critical thinking skills 21st century

Instructing & Assessing 21st Century Skills: A Focus on Critical Thinking

Research and Best Practices: One in a Series on 21st Century Skills

For the full collection of related blog posts and literature reviews, see the Center for Assessment’s toolkit, Assessing 21 st Century Skills .

Educational philosophers from Plato and Socrates to John Dewey highlighted the importance of critical thinking and the intrinsic value of instruction that reaches beyond simple factual recall. However there is considerable dispute about how to define critical thinking, let alone instruct and assess students’ critical thinking over time. This post briefly defines critical thinking, explains what we know from the research about how critical thinking develops and is best instructed, and provides an overview of some major assessment issues. Our full literature review on critical thinking can be accessed  here .

Overall, findings from the literature suggest that critical thinking involves both cognitive skills  and  dispositions. These two aspects are captured in a consensus definition reached by a panel of leading critical thinking scholars and researchers and reported in the Delphi Report:

“purposeful, self-regulatory  judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation  of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based”  ( Facione, 1990 , p. 3).

Debate continues about the extent to which critical thinking is generic or discipline-specific. If critical thinking is generic, then it arguably could be taught in separate courses, with the sole focus being on the development of critical thinking skills. However, if critical thinking is particular to a discipline, the instruction to develop it must be embedded within disciplinary content. Though debate exists, we argue that what constitutes critical thinking in science likely differs somewhat from what constitutes critical thinking in history or art. Therefore, critical thinking is best understood as discipline-specific with some transferable, generic commonalities.

Critical thinking is also intertwined with other cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal competencies. For example, many researchers have connected creativity and critical thinking. Furthermore, one’s ability to demonstrate critical thinking relies on effective communication, metacognition, self-direction, motivation, and other related competencies.

Development

Adults do not always employ critical thinking when it’s called for. Many find personal experience more compelling than logical thought or empirical evidence. That said, research suggests that even young children can demonstrate aspects of critical thinking.

However, little is known about how critical thinking skills and dispositions develop; there are no empirically-validated learning progressions of critical thinking skills and dispositions. Indeed, the Delphi Report cautioned that its framework for critical thinking should not be interpreted as implying a developmental progression or hierarchical taxonomy.

Instruction

Empirical research shows that critical thinking can be taught and that some specific instructional approaches and strategies promote more critical thinking. These instructional approaches include explicit teaching of disciplinary content within a course that also teaches critical thinking skills.

Instructional strategies that promote critical thinking include providing…

• Opportunities for students to solve problems with multiple solutions,
• Structure that allows students to respond to open-ended questions and formulate solutions to problems, and
• A variety of learning activities that allow students to choose and engage in solving authentic problems.

Implications of Research for Classroom Assessment Design

Critical thinking is typically assessed within content areas. For example, students analyze evidence, construct arguments, and evaluate the veracity of information and arguments in relation to disciplinary core ideas and content. Assessing students’ level of sophistication with critical thinking skills and dispositions requires close attention to the nature of the task used to elicit students’ critical thinking. Assessments must be thoughtfully designed and structured to (a) prompt complex judgments; (b) include open-ended tasks that allow for multiple, defensible solutions; and (c) make student reasoning visible to teachers. Each is discussed in detail below.

• Assessment tasks should prompt complex judgments.  While some students may exhibit critical thinking without being prompted, most student responses will rise or sink to what the task requires. Therefore, the materials (visual, texts, etc.) used to elicit students’ critical thinking are crucial and have a sizable impact on the extent to which critical thinking is elicited in any given assessment experience. If the task doesn’t ask students to think critically, they likely will not demonstrate evidence of critical thinking. The task, embedded in projects or other curriculum activities, must be designed and structured thoughtfully to elicit students’ critical thinking.
• Assessment tasks should include open-ended tasks.  Open-ended tasks are the opposite of traditional standardized assessments, which rely heavily on selected-response item types that assess limited aspects of critical thinking and other 21 st  century skills ( Ku, 2009 ;  Lai & Viering, 2012 ). Open-ended tasks allow students to decide what information is relevant, how to use the information, and how to demonstrate their understanding of the information; open-ended tasks also allow multiple solution pathways. In contrast, closed tasks typically have one correct solution, and the teacher indicates what information is relevant and how the information is to be presented.
• Assessment tasks should make student thinking visible to teachers.  To provide formative feedback regarding the quality of students’ critical thinking, teachers must administer assessment tasks that render student thinking visible. This can be accomplished in multiple ways, but their commonality is that all approaches likely will require students to provide written or verbal evidence that support their claims, judgments, assertions, and so on.

For a more complete discussion of the topics covered in this post, the full literature review on critical thinking is available  here .

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Integrating 21st century skills into education systems: From rhetoric to reality

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, ramya vivekanandan rv ramya vivekanandan senior education specialist, learning assessment systems - gpe secretariat.

February 14, 2019

This is the third post in a series about  education systems alignment in teaching, learning, and assessing 21st century skills .

What does it mean to be a successful learner or graduate in today’s world? While in years past, a solid acquisition of the “three Rs” (reading, writing, and arithmetic) and mastery in the core academic subjects may have been the measure of attainment, the world of the 21 st century requires a radically different orientation. To participate effectively in the increasingly complex societies and globalized economy that characterize today’s world, students need to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate with diverse peers, solve complex problems, adopt a global mindset, and engage with information and communications technologies, to name but just a few requirements. The new report from Brookings, “ Education system alignment for 21st century skills: Focus on assessment ,” illuminates this imperative in depth.

Recognizing that traditional education systems have generally not been preparing learners to face such challenges, the global education community has increasingly talked about and mobilized in favor of the changes required. This has resulted in a suite of initiatives and research around the broad area of “21st century skills,” which culminated most notably with the adoption of Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the Education 2030 agenda, including Target 4.7, which commits countries to ensure that learners acquire knowledge and skills in areas such as sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, global citizenship, and others.

In this landscape, Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has a core mandate of improving equity and learning by strengthening education systems. GPE supports developing countries, many of which are affected by fragility and conflict, to develop and implement robust education sector plans. Depending on the country, GPE implementation grants support a broad range of activities including teacher training, textbook provision, interventions to promote girls’ education, incentives for marginalized groups, the strengthening of data and learning assessment systems, early childhood education, and many other areas.

This work is buttressed by thematic work at the global level, including in the area of learning assessment. The strengthening of learning assessment systems is a strategic priority for GPE because of its relevance to both improving learning outcomes and ensuring effective and efficient education systems, which are two of the three key goals of the GPE strategic plan for the 2016-2020 period . The work on learning assessment includes the Assessment for Learning (A4L) initiative, which aims to strengthen learning assessment systems and to promote a holistic measurement of learning.

