IQ (intelligence quotient) tests are standard tests of brain strength, measuring things like math, logic, and verbal strength. Like any skill, it can be developed with some heavy mental weight lifting.
The 21st century skills requires a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits and character traits which are recommended by researchers, education reformers and employers that are critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in education and contemporary careers.
Academic skills include the use of IT, numeracy, academic literacy, problem solving, critical thinking, working with others and research skills.
Seven skills students require for their future:
- 1. Critical thinking and problem solving.
- 2. Assessing and analyzing information.
- 3. Curiosity and Imagination.
- 4. Collaboration, team work and leading by influence.
- 5. Initiative and entrepreneurialism.
- 6. Effective oral and written skills
- 7. Agility and adaptability.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, applying and or evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
Students too often being passive receptors of information. Through technology, the amount of information available today is massive. This information explosion is likely to continue in future. Students need a guide to weed through the information and not just passively accept it. Students need to develop and effectively apply critical thinking skills to their academic studies to solve complex problems that they will face, and to the critical choices they will be forced to make as a result of the information explosion and other rapid technological changes.
Assessing and analyzing information is the skill of not only gathering information on a certain topic, but also analyzing the quality of that information.
Students with the ability to assess and analyze information are able to do the following:
- 1. Assess the quality and relevance of information.
- 2. Distinguish between fact and opinion.
- 3. Evaluates the arguments of others.
- 4. Seek out varying resources for information
- 5. Identifies the relevance and importance of ideas.
- 6. Manages conflicting, inadequate or ambiguous information
Curiosity is a desire to know or learn and a desire to know about people or things that do not concern one. Imagination is the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses and it is the ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of mind; resourcefulness: handling the problem with great imagination.
Curiosity and Imagination -
- 1. Makes student mind active instead of passive.
- 2. Opens up new worlds and possibilities.
- 3. Brings the excitement to things which are the top complaints of students today, they are bored, Leaves no time for students to become bored.
- 4. Curious people have active minds and the mind is a muscle so more the person work it the stronger it become.
- 5. By being curious you see things that person wouldn’t typically see.
Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people work together towards an intersection of common goals by sharing knowledge, learning, and building consensus. The action of working with one or more other people to produce or create something.
Leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others will willingly follow
Across higher education, the word collaboration has become synonymous with effective scholarship and collegiality. Many workplaces function with multiple departments that work in unison towards a common goal. Allows you to focus on a specific element of the creative process. Brings a fresh set of eyes to a project. Allow you to draw upon a knowledge base that would otherwise be inaccessible by taking advantage of tools and skill sets unique to an individual. Helps form new relationships. Helps establish new audiences, helps to substantially improve the final project. Every group or organization needs leaders at every level.
Initiative and Entrepreneurialism refers to an individual's ability to turn ideas into action. It involves creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives.
Corporations have changed from being top down to a flattened model that expects employees to figure things out on their own.
Schools are still in the teacher as the boss and student as the employee model where the student gets stuck and the teacher has the answers, which doesn’t prepare 21st century learners for the work force.
Too often employees are expected to “figure things out” yet they instinctively run to the boss looking for the answer.
Effective Oral and Written Communication is being able to communicate one’s thoughts clearly and concisely, but also being able to create focus, energy, and passion.
Most schools complain that they are pressed for time so what essentially is happening in most classrooms is that the teacher is doing the talking and the students are listening. This ill prepares students to communicate with their peers and bosses. Students are graduating without being able to debate or discuss an issue.
Agility is the ability and willingness to learn from experience and then apply that learning to perform successfully under new situation.
Adaptability is willing to embrace change. Students who are agile and adaptable are able to think critically.