the use of robots in STEM education for young learners as viewed by teachers and students. Interactive Technology and Smart Education. |
A41 | Alden-Rivers, B. (2016). Social innovation education: Designing learning for an uncertain world. In Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. |
A42 | Kitchens, R. K., and Barker, M. E. (2016). Synthesizing pedagogies and engaging students: Creating blended eLearning strategies for library research and writing instruction. The Reference Librarian, 57(4), 323–335. |
A43 | Hannaway, D. M., and Steyn, M. G. (2017). Teachers’ experiences of technology-based teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase. Early Child Development and Care, 187(11), 1745–1759. |
A44 | Blau, I., Peled, Y., and Nusan, A. (2016). Technological, pedagogical and content knowledge in one-to-one classroom: teachers developing “digital wisdom”. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(6), 1215–1230. |
A45 | Weninger, C. (2017). The “vernacularization” of global education policy: media and digital literacy as twenty-first century skills in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 37(4), 500–516. |
A46 | Lin, T. B., Mokhtar, I. A., and Wang, L. Y. (2015). The construct of media and information literacy in Singapore education system: global trends and local policies. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 35(4), 423–437. |
A47 | Viinikka, K.-, and Ubani, M. (2019). The expectations of Finnish RE student teachers of their professional development in their academic studies in the light of twenty-first century skills. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 40(4), 447–463. |
A48 | Gupta, R. (2021). The Role of Pedagogy in Developing Life Skills. Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, 15(1), 50–72. |
A49 | Valtonen, T., Sointu, E., Kukkonen, J., Kontkanen, S., Lambert, M. C., and Mäkitalo-Siegl, K. (2017). TPACK updated to measure pre-service teachers’ twenty-first century skills. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(3). |
A50 | Snape, P., and Fox-Turnbull, W. (2011). Twenty-first century learning and technology education nexus. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 34, 149. |
A51 | Wilson, J. I. (2006). Twenty-first century learning for teachers: helping educators bring new skills into the classroom. New Directions for Youth Development, (110), 149–154. Doi: 10.1002/yd.175 |
A52 | Engerman, J. A., Carr-Chellman, A. A., and MacAllan, M. (2019). Understanding learning in video games: A phenomenological approach to unpacking boy cultures in virtual worlds. Education and Information Technologies, 24(6), 3311–3327. |
A53 | Sahlin, J. S., Tsertsidis, A., and Islam, M. S. (2017). Usages and impacts of the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in elementary classrooms: a case study of Swedish municipality schools. Interactive Learning Environments, 25(5), 561–579. |
A54 | Lipiäinen, T., Ubani, M., Viinikka, K., and Kallioniemi, A. (2020). What does “new learning” require from religious education teachers? A study of Finnish RE teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Religious Education, 68(2), 213–231. |
A55 | Knox, A. (2006). Why American business demands twenty-first century learning: A company perspective. New Directions for Youth Development, (110), 31–7. |
A56 | Bruett, K. (2006). Why American business demands twenty-first century skills: an industry perspective. New directions for youth development, (110), 25–30. |
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Categories | ||
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Competencies | Transversal competencies | (i) Critical Thinking, (ii) Cooperation, (iii) Collaboration, (iv) Communication, (v) Creativity |
Disciplinary competencies. | (i) Training and developing functional, technical, and technological knowledge and successful workplace performance skills. (ii) The capacity to research, design, create and implement new technologies. (iii) The use of emerging technologies and best practices to propose technology-based solutions. | |
Learning methods | Learning delivery modalities. | (i) Face-to-Face learning based mainly on Active Learning. (ii) Online distance learning. (iii) Hybrid learning. |
Learning strategies | Pedagogical approaches such as challenge-based learning, problem-based learning, learning-by-doing, and gamification-based learning. | |
Information and communication technologies (ICT) categories | Technology-based | Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, High-Data-Processing applying Data Science, Data Analytics and Cloud Computing, and Virtual Image Processing for virtual and experiential environments. |
Tools and Platforms | Synchronous online sessions to support student learning through web conference technologies (e.g., ZOOM, Meets, Webex, M-Teams) and asynchronous learning platforms (Learning Management Systems, (LMS)). | |
Infrastructure levels | Classroom level | Innovative furniture; connected tools; classrooms, rooms, and libraries adapted with specific architecture, colors, illumination, sounds, and temperature to improve learning; virtual and augmented reality, and hologram systems. |
Institutional level | Includes recreation, comfort, sustainability, and accessibility; services such as online libraries, instant messaging systems, remote laboratories enabled and widely used; access to internet services. |
Strategy Category | Techniques | Description |
---|---|---|
Reflection strategies to encourage self-regulated thinking. | Case-based learning. Electronic portfolios. Meta-learning. | Reflection strategies include professional self-perception, understanding, creativity, reflective observation, decision-making, sharing, capacity for dialogue, competency to propose improvements, social commitment, and others. |
Research strategies to apply knowledge. | Research-based learning. Project-based learning. Evidence-based educational innovation. | The student’s mental processes are not in the knowledge per se (as is the case with the analysis processes), but the interest is in using this knowledge in specific situations. |
Construction strategies to promote analysis. | Problem-based learning. Debate. Argumentation. | Can be used in face-to-face, b-learning, e-learning and m-learning environments, where spaces foster collaborative learning and systemic self-learning. |
Contextualization strategies to foster collaboration. | Authentic. Engaged. Situated learning. | Collaborative learning is one of the main goals to achieve high levels of cognition in meaning and essential qualities for personal and professional development. It also brings excellent interpersonal benefits. |
Technology-mediated strategies for promoting digital competencies. | Mobile learning. Learning objects. Open educational resources. | Information access and use skills that form the basis for continuous lifelong learning are common to all disciplines, learning environments, and all levels of education. They enable learners to master content and extend their research, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their learning process. |