Under A4L, we are undertaking a landscape review on the measurement of 21st century skills, using a definition derived from Binkley et. al . and Scoular and Care :

“21st century skills are tools that can be universally applied to enhance ways of thinking, learning, working and living in the world. The skills include critical thinking/reasoning, creativity/creative thinking, problem solving, metacognition, collaboration, communication and global citizenship. 21st century skills also include literacies such as reading literacy, writing literacy, numeracy, information literacy, ICT [information and communications technologies] digital literacy, communication and can be described broadly as learning domains.”

Using this lens, the landscape review examines the research literature, the efforts of GPE partners that have been active in this space, and data collected from a sample of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia in regard to the assessment of these skills. These research efforts were led by Brookings and coordinated by the UNESCO offices in Dakar and Bangkok. As another important piece of this work, we are also taking stock of the latest education sector plans and implementation grants of these same countries (nine in sub-Saharan Africa and six in Asia), to explore the extent to which the integration of 21st century skills is reflected in sector plans and, vitally, in their implementation.

Though the work is in progress, the initial findings provide food for thought. Reflecting the conclusions of the new report by Brookings, as well as its earlier breadth of work on skills mapping, a large majority of these 15 countries note ambitious objectives related to 21st century skills in their education sector plans, particularly in their vision or mission statements and/or statements of policy priorities. “Skills” such as creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving, decisionmaking, life and career skills, citizenship, personal and social responsibility, and information and communications technology literacy were strongly featured, as opposed to areas such as collaboration, communication, information literacy, and metacognition.

However, when we look at the planned interventions noted in these sector plans, there is not a strong indication that countries plan to operationalize their intentions to promote 21st century skills. Not surprisingly then, when we look at their implementation grants, which are one of the financing instruments through which education sector plans are implemented, only two of the 15 grants examined include activities aimed at promoting 21st century skills among their program components. Because the GPE model mandates that national governments determine the program components and allocation of resources for these within their grant, the bottom line seems to echo the findings of the Brookings report: vision and aspiration are rife, but action is scarce.

While the sample of countries studied in this exercise is small (and other countries’ education sector plans and grants may well include integration of 21st century skills), it’s the disconnect between the 15 countries’ policy orientation around these skills and their implementation that is telling. Why this gap? Why, if countries espouse the importance of 21st century skills in their sector plans, do they not concretely move to addressing them in their implementation? The reasons for this may be manifold, but the challenges highlighted by the Brookings report in terms of incorporating a 21 st century learning agenda in education systems are indeed telling. As a field, we still have much work to do to understand the nature of these skills, to develop learning progressions for them, and to design appropriate and authentic assessment of them. In other words, it may be that countries have difficulty in imagining how to move from rhetoric to reality.

However, in another perspective, there may be a challenge associated with how countries (and the broader education community) perceive 21st century skills in general. In contexts of limited resources, crowded curricula, inadequately trained teachers, fragility, weak governance, and other challenges that are characteristic of GPE partner countries, there is sometimes an unfortunate tendency to view 21st century skills and the “basics” as a tradeoff. In such settings, there can be a perception that 21st century skills are the concern of more advanced or higher-income countries. It is thus no wonder that, in the words of the Brookings report, “a global mobilization of efforts to respond to the 21CS [21st century skills] shift is non-existent, and individual countries struggle alone to plan the shift.”

This suggests that those who are committed to a holistic view of education have much work to do in terms of research, sharing of experience, capacity building, and advocacy around the potential and need for all countries, regardless of context, to move in this direction. The Brookings report makes a very valuable contribution in this regard. GPE’s landscape review, which will be published this spring, will inform how the partnership thinks about and approaches 21st century skills in its work and will thereby provide a complementary perspective.

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• Promoting 21st century skills

Critical Thinking – a crucial 21st century skill

As English language teachers our primary focus is on the 4 language skills - Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. While our students get a hang of these, we have to nudge them towards the 21st century skills especially the 4 Cs - Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication.

All these can be seamlessly fostered in the English language classrooms. Critical thinking can be introduced with effective questioning . Teachers must guide the students towards the fine art of questioning. Students many times struggle to understand the nuances in a question and are not able to give the expected answer. They lose marks because of this. There is subtle difference between the question words such as ‘contrast’ and ‘differentiate’. Explain, Discuss, Elaborate, Comment and Describe are a few other question words which need answers to be presented in different styles.

There is a simple critical thinking activity which has given positive results with my students. After teaching and discussing the major and minor points of a text, I set this home task for my students.

• Every student gets as many questions as possible from the text along with the expected answer.
• During the next class, every student gets a chance to ask one question to the class. The teacher facilitates the session by making students volunteer to answer the question.
• The answer is evaluated with respect to all the value points. The student who prepared the question is actively involved in the evaluation process as it is his/her question. When the answer is satisfactory, other students record the answer as a point sheet which includes all the value points.
• The class then proceeds to the next question and the question and answer session goes on till we have exhausted all possible questions.
• Factual, extrapolative, descriptive as well as questions based on Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) and higher Order thinking Skills (HOTS) are asked as well their answers discussed in the class.

The first few times, the questions were mainly based on remembering, understanding and applying – LOTS of Bloom’s Taxonomy . As I continued this exercise after each text, I was able to make my students realize the importance of moving to applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating (HOTS of Bloom’s Taxonomy) . It can be observed that applying begins the transition from LOTS to HOTS.

With proper guidance they started thinking critically and became more creative in framing questions. They are now able to frame questions that go beyond the text. My announcement that their question(s) may make an appearance in the next test acted as incentive.

Students have now got the grasp of the art of questioning which has enhanced their critical thinking and creativity.

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Enfoque Educación

The ABCs of Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Matters

January 10, 2024 por Valentina Gimenez Leave a Comment

Thinking is a natural act for human beings. Every day, we have thousands of thoughts. However, just because we are thinking does not mean we are doing it well or that all our thoughts require critical reasoning because doing so would be too exhausting. Critical thinking becomes a core skill in a world that is changing so dynamically. Thinking critically not only helps with generating a well-founded personal opinion but also helps solve complex problems in many ways.

Given the importance of this skill, the good news is that critical thinking can be exercised and trained. In other words, this 21st-century skill can be intentionally taught. Below, we will explain how.

What Is Critical Thinking?

According to the publication of the brief series Life Skills. Fostering Critical Thinking by the 21st Century Skills Initiative, “critical thinking mainly aims at assessing the strength and appropriateness of a statement, theory, or idea through a questioning  and  perspective-taking  process, which  may  or  may  not  in  turn  result in a possibly novel statement or  theory.”

Furthermore, in this publication by Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin , it is argued that “critical thinking need not lead to an original position to a problem. The most conventional one may be the most appropriate. However, it typically involves examining and evaluating different possible positions”.

In other words, it is not limited to solving problems after a reflection. It is also about being able and willing to challenge the core assumptions of accepted theories, paradigms, or knowledge.

Critical thinking implies recognizing that other perspectives may also have merit and, therefore, evaluating each argument or theory’s possible strengths, weaknesses, and biases is possible, no matter how unaligned they are with what we think.

Critical thinking involves using logic, reasoning, and creativity to reach conclusions.

Why Is Critical Thinking Important?

