Page 14 - 21st Century Competencies: Foundation Document for Discussion

12 21st Century Competencies
multiple areas of life are associated with critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation.
1. Critical Thinking – Critical thinking in the 21st century is described as the “ability to design and manage projects, solve problems, and make effective decisions using a variety of tools and resources” (Fullan, 2013, p. 9). Drake (2014) highlights the challenge of designing educational experiences that address local issues and real-world problems for which there may be no clear answer. Thinking critically requires students
to “acquire, process, interpret, rationalize, and critically analyze large volumes of often conflicting information to the point of making an informed decision and taking action in a timely fashion” (C21, 2012, p. 10). Digital tools and resources can support the process of critical thinking, particularly when used to create authentic and relevant learning experiences that allow students to “discover, create, and use new knowledge” (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014, p. 35).
The knowledge and digital era is demanding people with higher order thinking skills; the ability to think logically, and to solve ill-defined problems by identifying and describing the problem, critically analyzing the information available or creating the knowledge required, framing and testing various hypotheses, formulating creative solutions, and taking action. (C21 Canada, 2012, p. 10)
2. Communication – Communication in a 21st century context refers
not only to the ability to “communicate effectively, orally, in writing, and with a variety of digital tools” but also to “listening skills” (Fullan, 2013, p. 9). Many frameworks include information and digital literacy in the concept of communication (e.g., the British Columbia Ministry of Education’s Cross-Curricular Competencies). Other frameworks, such as P21, have distinct information, media, and technology skills. Some jurisdictions (e.g., England, Norway) include information and communications technology (ICT) skills with literacy and numeracy
as foundational curriculum. Digital tools and resources represent a new realm of communications interaction in which the ability to navigate successfully is essential for success in the 21st century. Each tool has its own rhetoric (e.g., an effective blog post is different from an effective tweet or persuasive essay). The issue is not just learning to use new communication tools but mastering many forms of rhetoric – a more challenging task.