by Caroline Hunter with contributions from Tom Curley
We have to prepare our kids for a future that we cannot predict. It sounds impossible, but there is a way and most of us know it intuitively, we have just been bombarded and bullied into thinking it’s not feasible. We are told a good education means college. And not just any college. It needs to be one of the top schools rated in US News and World Reports.
Have you looked into the statistics US News and World Reports uses to determine the best of the best? Not many of us are going to dive deep into what the numbers mean or how they are determined. We tend to only look at results. Why? Because we have been conditioned to do so. In schools we give out grades - this is what colleges see. An A in English Lit, a B+ in Biology. But what do those A’s and B’s actually mean? An A stands for excellence. Excellence in what? Reading a textbook? Filling out worksheets? Turning in homework on time? Acing timed tests containing regurgitated facts? What if the child earned an A in Biology because they did their work, but also took the initiative to conduct an independent research project which they later published? That was me. My grades did not reflect the work I did outside of the classroom. Yet that is what most of us strive for, good grades and high standardized test scores that have not been proven to determine future success. Why are we rating kids as if they can be grouped and averaged? Individuals do not matter in this system.
The real world is complex. Job, community, and personal success do not rely on multiple tests to determine whether or not you have mastery. The stakes are much higher - and much more flexible. Each of us has a path, and there are infinite paths being forged at any moment alongside ours. The skills required to create our own paths, to bounce when we hit adversity, to inspire others - these are the goals school should be aiming for. An individual who is prepared for the real world is a person who has compassion, communication and collaboration skills, is creative in thought and problem solving, and can think critically. These are the 5C’s. To get a deeper understanding of what is meant by each of them, let’s examine them in detail.
Critical Thinking
I love critical thinking because it takes the most boring topics and makes them exciting. At its most basic definition, critical thinking is how to think. It involves analysis, theorizing, prediction making, comprehension, and interpretation. It is how we determine what is true and what is false. It is how we are able to make discoveries after learning everything we can about a subject, and then apply it in a new way. In the classroom, critical thinking can take the most pedantic US History class and turn it into something engaging. In order to develop this life long skill using SIBE, the first step is to identify sub skills which contribute to critical thinking, such as:
Analysis
Theorizing
Prediction making
Pattern Identification
Comprehension
Interpretation
Evaluation for truth
Being Objective
Evaluation
The above are from a variety of sources as well as my own experiences and observations. This is not a complete list, nor is it definitive. It is merely a jumping off point for you to add to based on your thoughts and experiences.
In a world with so much misinformation at our fingertips, it has never been more important to be a critical thinker. The confusion between fact, advertisement, propaganda, fantasy, and lies is constantly exploited by companies, governments, and individuals. Navigating this sea of information is wildly difficult, and the most important tool we can wield is critical thinking. Without it, moving towards making a positive difference in the world is nearly impossible.
Education Design Lab provides a breakdown of the sub-skills involved in critical thinking:
Gather and assess relevant information--Individuals ground problem-solving in facts rather than assumptions.
Identify patterns--Individuals make sense of data; recognizing commonalities among seemingly unrelated situations; and framing novel problems in familiar terms.
Question assumptions--Individuals resist easy answers; probing more deeply; and improving the problem-solving process.
Draw conclusions--Individuals use logic and reasoning to evaluate arguments, form judgments, and make recommendations.
Communication
As the world grows more interconnected, clear and thoughtful communication grows more important. Because we are able to use new technologies to communicate in many different ways, it is essential to learn how to truly communicate. Clever video editing, graphic design, awareness of body position, and so much more can be used to make communication between people more effective.
Communication is a core skill that 21st century learners must be cognizant of, in control of, and continuously explore throughout their education and life. Consider the array of communication tools available to us now, and consider the amount of time your school put in to help you master the skills needed to use them effectively. The disparity is devastatingly vast.
To address this divide, think about the fundamentals of what it means to communicate. How do we connect with others? How do we share information? How do we listen, see and be present while communicating with others? What is the purpose of our communication? How do we know if we have been successful in transferring what we hoped?