Critical thinking is a skill that has applications in practically all aspects of daily life. It can help you make better decisions, improve employability, and better understand the world. In other words, critical thinking is a fundamental skill for being a 21st-century citizen.

What Is Critical Thinking Used For?

Critical thinking has various functionalities in everyday life, whether in fulfilling professional obligations or carrying out personal activities. Thinking critically is used to:

• Make good decisions : it is important as an exercise to analyze and evaluate sources of information based on their truthfulness, relevance, and reasoning, which leads to better decision-making. Ask or question before blindly accepting things as they appear, and form your judgment based on the facts, information, and knowledge available.
• Solve problems: use logic and reasoning to analyze and deconstruct problems and choose the best solutions considering the weaknesses and strengths of each alternative solution.
• Promote creativity : this is one of the main characteristics of critical thinking and is associated with the previous point, by questioning facts, theories, or concepts, space is also opened up which is very useful for developing new solutions to problems.
• Improve employability: especially in the digital age, where many jobs are being automated, there is consensus that critical thinking and creativity are two fundamental skills for improving people’s employment prospects.
• Digital and global citizenship : Critical thinking plays a role in individual well-being, but above all, it is considered an essential pillar of the functioning of modern democracies. The ability to voice an independent and well-founded opinion to vote and weigh the quality of arguments presented in the media and other sources of information. In addition, when misinformation, fallacies, and fake news can be a problem for democratic systems, critical thinking helps prevent the spread of false information. It contributes verified, respectful, and ethical content to digital communities and social networks.

4 Steps to Exercise Critical Thinking

According to the publication on critical thinking, there are four key cognitive processes involved in exercising critical thinking:

Determining and understanding the problem is an important first dimension of a critical thinking inquisitive process. This sometimes includes asking why the problem is posed in a certain way, examining whether associated solutions or claims can be based on inaccurate facts or reasoning, and identifying knowledge gaps. This inquiry process partly concerns rational thinking (checking facts, observing, and analyzing reasoning). Still, it includes a more ‘critical’ dimension when identifying possible limitations of the solution and questioning some of the underlying assumptions and interpretations, even when the facts are accurate.

In critical thinking, imagination plays an important role in the mental elaboration of an idea, but all thinking involves some level of imagination. At a higher level, imagination also consists of identifying and reviewing alternative or competing worldviews and theories with an open mind to consider the problem from multiple perspectives.

This allows for a better identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed evidence, arguments, and assumptions, although this evaluation also belongs to the inquisitive process.

The product of critical thinking is one’s position or solution to a problem or judgment about others’ positions or solutions. This mainly involves good inference, a balance between different ways of looking at the problem, and, therefore, recognition of its possible complexities.

As with good thinking, critical thinking involves the ability to argue and justify one’s position rationally, with relevant information, under existing perspectives and socially recognized forms of reasoning, or possibly some new ones.

4. Reflect or evaluate

Finally, although one may consider their stance or way of thinking to be superior to some alternatives, perhaps because it encompasses a broader view or is better supported by existing evidence, critical thinking involves some process of self-reflection on the perspective one espouses, It is possible limitations, and uncertainties. Therefore, this type of thinking implies a certain level of humility, as thinking critically also involves openness to competing ideas.

While one should not adopt ancient skepticism and suspend judgment in all cases, sometimes this may be the most appropriate position.

You may also be interested: 4 Benefits of Developing Listening Skills and the Steps to Achieve It

How to Be a Critical Thinker?

Being a critical thinker brings enormous benefits that go beyond the workplace. It is also good for personal development and daily life in the community. So how do you achieve it?

To be a critical thinker you have to exercise other habits and skills, such as fostering curiosity, questioning the established, improving analysis and communication skills, maintaining self-discipline and being alert to cognitive biases.

Let’s review some of the key skills acquired by great critical thinkers:

• Identify relationships between variables and hypothesis testing.
• Master systemic thinking and scientific reasoning.
• Understand the underlying social, natural, and technological relationships in a system.
• Exercise informational literacy, which includes understanding, finding, and obtaining data, reading, interpreting, evaluating, and handling data.
• Avoid cognitive biases; consider all available information, not just what aligns with your point of view.
• Create a strategy, theory, method, or argument based on evidence synthesis.
• Create an argument that goes beyond the available information.
• Computational thinking: for example, abstractions and generalizations of patterns, structured problem decomposition, and iterative thinking.
• Be able to criticize a work product regarding its credibility, relevance, and bias using a set of standards or a specific framework.

These activities to promote critical thinking can be driven at home, at school, or individually.

Teaching Critical Thinking

Although education systems do not usually have a subject specifically dedicated to developing critical thinking, this skill can be developed as part of other learning. Therefore, the publication “Life Skills: Fostering Critical Thinking” develops some strategies for teaching this skill in schools.

Including Critical Thinking in Education

• Use conceptual rubrics that clarify the skills involved.
• Include critical thinking as a learning objective in lesson plans.
• Provide students with tasks and problems that encourage them to question their cognitive abilities and assumptions and explore multiple perspectives.
• Generate an environment in which students feel safe to take risks expressing their thoughts and expressions that arise from their reasoning.
• Assess critical thinking by including it in exams and national assessments.

By fostering these strategies at all educational levels, students can be better prepared for the future with critical thinking skills and improve the quality of their education.

And you, do you consider yourself a critical thinker? How has exercising critical thinking helped you in your life? Check out our blog and discover more content to boost your critical thinking!

Valentina Gimenez

Valentina Giménez es coordinadora de comunicación de la División de Educación en el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Es uruguaya. Fue periodista y productora de contenidos, especializada en temas políticos. Ha trabajado para televisión y prensa escrita. Tiene un MBA por la UCU Business School y es Licenciada en Comunicación Social por la Universidad Católica del Uruguay. Fue consultora en asuntos públicos y comunicación estratégica en su país.

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Teaching students 21st-century skills in the classroom

As a 21st-century teacher, you’ve probably heard of 21st-century skills that are essential in the classroom: the broad range of competencies that students need to navigate our changing world. P21’s Framework for 21st Century Learning places the 4 Cs — critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication — alongside literacy and life skills as essential qualities for 21st-century learners to master.

As transferable “soft” skills, they can be integrated across subject curricula. Despite the name, they’re not specific to more modern subjects like ICT. In fact, educators have been training students in some of these skills for hundreds of years !

Let’s take a look at the most commonly designated 21st-century skills in the classroom, and how you can integrate them into your teaching practice.

What are the 4 Cs? 21st-century learning skills in the classroom

1. critical thinking.

Critical thinking describes the ability to analyze, synthesize, and come to rational conclusions about information that comes our way. Experts have emphasized the need for more critical thinking training in schools.

To nurture students’ critical thinking skills, ask open-ended questions and encourage students to work their way towards their own conclusions. Ask students to question their assumptions , and be open to challenges from students when they question yours!