Dimension | Research Questions (RQ) | Type of Answer Sought |
---|---|---|
Characteristics of published studies of frameworks for 21st century skills. | RQ1. What were the articles’ objects of study? RQ2. How many studies are in the Scopus and WoS databases over time and the dimension of learning targeted? | Id of articles and references. No. of articles in the Scopus and WoS databases from 2006 to 2020? |
Learning dimensions: Skills, knowledge, character and meta-learning (Fadel et al., 2015) | ||
Core components: Education 4.0 and 21st century skills | RQ3. What are the core Education 4.0 teaching and learning strategies applied in the study? | Teaching and learning Strategies (Ramírez-Montoya, 2012): Collaborative Contextualized Application Reflection Technology-mediated |
Core Education 4.0 (Miranda et al., 2021) Competencies Learning methods Information and communication technologies (ICT) Infrastructure | ||
Learning dimensions and stakeholders | RQ4. Who are the stakeholders identified in the publications, and what core Education 4.0 competencies have been worked on in the frameworks? | Stakeholders (Own classification): Teachers Students Schools |
CCR Learning dimensions (Fadel et al., 2015): Skills Knowledge Character Meta-learning |
Scopus | Wos |
---|---|
(TITLE-ABS-KEY (“twenty-first century skills”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (frameworks)) | TEMA: (“twenty-first century skills”) AND TEMA: (frameworks) |
Id ( ) | Title | Framework Approach for Components of Education 4.0 |
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A1 | A framework for the theory-driven design of digital learning environments (FDDLEs) using the example of problem-solving in chemistry education (Tiemann and Annaggar, 2020) | The framework consists of the steps “Analysis”, “Design”, “Development”, “Quality Assurance” and “Evaluation & Implementation.”Each step is characterized by a defined milestone, which, together with a cycle between crucial and non-arbitrary steps, indicates a product and goal orientation for development that distinguishes the model from conventional approaches. |
A2 | A framework to foster problem-solving in STEM and computing education (Priemer, et al., 2020) | This article emphasized twenty-first century skills, such as solving authentic problems. It integrated an interdisciplinary framework of problem-solving in STEM and computer science education by cumulatively including problem-solving methods from all of these domains. The framework can be used to develop STEM competencies and computer science education |
A3 | Active learning promoting student teachers’ professional competencies in Finland and Turkey (Niemi, et al., 2016) | This study shows the results of a quantitative analysis utilizing a regression analysis. It provided strong evidence that active learning impacts professional competencies. The qualitative analysis further revealed that active knowledge creation with high engagement by students to learn tasks and a collaborative learning culture were important active learning modes. Self-regulated and collaborative learning provided the theoretical framework for the active learning measurements. |
A4 | An investigation of verbal episodes that relate to individual and team performance in engineering student teams (Menekse, et al., 2019) | This study examined the different types of verbal episodes (questions, conflict, and reasoning episodes) in engineering student teams and how these verbal interactions related to individual and team performances. Collaborative problem-solving in team settings is a critical practice in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields as an effective teaching method that promotes outcomes associated with individual student learning and the quality of team solutions. The authors recommend from the findings that educators should monitor team interactions and promote student verbal exchanges to boost student learning and produce positive team outcomes. |
A5 | Apprenticing future economists: Analyzing an ESP course through the lens of the new CEFR extended framework (Portman and Broido, 2019) | Common European Framework (CEFR) provides valuable guidance to help institutions develop curricula to achieve English language skills. This paper describes advanced English for an economics course, aiming to facilitate economics students’ transformation from student to professional, in terms of English can-dos (mostly B2-C1), as described in the 2018 CEFR Companion Volume. The pedagogy underpinning the course is three-pronged, drawing on English for specific purposes, twenty-first century skills, and the CEFR. |
A6 | Assessing University Students’ Critical Online Reasoning Ability: A Conceptual and Assessment Framework with Preliminary Evidence (Molerov, et al., 2020) | This paper presents a conceptual framework for Critical Online Reasoning (COR), based on prior approaches (“information problem-solving,” “multiple-source comprehension,” “web credibility,” “informal argumentation,” and “critical thinking”). Critical evaluation skills of online information are considered necessary in many research and education frameworks. Higher education students are more likely to use the internet instead of offline sources such as textbooks when studying for exams. The internet poses various challenges, including a large amount of incomplete, contradictory, erroneous, and biased information, and needs a curated learning environment. Despite the central importance of critically evaluating online information, its assessment in higher education is still an emerging field. |
A7 | Assessment of University Students’ Critical Thinking: Next Generation Performance Assessment (Shavelson et al., 2019) | This approach leads to developing the project iPAL (The international Performance Assessment of Learning) framework, consolidating previous research and focusing on next-generation performance assessments. This paper presents iPAL’s assessment framework and shows how it guides the development of performance assessments, exemplifying these assessments with a concrete task and providing preliminary evidence of its reliability and validity. |
A8 | Blended learning model in a vocational educational training hospitality setting: from teachers’ perspectives (Zgraggen, 2021) | This research study explored the Vocational Educational Training (VET) teachers’ perspectives and experiences of a proposed Conceptual Blended Learning Framework (CBLF) model in a VET hospitality setting at the William Angliss Institute of Sydney (WAIS). |
