21st Century Skills and Digital Citizenship
6
Arooj Arslan
Arooj Arslan<EMAIL_ADDRESS>University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Abstract
Global Competencies are the skills and attitudes that students need in order to be successful in the 21st century. The six Global Competencies are Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity & Innovation, Self-directed Learning and Citizenship (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016, p.56). This chapter briefly defines the Global Competencies and then provides some research-based evidence to support incorporating the Global Competencies in education. The major portion of this chapter is dedicated to identifying technology tools that can be used in K-12 classrooms to support the Global Competencies. The appendix contains links to the current frameworks developed by a few School Boards in Ontario to incorporate the Global Competencies in education.
Keywords: Global Competencies, critical thinking, and problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation, self-directed learning, citizenship, technology tools
Introduction
Global Competencies are the competencies that students need in order to be successful in the 21st century. The Global Competencies (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016, p.56) have been outlined below:
- Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is defined as the ability to use different resources to solve problems and make decisions (Fullan, 2013, p.9). Critical thinking requires the use of higher order thinking skills, analogous to the top tiers of Bloom’s taxonomy.
- Communication: In the 21st century, communication is a versatile skill that includes effective verbal, written and digital communication. Communication also covers listening skills (Fullan, 2013, p.9).
- Collaboration: Collaboration refers to the ability of students to work and learn with others in versatile group settings. According to Fullan, “empathy in working with diverse others” (2013, p.9) is an essential component of collaboration in the 21st century.
- Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship: A high value is associated with creativity and innovation in the 21st century. It is important to teach our students to innovate, create and mobilize ideas, concepts and opportunities that have not been explored before.
- Self-directed Learning: Motivation, perseverance, and self-regulation are traits that need to be instilled in 21st-century learners. Learners need to believe in their ability to learn and grow, and to have a growth mindset (Dweck, 2016). Reflective thinking and metacognition are key tools to use to develop this skillset.
- Citizenship: In the 21st century, the meaning of citizenship incorporates local, global and digital citizenship. Learners should be able to understand and participate in addressing key local and global political, social and economic issues.
Background Information
A competency is defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development