While reading, writing, and math were all that was required to be considered literate in the early 1900s, in the modern digital age, it now takes information and media literacy, as well as critical, problem-based thinking, teamwork, and technological know-how, to qualify.
A student needs to have the skills of the digital age in order to succeed academically and professionally as well as to thrive in the digital economy. Because of this, it is essential for a school and the educational system to teach these skills alongside providing students with high-quality knowledge and a sound moral code.
What skills are required for success in the 21st century?
1. Digital-age literacy
The inability to learn, unlearn, and relearn will be what defines the illiterate of the twenty-first century, not the inability to read and write. Alvin Toffler.
It doesn't really matter how much information is stored in one's head or how it got there when it comes to knowledge; what matters is what you do with it. Students must be able to analyse, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in a variety of media in order to succeed, which implies information and media literacy.
2. Communication
Any successful collaboration starts with effective communication, but it needs to be bilateral and have enough feedback. The forms, channels, and methods of communication are multiplied in this age of communication, which is referred to as such for a reason.
Therefore, it is essential that the possibilities for expression and content creation that will be exchanged in said communication processes develop in tandem with those of the means and are enhanced accordingly.
And achieving this solely depends on acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for expressing oneself, writing, and communicating, as well as for creating and delivering the proper message.
3. Cooperation
In modern society, teamwork has taken the place of individuality, which at the dawn of capitalism played the primary role in social development and an individual's success.
The guiding principle is that people can only accomplish great things by cooperating, sharing ideas and knowledge, and combining their skills.
The skills of cooperation, establishing communication, healthy debate, appropriate conflict resolution, and compromising must therefore be developed in children, especially during the last years of primary school and throughout secondary school, which intensively prepares them for the adult world.
4. Creativity
For creation, which is the highest level of learning, besides mastering other levels of knowledge, one, of course, needs to have a healthy dose of creativity. Creativity means discovering new connections, relations, and possibilities of matching already familiar elements, in order to create something new.
Children's creativity—different ways of thinking and viewing the world and coming up with fresh solutions to issues and tasks—must be encouraged and valued if we want them to be successful.
By no means should we attempt to "fit the mould" and teach them the same behavioural patterns. In this situation, the school's function is of the utmost significance.
5. Inventive thinking – intellectual capital
Prior to anything else, invention denotes originality, cleverness, and a spark of creation.
This means that in addition to having a strong imagination and capacity for critical thought, students also need to be able to evaluate the context in which the idea in question originated, the prospects for realising it, and the capacity to adapt as effectively as possible.
6. Problem-based thinking and problem solving
The ability to think critically about problems is regarded as the most complex intellectual ability. It is predicated on the idea that knowledge should be "put to work," or applied to actual tasks, situations, or problems, rather than simply being acquired for the sake of learning and earning good grades.
In turn, this necessitates the integration and application of knowledge from various fields in order to find a solution.
Teachers must impart these specific knowledge adoption models to their students in order to help them understand that what matters most—rather than the grade they will receive—is how and where they can use what they have learned to produce new things.
7. Value system and responsibility
Education always goes hand in hand with upbringing; it is never, and should never be, an independent process. The "shaping" of fine, well-behaved children, who will be assisted in creating a solid value system and developing into moral adults, is one of the most crucial tasks of schools.
Nowadays, a sound value system and ethical behaviour are more crucial than ever in our complex technology-driven and networking-based age.
To enable students to use all the tools and technologies at their disposal while being aware of the responsibility that comes with using them, it is essential to instill in them good values.
8. Quality, top results and productivity
Good test scores don't predict later productivity in life, according to studies. Productivity is directly related to good results, success, and progress in every way, despite the fact that schools do not place a lot of emphasis on it.
Students must be able to use the benefits and opportunities offered by the digital tools and technologies at their disposal, as well as prioritise, plan, and adopt new information, in order to produce work of the calibre demanded by the modern world.
How do students develop 21st century skills at International School?
Due to all of these factors, students who attend the International School graduate from high school fully equipped with the knowledge and abilities we have just discussed. The contemporary educational model used in this case suggests combining knowledge and skills into a comprehensive strategy for students' intellectual growth.
Students at the International School acquire all necessary 21st-century skills, along with subject-specific knowledge, to become true students of the twenty-first century.
The students' critical and creative thinking skills are developed as a result of our innovative and modern teaching methods. Students at the International School use contemporary technology effectively, responsibly, and for the benefit of creation in their daily activities and academic pursuits. Because of this, they are familiar with all the communication possibilities that technology creates, and it is very easy for them to master all its new developments, which are done so specifically to advance communication and cooperation.
Although they are taught to use technology and scientific tools responsibly and to work well with their peers and teachers, our students still adopt traditional values. All of these characteristics make them learners and potential leaders for the twenty-first century.
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