A9 | Broadening design-led education horizons: conceptual insights and future research directions (Wright and Wrigley, 2019) | This paper introduces the Design-led Education Innovation Matrix, providing a prototype design-led framework to assist educators in developing and accessing twenty-first century knowledge, skills, and mindsets. In addition, it identifies related future research areas for academia, thereby extending the reach and scope of this emerging research area. It is a comprehensive literature review on educating a workforce for the knowledge economy. The role of design in business and educational innovation has contributed to a new approach to building a culture of practice for design-led education, based on the theory of the Innovation Matrix. |
A10 | Challenges Beyond Schooling: Innovative Models for Youth Skills Development in India (Mehrotra and Mehrotra, 2018) | The paper discusses the steps taken by the government to improve the articulation of vocational education in higher education, thus changing the “dead end” image of vocational education. The transition from school to work is the main policy focus, especially concerning the VET reforms. A radical change is taking place under the National Skills Qualification Framework. |
A11 | Computational Thinking and Media and Information Literacy: An Integrated Approach to Teaching Twenty-First Century Skills (Gretter and Yadav, 2016) | Developing students’ 21st century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving, has been a prevailing concern in our globalized and hyper-connected society. This article proposes an integrated approach to develop students’ 21st century skills in the classroom, considering computational thinking and media and information literacy and their practical applications. |
A12 | Computational thinking as an emerging competence domain (Yadav, et al., 2017) | This article discusses how computational thinking ideas are relevant to vocational education and training. It supports the view of digital literacy as a critical component of computational thinking and the need to incorporate it into vocational education and training. It provides directions for future research on the role of computational thinking in primary, secondary, and vocational education. |
A13 | Computer-based assessment of mathematics into the twenty-first century: pressures and tensions (Hoogland and Tout, 2018) | In recent decades, technology has influenced various aspects of assessment in mathematics education: (1) supporting the assessment of higher-order thinking skills in mathematics, (2) presenting authentic everyday problems to apply mathematical knowledge and skills, and (3) making the delivery of tests and psychometric analysis of results more sophisticated. This article describes the mathematics education essential for educating young people to be creative problem-solving agents in the twenty-first century. |
A14 | Confucius: Philosopher of twenty-first century skills (Tan, 2016) | This article introduces a structured interdisciplinary framework for collections-based learning, which intrinsically privileges the observer’s viewpoint and interpretations over makers, users, and descendant community members, producing a “colonizing” effect. This outcome does not serve anthropology’s decolonizing intentions of cultural relativism and context—or the “twenty-first century skills” with which anthropology aligns. |
A15 | Decolonizing Collections-Based Learning: Experiential Observation as an Interdisciplinary Framework for Object Study (Hodge, 2018) | This paper proposes a semi-structured experiential observation approach that unites formal art historical analysis, multisensory observations, and reflexive, polysemous cultural interpretation. The framework offers an interdisciplinary, decolonizing method of object study. |
A16 | Design for now, but with the future in mind: a “cognitive flexibility theory” perspective on online learning through the lens of MOOCs (Hu and Spiro, 2021) | This article shows the need for such a reframing is a tenet of cognitive flexibility theory (CFT) and the value of diverse perspectives afforded by the MOOCocracy culture. It also discusses how a CFT-based epistemic stance may further inform MOOCs’ future design and practice and, similarly, online learning in general. It presents some examples of ways CFT’s application of learning and instruction principles can benefit online learning for adaptive worldviews. The resultant development of adaptive skills is becoming increasingly essential for life and work. As a principled overlay of urgent preparation for current schooling, this framework can help us with better education designs and construction. |
A17 | Designing seamless learning activities for school visitors in the context of Fab Lab Oulu (Laru, et al., 2019) | Maker culture has expanded from its traditional niches (people interested in computers, programming, and the digital world) to other, more general fields such as education, business, and government, despite the interest in the Maker Movement and its connection to formal and informal education. |
A18 | Developing a Framework for Mobile Learning Adoption and Sustainable Development (Moya and Camacho, 2021) | This study focuses on research in the field of frameworks and models that highlight mobile learning rewards. This study investigates the main characteristics of a strategic framework for the adaption and sustainable use of mobile learning. |
A19 | Developing creativity through authentic programming in the inclusive classroom (Eddles-Hirsch, et al., 2020) | This paper will respond to educators’ needs by addressing the meaning of creativity and providing examples on how to develop it using models and strategies found in the research to be effective evidence-based frameworks for creativity in an inclusive classroom. |
A20 | Developing twenty-first century skills in out-of-school education: the Bridge21 Transition Year program (Sullivan, et al., 2020) | This article describes an instrumental case study of an out-of-school education program (Bridge21) designed to help students develop 21st century skills. Findings suggest that the Bridge21 model can provide significant and sustained increases in student confidence across a range of skills and that various program design elements contribute directly to this. |
A21 | Development of a twenty-first century skills scale for Agri varsities (Javed et al., 2019) | This article presents an exploratory study for generating a 19-items scale to measure twenty-first century skills and bridge the gap between science and practice. |
A22 | Different strokes for different folks: scaling a blended model of teacher professional learning (Butler, et al., 2017) | This paper describes an innovative model of teacher professional learning that has evolved over a decade (2006 to 2016) to develop three phases of a robust, flexible framework that meets teachers’ expressed needs. The most recent phase expands on the emergence of a fourth wave of online learning to design and develop a massive open online course (MOOC) that potentially enables the massive scaling up of access to this already validated teacher professional development model. |