As you can see, there is a LOT here! If you followed this rabbit hole, you might end up with courses devoted to public speaking, graphic design, videography, the fine arts, psychology, composition, and so much more. To avoid getting overwhelmed, let’s scale back and focus on the communication skills that will best help your learner. If you are building a robot, perhaps the objective is a live demonstration for a local engineer. If you are studying history, maybe it’s an argumentative essay. Try to use the common form of communication that fits with the demands or discipline of the project, and you will find that good communication flows naturally.
Collaboration
It has taken us long enough to recognize that all human projects are successful because they have leveraged collaboration! As social creatures, we thrive in environments with interaction, and when we can contribute to a meaningful project with others, all of our natural inclinations tend to get fired up. While we can’t predict the future of work, it seems clear that the ability to be a good collaborator will only increase the value of a SIBE learner’s skill set.
It’s best viewed as a spectrum of working together: Cooperation, Coordination, and Collaboration. Each one of those is more complicated than the one before it, and each one draws on the skills needed for the others. All rely on a shared goal, but the complexities of communication necessary for success are far greater for collaborators compared to cooperators. Identifying what factors help in each area is crucial, as you may find you have misplaced expectations.
When what you’re doing is complex, requires strong communication, and draws upon skills that aren’t necessarily replicated across the team, you are in the zone of collaboration. This gives learners a chance to practice learning from another’s perspective, listening to alternative solutions, keeping strong relationships, and staying focused on the desired outcome. Success at acquire these skills make good collaborators.
Creativity
There is a lot of talk about creativity these days. Much of our school system seems designed to remove creativity from the curriculum--just ask Sir Ken Robinson! The trends we see in employment, education, and meaningful lives, however, indicate that creativity is a necessary ingredient to finding success. The good news is that research reveals we can teach individuals how to be creative, just as we can apparently teach them to NOT be creative!
When students practice skills that require degrees of creativity, they get better at it. We know that there is no age limit for creativity, and creative acts can be the norm rather than the exception. As we have mentioned elsewhere, another big concern for the future is “robot-proofing” our children and what we educate them for. Creativity, and creative problem-solving, is an area that seems out of reach for computers at this point. While there have been limited breakthroughs in creative thought from AIs, they have been very specialized, like playing Go or Chess. For the time being, the ability to connect disparate ideas and make something new out of them remains a firmly human endeavor--so let’s encourage it!
As we looked for effective ways to define creativity, we were once again helped by the work of Education Design Lab. One of their key skills for the 21st century is Creative problem-solving, which they break down into four sub-skills:
Exercise convergent and divergent thinking--Individuals generate fresh ideas and apply a process for evaluating them.
Identify patterns--Individuals recognize commonalities among situations that may at first appear unrelated; framing problems more accurately; and accessing relevant solutions.
Manage ambiguity--Individuals trust the process; tolerating their own anxiety; and gathering information before settling on solutions prematurely.
Apply an iterative process--Individuals systematically test ideas; challenging their own preconceptions; and expanding the range of potential solutions.
These are sound principles for solving problems. On the other hand, we value creativity more generally, not just in solving problems! Here are the pieces that we put together for a definition of Creativity in general:
Connect disparate ideas--Learners are able to draw comparisons between ideas that initially seem unrelated.
Incorporate diverse perspectives--Learners use diverse perspectives to inform their own thinking and to broaden the avenues of possibility.
Practice divergent thinking--Generating new ideas without restraint, and allowing them to be expressed without judgement.
Express ideas in novel ways--Learners use a variety of tools, and skills to express their thoughts in ways that align with divergent thinking and perspective-taking.
Compassion
We are indebted to the work and guidance of Dr. Chris Kukk as to our inclusion of compassion as a core skill for the 21st century. Many schools and programs are turning toward empathy as a vital skill to develop, but in our thinking, that misses a key aspect: taking action. Compassion is empathy plus action that makes a difference. We need the leaders of tomorrow to understand others’ problems, and to be moved to help solve them. There has never been a shortage of strife, but it certainly feels like we have reached new heights in our world today.
Dr. Kukk has broken the key ingredients of compassion down into LUCA:
Listening to identify the problem or challenge
Understanding to discover what options can help
Connecting to capabilities that can address the issue or obstacle
Acting to solve.
To master or develop competency in these 5 skills will enable any child to be successful no matter their future. This is why they are at the heart of the SIBE Venn diagram.