Class discussions are a great way of honing students’ critical thinking capabilities. Debating important issues — where students might disagree and have strong opinions — and encouraging them to back up their positions with arguments and evidence will turn them into stronger thinkers. There are countless such debate ideas in Kialo Edu’s Topic Template Library !

2. Creativity

Creativity describes the ability to produce diverse and unique ideas. It’s not just important in expressive subjects such as art or creative writing — creative thinkers are able to problem solve and advance innovative solutions.

Help students hone their creative thinking by giving them space to experiment with novel ideas and approaches. A project-based learning approach allows students flexibility in executing assignments, which prompts them to make creative decisions within a meaningful context. When students have more choices, they feel stronger ownership over their learning process.

3. Communication

Students need to be able to express their ideas clearly, efficiently, and with the appropriate audience in mind. Teachers should give students opportunities to communicate across different media and in different environments.

Guide students to become confident speakers and considerate listeners. Class presentations are an effective way of building students’ public speaking abilities. Have students practice their presentations in groups, and provide each other with encouragement and constructive feedback. You can promote peer-to-peer communication during whole class presentations by designating groups of question-askers for each presenter.

Similarly, having classroom discussions can help students to feel comfortable expressing themselves while training them to communicate effectively. Always set up ground rules for discussion, and work to promote a culture of civil discourse in the classroom.

To integrate technology, why not try using Kialo Edu to have online, written discussions? These give students more time to clarify their thoughts and can take some of the heat out of classroom debates on sensitive or controversial topics .

4. Collaboration

Collaboration describes the ability to work collectively with others towards a shared goal. It includes the interpersonal skills necessary to work harmoniously with others or mitigate problems when they arise. Being able to accept and deliver meaningful feedback, and compromise on your own vision, are all key aspects of collaboration.

Group activities with explicit goals, defined responsibilities, and a clear structure can help to foster meaningful collaboration . Consider asking the class to work together to generate their own assessment rubric for a given assignment – it could be for an essay, presentation, or project. Have students consider the problem, brainstorm in groups, present to the class, and deliberate until they agree on the final rubric: That’s all of the 4 Cs in one activity!

The benefits of 21st-century literacy skills for students

Under the framework of 21st-century skills in the classroom, literacy encompasses not just reading and writing, but information literacy , media literacy, and technology literacy. Students should be capable users of modern technology, able to reap its benefits, and also aware of potential dangers around internet security or online misinformation.

To become responsible digital citizens, help your students to identify reliable and unreliable sources of information online. Develop a code of conduct for digital interactions in your class, so that students can build healthy online habits that will see them through to later life.

The benefits of 21st-century life skills for students

Like the 4 Cs, educators have been instilling life skills in their students since long before the invention of the internet! A 21st-century framework focuses on the explicit teaching of the social-emotional competencies needed to navigate group dynamics and personal challenges. These include flexibility, initiative, productivity, leadership, and social skills.

Try to cultivate students’ self-awareness of their own social-emotional needs by creating periods of reflection through journaling or check-in activities. Encourage a growth mindset by emphasizing the process of learning, presenting challenges as opportunities to think deeper about a problem rather than failures.

Sometimes the language of 21st-century skills seems all-encompassing — it’s a pretty exhaustive list! Luckily, educators include many of these across their lessons already. The difference in a 21st-century approach is that it entails an explicit awareness and incorporation of these into a teacher’s practice.

How has your experience been teaching 21st-century skills to your students? Let us know at [email protected] , or reach out to us on social media!

Looking for more inspiration on how to teach critical thinking in your classroom? We’ve got lots of other resources!

Want to try Kialo Edu with your class?

Sign up for free and use Kialo Edu to have thoughtful classroom discussions and train students’ argumentation and critical thinking skills.

Research Article

Higher Order Thinking Skills in the 21st Century: Critical Thinking

• @INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.30-11-2020.2303766, author={Miterianifa Miterianifa and Ashadi Ashadi and Sulistyo Saputro and Suciati Suciati}, title={Higher Order Thinking Skills in the 21st Century: Critical Thinking}, proceedings={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Social Science, Humanities, Education and Society Development, ICONS 2020, 30 November, Tegal, Indonesia}, publisher={EAI}, proceedings_a={ICONS}, year={2021}, month={1}, keywords={high order thinking skills critical thinking 21st century education}, doi={10.4108/eai.30-11-2020.2303766} }
• Miterianifa Miterianifa Ashadi Ashadi Sulistyo Saputro Suciati Suciati Year: 2021 Higher Order Thinking Skills in the 21st Century: Critical Thinking ICONS EAI DOI: 10.4108/eai.30-11-2020.2303766
• 1: Natural Science Education Department, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta, Indonesia

High order thinking skills (HOTS) is very important in the 21st-century learning process because it requires the development of high critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills are one part of the skills demanded in the 21st century. The critical thinking skills play a role in equipping students to deal with social, scientific, and practical problems effectively in the future. This article aims to examine the importance of improving critical thinking skills to answer the challenges of the 21st century. The method used in this study is a qualitative design with the main source of literature studies on high order thinking skills and critical thinking skills. The process of the literature review method in this study is to choose a review topic; search for literature; collect, read, and analyze literature; write a review; reference. The results of this study reveal that critical thinking skills can help students improve HOTS by using a learning model of stimulating thinking skills, for example, a problem-based learning model.

• Our Mission

News Literacy: Critical-Thinking Skills for the 21st Century

Three methods for teaching critical thinking skills and smart media consumption habits to a generation growing up in a climate of information overload.

Every teacher I've worked with over the last five years recalls two kinds of digital experiences with students.

The first I think of as digital native moments , when a student uses a piece of technology with almost eerie intuitiveness. As digital natives, today's teens have grown up with these tools and have assimilated their logic. Young people just seem to understand when to click and drag or copy and paste, and how to move, merge and mix digital elements.

The second I call digital naiveté moments , when a student trusts a source of information that is obviously unreliable. Even though they know how easy it is to create and distribute information online, many young people believe -- sometimes passionately -- the most dubious rumors , tempting hoaxes (including convincingly staged encounters designed to look raw and unplanned ) and implausible theories .

How can these coexist? How can students be so technologically savvy while also displaying their lack of basic skills for navigating the digital world?

What to Believe?

Understanding this extends beyond customary generational finger wagging. While it's tempting to blame students themselves for failing to think critically, we should remember that the digital revolution represents one of the most radical changes in human history.

Students today face a greater challenge in evaluating information than their parents or grandparents did at their age. The cumulative amount of information that exists on the planet, from the beginning of recorded history to the present, is, by realistic estimates , doubling every two years. And even though digital natives have grown up in the information age, many of the adults and institutions in their lives are still grappling with its implications. In other words, it's likely that the kind of credulity we see in young people reflects our own collective uncertainty about what we encounter on the digital frontier. Finally, the skills that students need to effectively sort fact from fiction are often missing from school curricula.

This isn't to suggest any shortcoming on the part of today's teachers. Without the classroom time, quality teaching materials and professional development opportunities in the emerging field of news literacy , teachers cannot reasonably be expected to guide their students to achieve these new skills.