A23 | Digital storytelling promoting twenty-first century skills and student engagement (Niemi and Multisilta, 2016) | This study presents the theoretical framework based on sociocultural theories. Learning occurs because of dialogical interactions between people, substances, and artifacts. This approach has been used to create the Global Sharing Pedagogy (GSP) model for the empirical study of student engagement in learning twenty-first century skills. |
A24 | Enhancing critical thinking through active learning (Kusumoto, 2018) | Framework for 21st Century Learning developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) values the importance of cultivating critical thinking. This paper reports on a study that explores how active learning with CLIL instruction helped Japanese EFL learners to develop critical thinking skills. |
A25 | Establishing the R&D agenda for twenty-first century learning (Kay and Honey, 2006) | Building on frameworks created by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, this study proposes questions to guide research on teaching, professional development, and assessment relevant to twenty-first century skills. Knowing that educational change depends on providing teachers with the tools, support, and training to make fundamental changes in their practice, the authors argue for extensive research around best practices. |
A26 | Exploring the structure of digital literacy competence assessed using authentic software applications (Reichert, et al., 2020) | Digital literacy competence (DL) is essential for students learning in a rapidly changing world. The design of the DL assessment is discussed, emphasizing the influence of digital applications and environments on DL assessments and achievement scores. |
A27 | Facilitation of professional learning community conversations in Singapore (Salleh, 2016) | Professional Learning Community (PLC) has the potential to act as leverage school-based curricula development and innovation to provide diverse learning experiences that achieve broader learning outcomes beyond academic achievements (e.g., the twenty-first century skills). New competencies facilitate PLC conversations. This paper describes key findings of observations by three Grade 5 PLC facilitators in an intervention to explore how PLC facilitators can support teachers’ collective learning. |
A28 | How Do Students Value the Importance of Twenty-first Century Skills? (Ahonen and Kinnunen, 2015) | This article presents results from a Finnish study in which 718 school pupils aged 11 to 15 were asked to anticipate the skills they would need in the future. Social skills and collaboration were ranked highest in the listed frameworks and the students’ free responses. As expected, the boys appreciated technical skills, while the girls ranked social skills more highly. |
A29 | Implementation and sustainability of a global ICT company’s programme to help teachers integrate technology into learning and teaching in Germany, France, and the UK (Arati, et al., 2011) | This paper discusses implementing the “Intel Teach” professional development program in Germany, the UK, and France. The programme is designed to help school teachers effectively integrate technology into learning and teaching and help students develop critical “twenty-first century skills.”These factors are grouped into three categories: (1) concept transfer, (2) experience transfer, and (3) establishing standards. |
A30 | Innovative Pedagogies of the Future: An Evidence-Based Selection (Herodotou, et al., 2019) | In this work, an integrated framework with five dimensions was developed to select pedagogies for inclusion: (a) relevance to effective educational theories, (b) research evidence on the effectiveness of the proposed pedagogies, (c) correlation to the development of twenty-first century skills, (d) innovative aspects of pedagogy, and (e) level of adoption in educational practice. The selected pedagogies related to drones, robots, and citizen inquiry were linked to specific technological developments. |
A31 | Investigating Entrepreneurship Among Algerian Youth: Is It a Knowledge-Intensive Factory? (Izzrech, et al., 2013) | Entrepreneurs should be knowledgeable and skillful in economic development through entrepreneurial activity in the twenty-first century, especially in a knowledge-based economy. Many young individuals tend to create their own jobs worldwide in this millennium. |
A32 | Investigating science and mathematics teacher candidate’s perceptions of TPACK-21 based on 21st century skills (Başaran, 2020) | A relational survey model was used in the research. In the research, the scale developed by Valtonen et al. (2017) determining prospective teachers’ TPACK-21 21st century skills were used. The data obtained in the study were analyzed by structural equation modeling to determine the direct and positive effects of Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK21) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK21) from external variables. The binary knowledge fields of the research are seen in TPACK-21. |
A33 | A lens on Climate Change: Making Climate Meaningful Through Student-Produced Videos (Gold, et al., 2015) | This study to present a program engaged students in research and learning about climate change and sparked their interest in science careers. |
A34 | Logical Reasoning in Formal and Everyday Reasoning Tasks (Bronkhorst, et al., 2020) | Evaluated results showed that students were highly motivated by the experience, developed a genuine interest in their science topic, learned about the scientific process, and developed twenty-first century skills. |
A35 | Making and Implementing a Mathematics Day Challenge as a Makerspace for Teams of Students (Doorman, et al., 2019) | This study addresses twenty-first century skills in mathematics education with the maker movement’s framework and methodological approach. The design of these learning spaces for students and the practices engaged are described and analyzed. The results show that the maker perspective bears similarities to the problem-solving perspective, but emphasizes the importance of tinkering, making something, and working as a community of practice. The task characteristics that facilitate students’ making processes are meaningful contexts, the low-floor, high-ceiling character of the open problem, and the request for a product. |
A36 | Preparing teacher-students for twenty-first century learning practices (PREP 21): a framework for enhancing collaborative problem-solving and strategic learning skills (Häkkinen, et al., 2017) | This article aims to present a pedagogical framework for the twenty-first century learning practices in teacher education. It elaborates the processes and strategies for collaborative problem-solving skills and strategic learning. It specifies current skills and provides case examples of strategic learning skills, collaborative problem-solving skills, and the skills to use information and communication technologies in diverse contexts. |
A37 | Reconceptualizing TPACK to Meet the Needs of Twenty-First Century Education (Cherner and Smith, 2017) | This research examined TPACK’s multiple dimensions and re-conceiving it to focus on students learning twenty-first century skills. |
