To develop the 5Cs requires many other skills which can be grouped into three Competencies:
Knowledge and Understanding
Personal Growth
Practical Application
It is important to note that each of these categories in the Venn is of equal size and importance. Knowledge and Understanding, which many associate with academics (but it is much more than that as we will see later on) is not the biggest circle or bubble. While it is important, it is not the most important. The key to success is balance and an equal valuation of all categories to develop the 5Cs. It enables learners of all styles to use their individual strengths and interests to progress and develop their own pathway to becoming engaged citizens of the modern world.
Knowledge and Understanding
Writing, Reading Arithmetic - the three Rs - fit within Knowledge and Understanding and everyone must learn to read, write, and calculate. However, in order to succeed in the machine age and beyond, it will require more thought and understanding.
It is not enough to read a textbook, memorize facts, and regurgitate them during a multiple choice test or quiz only to forget them in a short time. We need to retain this knowledge, make associations with it, relate it to other information, identify patterns and make predictions, and apply them in new situations. This is true understanding. To see and apply beyond the textbook.
Personal Growth
In this grouping, we look inside ourselves. This is all about who you are, how you feel, and who you want to become. This grouping holds social and emotional skills, or simply what drives you internally. What do you like? What do you like in others that you wish you had? These are the skills that allow us to become who we are. Some initial questions to ask include:
How well do you:
Listen to others
Manage failure
Take initiative
Self-reflect
Do you feel you are:
Organized
Self-Directed
Adaptable
Resilient
Skills here do not always have to be emotional skills, they can also reflect personal development. One of the first things I added to my children’s Venns was how to answer a phone call and how to do their own laundry. So ask, what is it you need to do to manage better in life, school or work? Then jot these down in this grouping. Remember, everybody’s Venn is different and reflects different life skills, so be honest. No one is perfect and we all have things to work on about ourselves.
Practical Skills
This is perhaps the most undervalued grouping in schools today. Practical Skills are how you demonstrate and externalize the skills you are building in the other two groupings. This is where we play an instrument, join a soccer team, build a robot, enjoy hobbies, experiment with curiosity. All the physical skills we need to develop in order to become future proofed. This is also where we add depth, and demonstrate our understanding or development of a particular interest or drive. For example, one young girl I worked with to develop her “Venn of the moment” wanted to become an actor. This is not unusual for children of this age who enjoy theater arts. After discussing what makes an excellent actor, I asked her if it was worthwhile to know about the other jobs she may encounter in her acting career. This led to a discussion about set and costume design, storyboarding and screenwriting, lighting and sound operations, directors, and other production positions. The occupations in this industry are many and it was something she had not considered before. When her eyebrows raised in discovery, it was difficult to keep up with all the new things she wanted to try.
Practical Skills are the physical manifestations which demonstrate our mastery of the 5C’s. In order to be successful, we must open our minds to the exploration of not just our interests or goals in life, but also those positions and individuals orbiting that life. An actor does not just interact with other actors, they will also engage with agents, screenwriters, artists, various crew members, and the general public. Each of these interactions requires basic knowledge and understanding, the application of personal growth skills, and it is the Practical skills that drive this process.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Are we motivated by accolades, money, prizes, or collecting badges? Or does curiosity, helping others without reward, or genuine regard for others, lead us to action? When in doubt, fall back into the heart of the diagram. What is Compassion? How do you demonstrate compassion in the world? What is Creativity and how do you develop it or feel it? What will make you better at collaborating with others? How about communication? Are there any internal skills that will make you better able to convey your thoughts as well as demonstrating patience listening to other’s thoughts? These are the types of things you need to think about when filling out this section of the Venn.
