21st Century Skills in a Knowledge Society

Zook (2019) defined 21^st century skills as abilities that today’s students need in order to succeed in their careers. The discussion below focuses on the knowledge society, hard and soft skills and how teachers can help students develop these very important skills in a digital classroom.

Knowledge society

A knowledge society is mainly defined as a society in which knowledge, skills, and competence become key resources and initiators of economic and social change (Rek,Makarovic & Gorica,2015).The following are some characteristics of a knowledge society; a vast majority of the population have access to information, communication technology and internet, institutions are forced to innovate continually and a large portion of the population attains higher education.

Technical Skills

Digital literacy skills which comprise information literacy, demands students to understand facts, figures, statistics and data that they encounter online (Martin & Grudziecki,2006). Rek, Makarovic and Gorica (2015) noted that media literacy also requires students to understand the methods and outlets in which information is published which helps students to consult only trustworthy sources in their search for information. However, Zook (2019) suggested that technology literacy would help students acquire basic information about machines involved in the digital age and how they operate.

Soft Skills

According to Oxford University Press (2013) under learning and innovation skills, fall the critical thinking skills which help students figure out important information for themselves even when the teacher is not around. Doyle (2019) noted that creativity skills are also important in that they help students see concepts in a different light which leads to innovation. However, collaboration which encourages team work, assists students in getting the best possible results from solving a problem (Zook,2019). He further pointed out that communication skills which brings all the above qualities together, help students effectively convey ideas among different personality types. Productivity which may also be referred to as efficiency, demands students to complete work in an appropriate amount of time (Doyle,2019).

Developing 21^st century skills in students.

Martin & Grudziecki (2006) suggested that teachers can develop collaboration skills in students by  providing opportunities for students to work on collaborative projects where every student takes part thereby achieving shared goals with others. Rek, Makarovic & Gorica (2015) further observed that this may help students develop speaking and listening skills as well as achieve goals together.

Encouraging critical thinking in learners would help students look at problems in new ways, making smart decisions and connections to other subjects and ideas (Zook,2019). This can be achieved by supporting students in developing criteria for success for their design projects and using these to evaluate and improve the set designs.

Promoting creativity in learners is another approach that would help students generate and test new ideas Rek, Makarovic & Gorica (2015). According to Zook (2019), by creating activities that allow students to express what they have learned in a new away would help them consolidate learning and create experience that remains with them long after classes.

In a knowledge society, students need 21^st century skills to easily acquire necessary knowledge and skills for their personal growth and development. Teachers also have a crucial role to play in assisting learners develop these digital skills in order to develop a better and sustainable society.

References

A Doyle (2019, February 4). What are soft Skills. The balanced Careers. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-are-soft-skills-2060852

Martin, A & Grudziecki, J. (2006). DigEuLit: Concepts and Tools for Digital Literacy Development, , Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Information and Computer Sciences, 5:4, 1-19 https://doi.org/10.11120/ital.2006.05040249

Oxford University Press(2013,October 9). 5 Ways to prepare your students for 21^st century. Retrieved from https://oupeltglobalblog.com/blog-authors/

Rek, M., Makarovic, M & Gorica, N (2015). (Un) certainty in the Knowledge Society. Comparative Sociology 14(1), 6 1 3 -6 3 4, doi 10.1164/15691330-12341365.

Zook, C. (2019). What are 21^st century skills. Retrieved from https://www.aeseducation.com/career-readiness/what-are-21st-century-skills