A38 | Rethinking learning design: Reconceptualizing the role of the learning designer in pre-service teacher preparation through a design-led approach (Kickbusch, et al., 2020) | Design-thinking approaches are practical for developing and acquiring twenty-first century skills. This study combined research on learning design, teacher self-efficacy, and design-led educational innovation to formulate the Learning DESIGN Model, a conceptual model of how learning designers can improve students’ acquisition of twenty-first century skills. The model facilitates the development of design-thinking processes, skills, and mindsets in PSTs to improve their self-efficacy and enable more student-centered approaches toward curriculum design and classroom practice. |
A39 | Scaffolding students’ development of creative design skills: A curriculum reference model (Lee and Kolodner, 2011) | This paper provides a framework for promoting creative design capabilities among high school students to achieve sustainable community goals. The framework can be used as a reference model to design formal or out-of-school curriculum units in any geographical region. The framework helps curricula adaptation over a variety of communities while maintaining the main structures of the curricula. Modular content and the sequencing of strategies and tactics support learning science and creative design skills. |
A40 | Selected aspects and conditions of the use of robots in STEM education for young learners as viewed by teachers and students (Smyrnova-Trybulska, et al., 2017) | This paper discusses science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues. It emphasizes the need to prepare students with twenty-first century skills through STEM-related teaching, especially at the elementary level. The authors stress that using kits to build and program robots in workshops is a modern form of interdisciplinary education for children and youth. |
A41 | Social innovation education: Designing learning for an uncertain world (Alden-Rivers, 2016) | This study proposes a reconceptualization of undergraduate education to support the development of students as agents of positive social change. Social innovation education is put forward as a new pedagogy for the twenty-first century. |
A42 | Synthesizing Pedagogies and Engaging Students: Creating Blended eLearning Strategies for Library Research and Writing Instruction (Kitchens, et al., 2016) | This article identifies reference opportunities and the importance of online and face-to-face student support. This article highlights a chunked, contextual eLearning instead of a linear approach to information literacy. |
A43 | Teachers’ experiences of technology-based teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase (Hannaway and Steyn, 2017) | This article describes two qualitative research case studies of technology-rich schools using research methods with photovoice, semi-structured interviews and field notes. It examined teachers’ experience with the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework to understand the Foundation Phase, providing a vital contribution to understanding how technology-based teaching and learning occurs. |
A44 | Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in one-to-one classroom: teachers developing “digital wisdom.” (Blau, et al., 2016) | This article describes the results were examined through phenomenological research techniques and discussed in terms of the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and “digital wisdom” approaches. The teachers showed significant increase in technological knowledge. However, only moderate connections between technology and pedagogy as well as between technology and content were found. |
A45 | The “vernacularization” of global education policy: media and digital literacy as twenty-first century skills in Singapore (Weninger, 2017) | This paper investigates media and digital literacy at the nexus of global twenty-first century education initiatives and theirlocal interpretation within Singapore’s education system, with special attention to the role of creative digital production. It examines how technological changes have reshaped communication, social life, and the conditions of work, challenging schools to foster skills and capacities that help youth navigate these new socio-technological terrains competently and confidently as workers, citizens, and private individuals. |
A46 | The construct of media and information literacy in Singapore education system: global trends and local policies (Lin, et al., 2015) | This paper discusses information literacy and media literacy in Singapore education as part of its twenty-first century competencies framework with particular attention to the role of creative digital production. |
A47 | The expectations of Finnish RE student teachers of their professional development in their academic studies in the light of twenty-first century skills (Viinikka and Ubani, 2019) | This study examines the expectations of religious education (RE) student teachers about their professional development during their academic studies. The RE student teachers also considered the twenty-first century skills relevant for a competent RE teacher. |
A48 | The Role of Pedagogy in Developing Life Skills (Gupta, 2021) | This article examines the role of pedagogy in developing life skills (or twenty-first century skills) and how these can be incorporated into the school/university curriculum. The article briefly touches on how teachers’ beliefs affect their classroom practices and recommends focusing on teachers’ professionalization. Only then can students acquire skills relevant to the twenty-first century, which employers seek. |
A49 | TPACK updated to measure pre-service teachers’ twenty-first century skills (Valtonen, 2017) | Students of today and the future are expected to have the skills necessary for collaborating, problem-solving, creative and innovative thinking, and taking advantage of information and communication technology (ICT) applications. Teachers must be familiar with various pedagogical approaches and the appropriate ways to use ICT to support the development of their students’ twenty-first century skills. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework provides a theoretical model for studying teachers’ use of ICT in education. |
A50 | Twenty-first century learning and technology education nexus (Snape, 2011) | The author discusses existing strategies that will guide educators in infusing twenty-first century skills into traditional content areas such as math, English, geography, and science. Public policy regarding educational standards, professional development, assessments, and physical school structures must exist to enable educators to employ twenty-first century skills, leading to student success in contemporary life. The price of not making twenty-first century skills a priority in the classroom will have negative consequences for future economic wellbeing. The writers introduce two perspectives developed to address twenty-first century learning and highlight how the Technology Education curriculum and Guided Inquiry are ideally suited for delivering this skill set. |
