Page 18 - 21st Century Competencies: Foundation Document for Discussion

16 21st Century Competencies
Competencies associated with metacognition and a growth mindset are essential for ongoing success in the 21st century.
Researchers have identified students’ awareness of how they learn and their ability to learn on their own as essential educational outcomes for ongoing success in today’s and tomorrow’s world. Hattie (2012), Fullan and Langworthy (2014), as well as the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (Brooks & Holmes, 2014) are among those who make the case that “learning the process of learning” must become the core purpose of education in the 21st century. Fullan and Langworthy (2014) describe metacognition, or learning to learn, as a 21st century competency that enhances students’ ability to acquire skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are relevant to new areas of learning. Finland and Hong Kong are two jurisdictions that place major emphasis on developing students’ capacity for metacognition (Saavedra & Opfer, 2012).
Researchers and thought leaders see that metacognition and a growth mindset (including self-regulation skills and ethical and emotional awareness), while always important, are much more so in a connected, global context that requires an ability to communicate, work, and learn with diverse groups of individuals and teams worldwide. Value systems that respect differences and diversity are viewed as increasingly necessary to personal and professional success, and to social cohesion.
The European Commission’s key competencies for lifelong learning include metacognition. Learning to learn is described as:
the ability to pursue and persist in learning, and to organise one’s own learning including through effective management of time and information, both individually and in groups. This competence includes awareness of one’s learning process and needs, identifying available opportunities, and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully. This competence means gaining, processing and assimilating new knowledge and skills as well as seeking and making use of guidance. Learning to learn engages learners to build on prior learning and life experiences in order to use and apply knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts: at home, at work, in education and training. Motivation and confidence are crucial to an individual’s competence. (2007, p. 8)