News literacy is a relatively new field in media studies that focuses on defining and teaching the skills that citizens need to evaluate the credibility of the information they encounter, and on examining the role that credible information plays in a representative democracy.

It's also a subject that most students find inherently engaging and relevant. In fact, a recent study found that 84 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 say they would benefit from learning these skills.

3 Exercises in News Literacy

But the question for teachers remains: "How can I integrate news literacy into my classroom amid so many other priorities, standards and goals?" I'd like to share three accessible ideas for how to do so.

Reinvent Current Events

Have students collect examples of information that they feel is timely and important. Then lead a discussion about who produced the content and for what purpose. Is it intended to inform? Persuade? Entertain? Sell? Create small groups and assign each a key characteristic of credibility to study:

• Quality sourcing
• Verification
• Word choice
• Documentation

Then have each team lead an assessment of its assigned attribute. Consider writing a group letter to the reporter, creator or editor about items that are either exemplary or problematic.

Explore the Power of Information

Pose an "essential question for the day" that explores the power and impact of information (e.g., "What changes would we see in the U.S. if the First Amendment protections of speech and press were repealed?"). Then use such websites as the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders to examine press freedoms around the world. Track the number of journalists jailed, kidnapped or killed in 2014, and investigate the circumstances surrounding these incidents.

Fact-Checking Challenge

Display a different example of dubious information each week or month and challenge your students to research its accuracy using non-partisan fact-checking resources and advanced web searching . Give prizes or extra credit to those who get it right, or work collaboratively to seek answers as a class.

The Practice of Critical Thinking

Not only can these ideas be adapted to explore a range of relevant issues in a variety of academic subjects and grade levels, they also embody the principles of 21st century learning and are aligned with Common Core State Standards .

News literacy education has the potential to engage students and ignite their critical thinking. More importantly, it can empower them to make better-informed choices in their lives as they move beyond the classroom and into the world.

For more information about the News Literacy Project, including our free online professional development session this spring, visit our website .

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A Comprehensive Guide to 21st Century Skills

Jenna Buckle

The concept of "21st century skills" isn't new—skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving have been taught in classrooms for decades. 

Yet, as the demands of our changing economy rise, many school districts are now including 21st century skills in strategic plans to better prepare students for college, career, and life.

What are 21st century skills, why do they matter, and how can your district implement 21st century learning strategies into curriculum, assessment, and instruction? This guide shares information, research, and examples to bring you up to speed.

Table of Contents

1. What Are 21st Century Skills?

2. The Importance of 21st Century Skills

3. Frameworks and Examples of 21st Century Skills

4. 21st Century Learning Strategies and Implementation

5. Additional Resources

Free Download: Panorama's Social-Emotional Learning Survey

What Are 21st Century Skills?

Districts, schools, and organizations prioritize different 21st century skills depending on what is most important to their respective communities. Generally, however, educators agree that schools must weave these skills into learning experiences and common core instruction. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the most commonly cited 21st century skills.

• Critical thinking
• Communication skills
• Problem solving
• Perseverance
• Collaboration
• Information literacy
• Technology skills and digital literacy
• Media literacy
• Global awareness
• Self-direction
• Social skills
• Literacy skills
• Civic literacy
• Social responsibility
• Innovation skills
• Thinking skills

The Importance of 21st Century Skills

While the bar used to be high school graduation, the bar for today's students is now college, career, and real-world success. Let’s take a look at why 21st century skills matter.

• Higher-education and business leaders cite soft skills as being the most important driver of success in higher-level courses and in the workplace.
• In today’s world, our schools are preparing students for jobs that might not yet exist. Career readiness means equipping students with a nuanced set of skills that can prepare them for the unknown.
• Social media has changed human interaction and created new challenges in navigating social situations.
• The age of the Internet has dramatically increased access to knowledge. Students need to learn how to process and analyze large amounts of information.
• Content knowledge from core subjects can only go so far; students need to be taught how to apply facts and ideas towards complex problems.

We've reviewed the definition of 21st century skills and why they're important in a changing world. Now, let's review a few frameworks and how school districts are putting 21st century learning into practice.

Frameworks for 21st Century Skills

The framework for 21st century learning.

This popular framework was designed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) . Describing the skills, knowledge, and expertise students must master to succeed in work and life, the framework combines content knowledge, specific skills, expertise, and literacies. P21 believes that the "base" of 21st century learning is the acquisition of key academic subject knowledge, and that schools must build on that base with additional skills including Learning Skills, Life Skills, and Literacy Skills.

• Learning Skills: Also known as the "four Cs" of 21st century learning, these include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
• Life Skills: Flexibility, initiative, social skills, productivity, leadership
• Literacy Skills: Information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy

World Health Organization 

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies the fundamental life skills as decision-making and problem solving, creative thinking and critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, self-awareness and empathy, and coping with emotions and stress. The WHO focuses on broad psychosocial skills that can be improved over time with conscious effort.

Redefining Ready! Initiative 

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Redefining Ready! initiative offers a framework that many districts use to define college, career, and life readiness. AASA provides readiness indicators to capture the educational landscape of the 21st century. Metrics include Advanced Placement courses, standardized testing, college credits, industry credentials, attendance, community service, and more. On the topic of life readiness, AASA argues:

School District Frameworks

21st century skills take hold in various ways for school districts. A " Portrait of a Graduate " is one common strategy for communicating what it means for students to be college, career, and future ready. To develop a profile of a graduate, districts often adapt existing 21st century skill frameworks to fit their needs. Input from stakeholders—such as the district board, teachers, parents, partner organizations, and students—ensures that the final "portrait" is authentic to their community. Here are some Portrait of a Graduate examples.

Everett Public Schools in Everett, Washington defines 21st century skills as citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and growth mindset. The district believes that graduates are college, career, and life ready when they have the academic knowledge, attitudes, and skills to transition to college level coursework, workforce training, and/or employment.

Gresham-Barlow School District (GBSD) in Gresham, Oregon has a mission to develop culturally responsive graduates who will thrive in an ever-changing global community. The district’s Portrait of a Graduate represents the GBSD community's collective vision of what their graduates should look like. The portrait consists of six learner profiles: Independent Lifelong Learner, Adaptable Collaborator, Compassionate Communicator, Responsible Creator, Open-Minded Critical Thinker, and Globally Aware Community Member.

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District (SCUC ISD) in Schertz, Texas has a strategic goal around graduating college and/or career and/or military ready students. Within this vision, SCUC ISD has outlined five Traits of a Graduate: Dynamic Leader, Self-Motivated, Skilled Communicator, Service Oriented, and Future Ready.

Council Bluffs Community School District in Council Bluffs, Iowa, developed a Profile of a FutureReady Graduate that encompasses both academic and social-emotional indicators of success. The district’s social-emotional indicators—aligned to the CASEL framework—include Self-Management, Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision Making.