A51 | Twenty-first century learning for teachers: helping educators bring new skills into the classroom (Wilson, 2006) | The motivation behind every educator’s dedication and hard work in the classroom is the knowledge that his or her teaching will result in students’ success in life. Educators are committed to implementing twenty-first century skills; they have no question that students need them to be equipped for life beyond school. The author discusses existing strategies that will guide educators in infusing twenty-first century skills into traditional content areas such as math, English, geography, and science. Ultimately, public policy regarding educational standards, professional development, assessments, and physical school structures must exist to enable educators to employ twenty-first century skills, leading to student success in contemporary life. |
A52 | Understanding learning in video games: A phenomenological approach to unpacking boy cultures in virtual worlds (Engerman, et al., 2019) | This paper describes how experiences that mirrored twenty-first century skills aligned with the Partnership for Twenty-first Century Learning framework through digital gameplay and the findings of a phenomenological research study to uncover possible skills that boys learn through peer-supported activities using commercial off-the-shelf video games. |
A53 | Usages and impacts of the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in elementary classrooms: a case study of Swedish municipality schools (Sahlin, et al., 2017) | Many schools have started implementing information and communication technologies with learning devices (such as laptops, tablets, cell phones, and active boards) in classroom settings to increase learning outcomes. This study aimed to find which activities and outcomes were evident in using computing devices and how they aided elementary-level students in their learning activities. |
A54 | What does “new learning” require from religious education teachers? A study of Finnish RE teachers’ perceptions (Lipiäinen, et al., 2020) | The study highlights the Assessment and Teaching of Twenty-first Century Skills (ATC21S) framework and its four teacher categories. For teachers, it emphasizes the ways of thinking, tools for working, and ways of working categories. |
A55 | Why American business demands twenty-first century learning: A company perspective (Knox, 2006) | Microsoft is an innovative corporation demonstrating the caliber of job skills needed in the twenty-first century. It demonstrates its commitment to twenty-first century skills by holding its employees accountable to a set of core competencies, enabling the company to run effectively. The author explores how Microsoft’s core competencies parallel the Partnership for 21st Century Skills learning frameworks. |
A56 | Why American business demands twenty-first century skills: an industry perspective (Bruett, 2006) | Dell supports schools in meeting educational goals, striving to supply students with the necessary twenty-first century skills. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, of which Dell is a member, has led an initiative to define what twenty-first century learning should entail. |
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González-Pérez, L.I.; Ramírez-Montoya, M.S. Components of Education 4.0 in 21st Century Skills Frameworks: Systematic Review. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031493
González-Pérez LI, Ramírez-Montoya MS. Components of Education 4.0 in 21st Century Skills Frameworks: Systematic Review. Sustainability . 2022; 14(3):1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031493
González-Pérez, Laura Icela, and María Soledad Ramírez-Montoya. 2022. "Components of Education 4.0 in 21st Century Skills Frameworks: Systematic Review" Sustainability 14, no. 3: 1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031493
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This article addresses educational challenges posed by the future of work, examining "21st century skills", their conception, assessment, and valorization. It focuses in particular on key soft skill competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In a section on each C, we provide an overview of assessment at the level of individual performance, before focusing on the less common assessment of systemic support for the development of the 4Cs that can be measured at the institutional level (i.e., in schools, universities, professional training programs, etc.). We then present the process of official assessment and certification known as "labelization", suggesting it as a solution both for establishing a publicly trusted assessment of the 4Cs and for promoting their cultural valorization. Next, two variations of the "International Institute for Competency Development's 21st Century Skills Framework" are presented. The first of these comprehensive systems allows for the assessment and labelization of the extent to which development of the 4Cs is supported by a formal educational program or institution. The second assesses informal educational or training experiences, such as playing a game. We discuss the overlap between the 4Cs and the challenges of teaching and institutionalizing them, both of which may be assisted by adopting a dynamic interactionist model of the 4Cs-playfully entitled "Crea-Critical-Collab-ication"-for pedagogical and policy-promotion purposes. We conclude by briefly discussing opportunities presented by future research and new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Keywords: 21st century skills; 4Cs; assessment; certification; collaboration; communication; creativity; critical thinking; education; future of work; games; labelization; soft skills; training.
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B.T.-M. and T.L. are unpaid academic co-founder and project collaborator for the International Institute for Competency Development, whose labelization frameworks (developed in cooperation with Afnor International and the LaPEA lab of Université Paris Cité and Université Gustave Eiffel) are used as examples in this review. S.E.H. and M.A.-L. are employees of AFNOR International. No funding was received to support this research or article, which reflects the views of the scientists and researchers and not their organizations or companies.
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While you can't physically hear it, your classroom environment speaks to those within its walls. Your classroom's furnishings, materials, and design greatly influence child behavior and control emotions, and they also play a significant role in the success of a child's cognitive growth and development.
