The 21st Century TeacherChapter 2: Lesson 2

To remain relevant and interesting, the teacher must possess 21st Century skills. The skills can be categorized into 4, namely:

1. communication skills

2. learning and innovation skills

3. information, media, and technology skills

4. life and career skills

A teacher must possess them in order to survive in this 21st century and be able to contribute to the development of 21st century learners.

Under each of these 4 clusters of skills are specific skills.

1. Communication Skills:

a) teaming

b) collaboration

c) interpersonal skills

d) local, national, and global orientedness

e) interactive communication

2. Learning and Innovation Skills:

a) creativity

b) curiosity

c) critical thinking problem solving skills

d) risk taking

3. Life and Career Skills:

a) flexibility and adaptability

b) leadership and responsibility

c) social and cross-cultural skills

d) initiative and self-direction

e) productivity and accountability

f) ethical, moral, and spiritual values

4. Information, Media, and Technology Skills:

a) visual and information literacies

b) media literacy

c) basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies

d) multicultural literacy

Visual Literacy - the ability to interpret, make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. It is also the ability to evaluate, apply, or create conceptual visual representations.

Information Literacy - the ability to identify what information is needed, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. Information literacy is most essential in the conduct of research.

Media Literacy - the ability to critically analyze the messages that inform, entertain, and sell to us every day.

It’s the ability to bring critical thinking skills to bear on all forms of media asking pertinent questions about what’s there and noticing what’s not.

It is also the ability to question what lies behind media productions and to be aware of how these factors influence content of media productions.

Scientific Literacy - encompasses written, numerical, and digital literacy as they pertain to understanding science, its methodology, observations, and theories.

It is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity.

Economic Literacy - the ability to apply basic economic concepts in situations relevant to one’s life. It’s about cultivating a working knowledge of the economic way of thinking.

It encompasses a familiarity with fundamental economic concepts such as market forces or how the monetary system works.

Technological Literacy - “computer skills” and the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity, and performance.

Technological literacy is the ability to responsibly use appropriate technology to:

a) communicate

b) solve problems

c) access, manage, integrate, evaluate, design, and create information to improve learning in all subject areas

d) acquire lifelong knowledge and skills in the 21st century

Another way of grouping the 21st century skills is shown below:

A. Ways of Thinking - creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making, and learning

B. Ways of Working - communication and collaboration

C. Tools for Working - information and communications technology (ICT) and information literacy

D. Skills for Living in the World - citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility

THE END