North Kansas City Schools just north of Kansas City, Missouri, identified seven competencies that span time, space, jobs, and occupations, ensuring that students' life skills are highly transferable. The district's competencies—developed with input from students, community and business leaders, teachers, and administrators—include Adaptability, Communication, Collaboration, Empathy, Integrity, Learner's Mindset, and Problem Solving. 

Download our guide to developing your district's own vision for college, career, and life readiness

21st Century Learning Strategies & Implementation

Having a strong vision for 21st century learning is just the first step. Without an intentionally designed plan for implementation, it's unlikely that your students will acquire the skills outlined in your district's vision. Here are some best practices from Panorama's partner districts to set you up for success.

1. Build staff capacity to demonstrate 21st century skills in support of student learning.

It all starts with the adults in your building. Teachers and staff need to deeply understand and model the skills that you want your students to develop. Integrate 21st century skills into staff professional development as a precursor to growing these competencies in students. Download our Adult SEL Toolkit for ideas, worksheets, and activities to build adult SEL.

2. Develop strategies to support teachers with implementation of 21st century skills.

It can be helpful to create a playbook of recommended strategies and approaches that span across content areas. For instance, you might encourage teachers to add comments to report cards about students' 21st century skills.

3. Assess students’ 21st century learning skills.

What gets measured matters. Regularly collect data on how students are progressing in this area, whether the data is anecdotal, qualitative, or quantitative. For example, you might administer a biannual survey in which students reflect on their development of 21st century, social-emotional skills . Keep in mind that the data you gather should be formative rather than evaluative. Be transparent about the purpose.

4. Equip educators with data to proactively identify and support students who are off track.

Once you have data on students' 21st century skills, you'll want to ensure that the data is actionable for educators. Many districts opt to implement an early warning system with indicators across academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional learning/21st century skills. This helps educators make data-driven decisions about the best way to keep each student on track.

Additional Resources

Looking for more information on 21st century skills? Here are some other articles and resources to explore:

• "Why Social and Emotional Learning and Employability Skills Should Be Prioritized in Education" via CASEL and Committee for Children 
• "Teaching 21st Century Skills For 21st Century Success Requires An Ecosystem Approach" via Forbes
• "Bringing 21st Century Skill Development to the Forefront of K-12 Education" via Hanover Research
• "How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning?" via Education Week

Honing in on 21st century skills is essential to ensuring that students are prepared for college, career, and civic life . While there is no one "right" way to approach this work, we hope that the information in this guide inspires you to explore what 21st century learning could look like in your district!

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Discover how employability skills equip students for the workforce. Learn teaching strategies and explore 23 survey questions for skill assessment.

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Critical thinking is a 21st-century essential — here’s how to help kids learn it

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If we want children to thrive in our complicated world, we need to teach them how to think, says educator Brian Oshiro. And we can do it with 4 simple questions.

This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from someone in the TED community; browse through all the posts here.

We all want the young people in our lives to thrive, but there’s no clear consensus about what will best put them on the path to future success. Should every child be taught to code? Attain fluency in Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi and English?

Those are great, but they’re not enough, says educator and teacher trainer Brian Oshiro . If we want our children to have flexible minds that can readily absorb new information and respond to complex problems, he says, we need to develop their critical thinking skills.

In adult life, “we all have to deal with questions that are a lot more complicated than those found on a multiple-choice test,” he says in a TEDxXiguan talk. “We need to give students an opportunity to grapple with questions that don’t necessarily have one correct answer. This is more realistic of the types of situations that they’re likely to face when they get outside the classroom.”

How can we encourage kids to think critically from an early age? Through an activity that every child is already an expert at — asking questions.

1. Go beyond “what?” — and ask “how?” and “why?”

Let’s say your child is learning about climate change in school. Their teacher may ask them a question like “What are the main causes of climate change?” Oshiro says there are two problems with this question — it can be answered with a quick web search, and being able to answer it gives people a false sense of security; it makes them feel like they know a topic, but their knowledge is superficial.

At home, prompt your kid to answer questions such as “ How exactly does X cause climate change?” and “ Why should we worry about it?” To answer, they’ll need to go beyond the bare facts and really think about a subject.

Other great questions: “ How will climate change affect where we live?” or “ Why should our town in particular worry about climate change?” Localizing questions gives kids, says Oshiro, “an opportunity to connect whatever knowledge they have to something personal in their lives.”

2. Follow it up with “How do you know this?”

Oshiro says, “They have to provide some sort of evidence and be able to defend their answer against some logical attack.” Answering this question requires kids to reflect on their previous statements and assess where they’re getting their information from.

3. Prompt them to think about how their perspective may differ from other people’s.

Ask a question like “How will climate change affect people living in X country or X city?” or “Why should people living in X country or X city worry about it?” Kids will be pushed to think about the priorities and concerns of others, says Oshiro, and to try to understand their perspectives — essential elements of creative problem-solving.

4. Finally, ask them how to solve this problem.

But be sure to focus the question. For example, rather than ask “How can we solve climate change?” — which is too big for anyone to wrap their mind around — ask “How could we address and solve cause X of climate change?” Answering this question will require kids to synthesize their knowledge. Nudge them to come up with a variety of approaches: What scientific solution could address cause X? What’s a financial solution? Political solution?

You can start this project any time on any topic; you don’t have to be an expert on what your kids are studying. This is about teaching them to think for themselves. Your role is to direct their questions, listen and respond. Meanwhile, your kids “have to think about how they’re going to put this into digestible pieces for you to understand it,” says Oshiro. “It’s a great way to consolidate learning.”

Critical thinking isn’t just for the young, of course. He says, “If you’re a lifelong learner, ask yourself these types of questions in order to test your assumptions about what you think you already know.” As he adds, “We can all improve and support critical thinking by asking a few extra questions each day.”

Watch his TEDxXiguan talk now:

About the author

Mary Halton is a science journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. You can find her on Twitter at @maryhalton

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Communication Skills | 21st Century Skills

What Are the 4 C's of 21st Century Skills?

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March 26th, 2024 | 9 min. read

Brad Hummel

Coming from a family of educators, Brad knows both the joys and challenges of teaching well. Through his own teaching background, he’s experienced both firsthand. As a writer for iCEV, Brad’s goal is to help teachers empower their students by listening to educators’ concerns and creating content that answers their most pressing questions about career and technical education.

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As a middle or high school career readiness teacher, you likely need to teach 21st century skills as part of your curriculum.

While all twelve of those skills are necessary to teach, the "four C's" are often considered to be the most important. 

The four C’s of 21st Century skills  are:

• Critical thinking
• Collaboration
• Communication

These four skills are essential for modern students to succeed in school and the workplace.

They often make the biggest impact in terms of setting your students apart when applying for positions and starting their careers.

In this article, you'll discover what each skill entails and why they are so important to teach.

You'll also be able to download a free guide on how you can teach the 4 C's of 21st Century skills in middle or high school courses.

1. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the practice of solving problems, among other qualities.