To create optimal learning environments in your early childhood program, you want to incorporate furnishings, materials, and activities that facilitate skill development based on the 5 C’s of 21st-century learning. By doing so, you encourage children to learn through play, interact appropriately with friends and peers, think critically and creatively, and better understand their place in the world.
At Kaplan, our mission is to help early childhood programs create learning environments that support every child's academic and developmental success. We do this by working with industry experts to design, manufacture, and deliver high-quality furniture and materials to classrooms across the United States.
In this article, you’ll learn more about the 5 C’s of 21st-century learning and how you can create early childhood classroom environments that help children build these fundamental skills.
The 5 C’s shape not only what children know but who they are as individuals. With these skills, children feel confident when interacting with peers and have more resilience in the face of challenges.
The classroom environment can greatly affect how a child thinks, learns, and acts. Optimal environments that enhance the growth of the 5 C’s should be safe and predictable, nurture children’s interests, and offer a variety of materials and activities that encourage learning through play. Below, you will find examples of how you can create classroom environments that support these five fundamental skills:
Creative thinking allows children to test out new ideas, think freely, and find new ways to express themselves. Activities such as painting, sculpture-making, role-playing, building, and dancing require children to use their imagination and flex their creative muscles. Creative thinking may start with a child imitating what they see others doing, but eventually, they will become innovative thinkers who create solutions on their own.
Setting up an art center with paint and paper is an obvious way to bring creativity into your classroom environment, but it's not the only one. A maker space provides an area in your classroom where children can explore and create objects using loose parts and other materials. Your classroom block center is another area that inspires creativity as children build and construct structures using a wide assortment of materials.
No matter how you design a classroom space that promotes creativity, remember that true creativity happens when children focus less on the result and more on the process of creation. Whether children are painting a self-portrait or building a skyscraper with blocks, encourage them to use their imagination, analyze their results, and be open to new ideas.
Literacy success later in life is directly connected to strong communication skills children develop at a young age. Storytelling, speaking, using sign language, and listening are all communication skills that help young children build lasting relationships. Teacher-led instruction and classroom conversations help children master this valuable skill, and so can your environment.
Creating documentation walls in classroom learning centers is a great way to get conversations flowing between children, teachers, and family members. After reading a book during circle time, place it in a relevant learning center to help children associate the words they read and/or hear with their actions as they play. You can also add authentic props and realistic materials to your dramatic play areas so children can act out real-life scenarios and learn to communicate their thoughts and feelings appropriately.
Remember, communication is a skill that children learn through visual and verbal methods. Take every opportunity to incorporate literacy, visual aids, or spoken language in your classroom.
Personal attributes such as honesty, empathy, and resilience make up a child’s character, however, these skills are not something a child is born with. The best way for children to improve their character is by practicing and watching character-building in action.
Open-ended play provides many opportunities for children to work on character-building together. In the dramatic play center, they can take turns role-playing teachers, doctors, chefs, and other roles that encourage taking care of others. A classroom block or construction center is a great place for children to learn how to regulate their emotions when obstacles arise. Books and other classroom materials can provide visual aids that show children how to be a positive influence on others.
Remember that children will need guidance and support as they work on character-building skills. To make children feel safe while experiencing this type of growth, create a “calming corner” in your classroom that offers respite to children who need a deep breath and a moment to control their emotions.
Collaborative play is instrumental in helping children learn how to get along well with others. This type of play also provides children with new view points and ways of learning they may never have experienced on their own. When we think of collaborative play, we typically think of children role-playing in a dramatic play center.
However, there are other ways your environment can promote collaboration. Your entire classroom environment has the opportunity to promote collaboration.
Sensory bins and sand tables provide many opportunities for children to work together in small groups as they explore materials, textures, and scientific concepts. Children can work together in the block center to build a cityscape complete with skyscrapers, trains, and farms. Interactive panels and other pieces of classroom technology also allow children to collaborate as they complete puzzles and other challenges on the screen.
Young children are constantly learning how to interact appropriately in group play settings. Provide encouragement and guidance to help them keep their cool and stay positive toward peers as they build this skill.
Critical thinking is a skill that involves children working on a problem until they find a solution. The problem could be anything, from building a block structure that keeps toppling over to designing a pulley system that will not lift a heavy rock off the ground. Games, puzzles, and open-ended play experiences allow children to test their ideas until they come up with a solution.
You can create a classroom environment that promotes critical thinking by incorporating a STEM station or construction area that encourages children to put on their thinking caps as they work to find solutions. To encourage critical thinking skills in every classroom learning center, incorporate the use of one-sentence prompts to help children "think outside the box" as they start working on new projects.
Now that you understand how creative thinking, communication, collaboration, character, and critical thinking can shape your early childhood classrooms, it's time to consider how you can incorporate classroom design and furnishings that improve the development of these skills. No matter how you decide to setup your learning spaces, every successful classroom environment starts with a plan and inspiration.
The myKaplan Classroom FloorPlanner is a free tool for creating digital renderings of early childhood classrooms. Using items from the Kaplan inventory, like the Sense of Place collection , you can add and arrange classroom furnishings within your design to get a realistic view of how they will fit in your space and promote the growth and development of young children.
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Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration: Assessment, Certification, and Promotion of 21st Century Skills for the Future of Work and Education ... (product), the characteristics of creative actor(s) enacting the process (person), and the social and physical environment that enable or hinder the creative process (press ...
This article addresses educational challenges posed by the future of work, examining "21st century skills", their conception, assessment, and valorization. It focuses in particular on key soft skill competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In a section on each C, we provide an overview of assessment at the level of individual ...
strategies for developing creativity, critical, communication and collaboration: a comparative teaching using explicit and metacognitive strategies April 2022 DOI: 10.46827/ejsss.v7i4.1260
These characteristics contribute to the development of collaboration, communication and critical thinking during a Design Jam, all 21 st century learning skills. Design Jams are structured around these skills, along with creativity, and support collaborative, team environments.
This paper encourages educators to embrace creative collaboration to prepare young people for the epistemic challenge posed by these learning and working contexts. There is an urgent need to scaffold and structure creative and collaborative learning and strengthen interdisciplinary communication. 1.2. Creativity and collaboration
Now more than ever we need to focus on developing our skills of creative and collaborative thinking. In this paper, I synthesise the research around creative collaboration, from a range of disciplines, and outline a framework to scaffold collaborative thinking in educational contexts to help students generate creative responses to complex problems.
In defining and describing twenty-first century competencies in educational practice it is increasingly common to see creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication in various configurations as 'core curricular competencies', that is as competencies whose development is significant in all the discipline areas of the curriculum.
Collaborative learning is a relationship among learners that fosters positive interdependence, individual accountability, and interpersonal skills. "Critical thinking" involves asking appropriate questions, gathering and creatively sorting through relevant information, relating new information to existing knowledge, reexamining beliefs ...
It focuses in particular on key soft skill. before focusing on the less common assessment of for the development of the 4Cs. "labelization", suggesting it as a solution both for establishing a ...
DOI: 10.59324/ejtas.2023.1(5).34 Corpus ID: 263640093; Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication Skills among School Students: A Review Paper @article{Stanikzai2023CriticalTC, title={Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication Skills among School Students: A Review Paper}, author={Mohammad Ismail Stanikzai}, journal={European Journal of Theoretical and ...
Description. Long heralded as key competencies for 21st-century learners, the " Four Cs " ( Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration) are often embraced in theory yet stump educators in practice. Creativity and Critical Thinking represent inseparable attitudes and abilities for innovation which, contrary to popular ...
Experts in the field of education and the sciences suggest the focus of education should be on the "four Cs": collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. Clearly we recognize that when students are taught to " collaborate ", they learn to work within teams that enhance knowledge utilization and dissemination. The ...
That's why we focus on the four Cs of 21st-century learning: Collaboration: Learners are able to work effectively with diverse groups and exercise flexibility in making compromises to achieve common goals. Creativity: Learners are able to generate and improve on original ideas and also work creatively with others. Communication: Learners are ...
competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In a section on each C, we provide an overview of assessment at the level of individual performance, before focusing on the less common assessment of systemic support for the development of the 4Cs
1. Communication 2. Collaboration 3. Creativity 4. Critical Thinking This report focuses on defining and describing each of those four academic skills and providing one strategy you can use, as a teacher or parent, with your students to encourage building—use of and improvement in—each of the skills.
Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication Skills among School Students: A Review Paper September 2023 European Journal of Theoretical and Applied Sciences 1(5):441-453
Collaborative problem-solving skills are paramount within the context of 21st-century learning skills development. These skills include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication (4Cs). This research examines the elements of motivation, play and collaborative practice within a design activity, called Design Jam. Design Jams ...
beyond - critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, and communication. Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a key component of 21st century learning. Students must engage in learning experiences that require depth and complexity of thinking as they analyze, infer, compare, reason, interpret, synthesize, and evaluate.
Creativity and critical thinking sit atop most lists of skills crucial for success in the 21st century. They represent two of the "Four Cs" in P21's learning framework (the other two being communication and collaboration), and they rank second and third on the World Economic Forum's top ten list of skills workers will need most in the year 2020 (complex problem solving ranks first).
These skills are known as the "5 Cs": critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character. These 21st century skills for students can provide them with a great head start in life as they go on to tackle different obstacles. In this blog, we will explore each of the 5 c's skills in detail, discuss why they are ...
They are expected to develop creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration competencies. (3) Character dimension: refers to character education to build the foundation for lifelong learning, supporting successful relationships in the home, community, and workplace, and developing personal values and virtues for sustainable ...
Microsoft Word - Capabilities and 6Cs.docx. CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING. • Questions and Possibilities • Reasoning. • Meta-Cognition. PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITY. • Self Awareness and Management. -Recognition and expression of emotions -Developing resilience. • Social Awareness and Management. -Relationships and Diversity ...
The original 4Cs (i.e., Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, and Critical thinking) are better represented among the participants (with scores ranging between 19% and 24%) than the two additional skills that make up the 6Cs (i.e., Citizenship and Character) (Table 3).
This article addresses educational challenges posed by the future of work, examining "21st century skills", their conception, assessment, and valorization. It focuses in particular on key soft skill competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In …
Creative Thinking; Communication; Character; Collaboration; Critical Thinking; What role do the 5 C's play in a child's growth and development? The 5 C's shape not only what children know but who they are as individuals. With these skills, children feel confident when interacting with peers and have more resilience in the face of challenges.
Here's how you can enhance team collaboration and communication by leveraging creativity. Powered by AI and the LinkedIn community. 1. Build Trust. Be the first to add your personal experience. 2 ...