In addition to working through problems , solving puzzles, and similar activities, critical thinking also includes an element of skepticism.

This is important in the 21st Century because it’s harder than ever to verify accurate information (mostly thanks to the internet).

Critical thinking empowers students to discover the truth in assertions, especially when it comes to separating fact from opinion.

With critical thinking, students don’t just learn a set of facts or figures. Instead, they learn how to discover the facts and figures for themselves.

Through asking questions, learners become engaged in the world around them. Then they can help spread their knowledge to their peers, helping others to think critically, too. Students sharing the knowledge they've mastered with others might be the most important aspect of developing critical thinking skills.

Whether they learn how to think critically from spending time online or simply asking “Why?” in everyday life, this skill prepares students for a life of independence and purposeful thought.

Still, critical thinking is just one of the four C’s in 21st Century skills.

It works just fine when students use it alone. But when students combine it with the   next   skill, the sky is the limit to what they can achieve. 

2. Creativity

Creativity is the practice of thinking outside the box.

While creativity is often treated like a you-have-it-or-you-don’t quality, students can   learn   how to be creative by solving problems, creating systems, or just trying something they haven’t tried before. 

That doesn’t mean every student will become an artist or a writer. Instead, it means they’ll be able to look at a problem from multiple perspectives — including those that others may not see.

Creativity allows students to embrace their inner strengths from big-picture planning to meticulous organization . As students learn about their creativity, they also learn how to express it in healthy and productive ways.

More importantly, they also become   motivated   to share that creativity with others. Just like with critical thinking, that makes creativity contagious.

When a student creates an interesting or innovative  solution to a problem , the next student can become inspired to try something similar.

That’s not to say every single creative endeavor will be a ringing success. Students will fail at some point, and some of their ideas simply won’t work. But that’s okay.

The point of creativity is to encourage students to think differently than convention demands. They don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. Instead, they can figure out a better way.

Students don’t have to embrace their creativity alone, either. In fact, creativity works best when combined with the next 21st Century skill .

3. Collaboration

Collaboration   is the practice of working together to achieve a common goal.

Collaboration   is important because whether students realize it or not, they’ll probably work with other people for the rest of their lives.

Virtually every job requires someone to work with another person at some point, even if it’s for something as simple as what to get for lunch.

Practicing collaboration and teamwork helps students understand how to address a problem, pitch solutions, and decide the best course of action.

It’s also helpful for them to learn that other people don’t always have the same ideas that they do. In fact, as students practice collaboration more and more, they’ll learn that they have almost   none   of the same ideas that others do.

This can affect students in one of two ways. First, it could discourage them since nobody seems to agree with them that often. Second, it could embolden them because they realize they’re bringing something unique to every conversation.

As a teacher, it’s crucial that you encourage students to look at themselves through that second lens. That way, students learn that they should speak up when they have an idea.

Even when their ideas aren't the best suited to the problem, speaking up and sharing their solutions can help them when collaborating with others.

4. Communication

Communication is the practice of conveying ideas quickly and clearly.

Communication   is often taken for granted in today’s society. After all, if you say something, that means you conveyed an idea, right?

But in the age of text-based communications — including texting, emails, and social media — it’s never been more important for students to learn how to convey their thoughts in a way that others can understand them.

That’s because text-based communications lack   tone , which is critical to understanding the context of someone’s words.

Still, even in situations where vocal tone is available, students need to learn how to communicate effectively. That includes minimizing tangents, speaking directly to an idea, and checking other participants to make sure they’re engaged.

Reading an audience — even if it’s just two other people in a group discussion — lets students determine whether they should keep expanding on an idea or wrap up their point. Their audience could even be their family at Thanksgiving dinner.

The point is that as students practice communication, they become better at efficiently conveying an idea without losing their point—or their audience.

When they master the art of effective communication, students can streamline their ideas and make a positive impression on those around them.

Still, it’s important to note that communication isn’t enough on its own to help students with 21st Century skills. To really succeed, students need to use all four of these skills together.

How Do the Four C’s Work Together?

The four C’s of 21st Century skills work together as a system to help students comprehensively understand subjects and navigate living and working in the 21st century.

Because each of the four C's are general skills that help students throughout their personal and professional lives, they are essential qualities that people need to succeed in a wide range of situations.

Each of the four C's cover interrelated concepts paramount to being an educated person:

• Critical thinking teaches students to question claims and seek truth.
• Creativity teaches students to think in a way that’s unique to them.
• Collaboration teaches students that groups can create something bigger and better than you can on your own.
• Communication teaches students how to efficiently convey ideas.

Combined, the four C’s empower students to be discerning people capable of expressing themselves and working with others to find insightful solutions to everyday challenges.

When working together, learners who have mastered the four C's of 21st century skills have ability to make a profound impact on both their professional workplaces and their communities.

How Do You Teach the Four C's of 21st Century Skills?

Now you know what the four C's of 21st Century skills are and why employers want new hires to have them.

So now you're probably wondering how to teach 21st Century skills in your daily middle and high school classes.

Click below to get your free guide on teaching  critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication!

Top 10 Skills of the 21st-Century Classroom

The top 10 skills students will master in a 21st-century classroom to pave the way toward academic excellence, a sense of wonder, and a joyful, successful future.

Collaborative Problem Solving

Students learn through solving problems. A great way to learn is by effectively working as a team to solve problems as a cohesive, collaborative unit. Working together toward a common goal is a hallmark of human society. One Stanford study found that participants primed to work collaboratively kept working on a task 64% longer than those working alone. A 21st-century curriculum emphasizes team-based projects in which groups draw on each individual’s strengths to solve problems. This model exposes students to new ideas and opposing viewpoints, while demonstrating the power of the collective mind.

A 21st-century education affords students opportunities to flex their creative muscles beyond the traditionally creative classes. Whether they work to find a new solution to an old problem or find a different way to explain an everyday occurrence, students are constantly finding their own approaches to problems and projects.

Whatever the next chapter in life brings, creativity is an essential tool to get young minds thinking across disciplines and beyond what’s been done before. In fact, one study found that 78% of college-educated professionals say creativity is very important to their career.

Hands-On Learning

Students in a 21st-century skills classroom are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They thrive on translating textbook material into real-life scenarios in which teachers encourage creativity, experimentation, and trial-and-error. A 21st-century curriculum takes hands-on learning beyond the art studio and science lab.

In the middle school English class, students create sock puppets and put on a performance of the short story, Tobermory. A European History class decorates T-shirts to illustrate the narrative of the French Revolution. Hands-on learning brings coursework into the here and now through active, project-based activities.

Cultural Competency

In our diverse, ever-changing world, it’s essential that the 21st-century classroom emphasize cultural competency skills, beyond an appreciation for other cultures. The U.S. Census projects that by 2044, the minority population will increase to more than 50%, and the U.S. population will become majority-minority. In a 21st-century skills classroom, all individuals have the opportunity to interact with students from other backgrounds and participate in culturally immersive experiences. These skills will be critical as students fuel future growth on a global scale.

Effective Written and Oral Communication

Students learn to listen actively, organize and articulate a discussion, present information, and argue points respectfully. Communication skills are not seen as a “given.” Effective communication, when speaking and writing, is encouraged and cultivated through activities that challenge students to think beyond their knee-jerk reactions or preconceptions about a topic or problem. Expressing ideas clearly and effectively is essential for success, as one study that shows over 73% of employers look for candidates with strong communication skills.

Ethical Decision Making

You make about 35,000 decisions every day, from the most simple to more complicated choices. A 21st-century curriculum teaches students how to navigate their own decision-making process by considering ethical factors, such as respect, fairness, equality, and kindness. Students explore how seemingly small decisions they make each day have far-reaching effects on others. Character building is a cornerstone of the 21st-century skills classroom.

Information and Media Literacy

Our world is saturated with information. In a 21st-century classroom, students learn how to interpret facts and figures and question the credibility of information published online. A Stanford Graduate School of Education study found that the majority of students in middle school, high school, and college struggle to think critically about online media, including what constitutes fake news. Media and information literacy skills are interdisciplinary in nature and essential for students to learn across all subjects.

Today’s world needs strong leaders. A 21st-century skills classroom focuses on developing leadership skills related to listening, building consensus, organizing, and motivating a group to action. Students learn what it means to have a responsibility for something beyond themselves. Considering that 47% of managers stepped into their positions without any training, developing leadership skills will pay off significantly as students enter college and the wider world.

Critical Thinking

The 21st-century skills classroom focuses on asking questions to encourage critical thinking, inquiry, and reasoning. In all courses, students evaluate, synthesize, and translate ideas to solve problems and complete projects. Teachers also encourage students to hone their reasoning and inquiry skills. Well-developed thoughts and approaching problems from multiple angles is expected. Students question and analyze information — an increasingly crucial skill — rather than simply memorizing facts and figures.

Personal Responsibility and Initiative

Students in a 21st-century classroom are challenged to take ownership of their learning and dive headfirst into projects on their own. Staying flexible in the face of ever-changing circumstances is a critical skill for success. When an assignment or activity does not go as planned, students are encouraged to demonstrate humility and react to obstacles in a positive, productive way. In our fast-paced society, the ability to adapt to change will always be in high demand.

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A Glimpse Into The 5 Cs Of 21st Century Skills

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!

Table of contents

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. 

• Practice asking questions and seeking out different viewpoints.
• Read a variety of sources and evaluate the credibility of the information presented.
• Engage in debates and discussions with others to refine your argumentation 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:

• Practice active listening by paying attention to what others are saying and asking clarifying questions
• Work on expressing your ideas clearly and concisely
• Use nonverbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions, to enhance your communication

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:

• Practice working in teams on group projects or volunteer activities
• Develop your negotiation skills by listening to the perspectives of others and finding common ground
• Build trust and respect with your team members by being reliable and accountable

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:

• Practice brainstorming and generating new ideas
• Look for inspiration from a variety of sources, such as art, music, and literature
• Experiment with different approaches to problem-solving and be open to trying new things

Character  

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:

• Take some time to reflect on what you value most in life.
• Take time to reflect on your actions and consider how they align with your values. Ask for feedback from others and be open to constructive criticism.
• Identify areas where you would like to improve and set goals for yourself.
• Surround yourself with people who share your values and support your growth.

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.

Know more about kids coding languages in this article.

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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6 crucial soft skills every student needs to master in the 21st century

T hriving in this ever-changing world not only requires a breadth of skills rooted in academic competencies for children but also abilities like teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence, and creativity amongst others. These skills are in fact interconnected.

We live in an era when students require these diverse sets of skills to survive and be successful. It is no longer enough to rely on conventional skill sets like the power of memory and recall, rote, and repetition.

Schools are aware of the evolution of society and the economy and hence are equipping teachers in terms of upskilling and adapting curriculum to ensure conceptual understanding, development of competencies, and growth in character, to ensure that students are nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their academic and personal goals.

What skills then would be useful to students who have to shape their lives in tune with the rapidly changing world?

Here are six crucial soft skills every student needs to master in the 21 st century as listed by Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bangalore:

1. ADAPTABILITY AND CREATIVITY

In the digital age, things are changing very rapidly. By the time students learn one set of skills, a newer version is already emerging.

Students will need to adapt to changing conditions and learn things quickly and efficiently and mentors will have to ensure that students are aware of the best methods to learn new things. Learning how to learn is an important skill that cannot be overemphasised!

2. COLLABORATION SKILLS ARE VITAL

It's quite possible that traditional classrooms may encourage competition and independence compared to collaboration and teamwork. Schools have to keep pace with changing scenarios and bring in a culture of collaboration which are crucial to achieving collective goals.

Every professional today works collaboratively with others in some capacity.  From engineers to artists, learning how to work in a group setting or leading a team that needs motivation requires practice.  What better way to foster these lifelong skills than in a classroom?

3. COMMUNICATION SKILLS

In the new digital age, there is great emphasis on the ability to communicate; hence, students have to be familiar with emerging technologies used in communication. In the current era, technology is omnipresent and schools need to adapt to new communication changes.

In addition to conceptual understanding, students should have the opportunity to grow in character to become well-rounded global citizens who have the confidence to impact a remarkable and sustainable future.

4. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

Creating an environment that focuses on conceptual understanding and application of that knowledge to real-world skills leads to lifelong learning and retention of knowledge. 

Building an environment that fosters critical thinking, risk-taking, creativity, and the courage to make mistakes and move beyond them should be a priority.  

Focusing on learning to understand rather than learning to test should be a high priority for educators.

The ability to think critically is not easy and needs instruction and support. However once this skill is mastered, it will help develop analytical capabilities that will help students be competitive in an ever-changing global market.

5. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Growing and learning in a multicultural environment gives children a greater understanding of others' beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. As globalisation continues to bring cultures together, it is imperative to equip students with the continued experience to be citizens of a global future.

These experiences come from an education model that includes diverse narratives, qualities, and viewpoints, which facilitate an understanding of social pluralism. Multiculturalism promotes principles of inclusion, democracy, and a sense of togetherness, among many other positive traits.

6. UPSKILLING AND ALWAYS BEING AT THE CUTTING EDGE IN TECH 

Technology has shaped human history over the years and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Today, the digital revolution is spreading across the globe, creating connections never before thought of and students will have to have a breadth of broad technological skills.

Whether it is called the Second Machine Age, the Digital Revolution, or the 4th Industrial Revolution, technologists, economists and academics are all concerned with recent rapid technological advances and their implications for the future.

The world is constantly changing and the pace at which the economy is progressing makes agility a great value and in the modern world, there is no one better placed than those who can multitask in a quick time.

Recognising the nature of these changes is vital in understanding the current context in which we live, and the changes to be expected in the future. This, in turn, helps us determine how we view education and the need for the breadth of skills approach.

It is now central that we explore how to align these aspirations in the context of the educational environment.

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