21st century skills

As western economies have transformed from industrialbased to service-based, trades and vocations have smaller
roles.[7] However, specic hard skills and Mastery of particular skill sets, with a focus on digital literacy (the use of
digital and communications technology), are in increasingly high demand.[1][2] People skills that involve interaction, collaboration, and managing others are increasingly
important.[8] Skills that enable people to be exible and
adaptable in dierent roles or in dierent elds, those
that involve processing information and managing people more than manipulating equipment - in an oce or
a factory - are in greater demand.[9] These are also referred to as applied skills or soft skills,[10] including
P21s Framework for 21st Century Learning
personal, interpersonal, or learning-based skills, such as
life skills (problem-solving behaviors), people skills, and
21st Century Skills are a series of higher-order skills, social skills. The skills have been grouped into three main
abilities, and learning dispositions that have been iden- areas:[11]
tied as being required for success in 21st century society and workplaces by educators, business leaders, aca Learning and innovation skills: critical thinking
demics, and governmental agencies. This is part of a
and problem solving, communications and collabogrowing international movement focusing on the skills reration, creativity and innovation
quired for students to master in preparation for success in
Digital literacy skills: information literacy, media
a rapidly changing, digital society. Many of these skills
literacy, Information and communication technoloare also associated with deeper learning, which is based
gies
(ICT) literacy
on mastering skills such as analytic reasoning, complex
problem solving, and teamwork. These skills dier from
Career and life skills: exibility and adaptability,
traditional academic skills in that they are not primarily
initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural
content knowledge-based.[1][2][3]
interaction, productivity and accountability
During the latter decades of the 20th century and into the
21st century, western society has undergone an accelerating pace of change in its economy and technology. Its
eects on the workplace, and thus on the demands on
the educational system preparing students for the workforce, have been signicant in several ways. Beginning
in the 1980s, government, educators, and major employers issued a series of reports identifying key skills and
implementation strategies to steer students and workers
towards meeting the demands of the changing workplace
and society.

Many of these skills are also identied as key qualities of

progressive education, a pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth century and continues in various
forms to the present.

1 Background
Since the early 1980s, a variety of governmental, academic, non-prot, and corporate entities have conducted
considerable research to identify key personal and academic skills and competetencies they determined were
needed for the current and next generation. The identication and implementation of 21st century skills into education and workplaces began in the United States but has
spread to Canada,[12][13] the United Kingdom,[14] New
Zealand,[15] and through national and international organizations such as APEC[16] and the OECD.[17]

The current workforce is signicantly more likely to

change career elds or jobs. Those in the Baby Boom
generation entered the workforce with a goal of stability; subsequent generations are more concerned with nding happiness and fulllment in their work lives. Young
workers in North America are now likely to change jobs
at a much higher rate than previously, as much as once every 4.4 years on average.[4][5] With this employment mobility comes a demand for dierent skills, ones that en- In 1981 the US Secretary of Education created the
able people to be exible and adaptable in dierent roles National Commission on Excellence in Education to examine the quality of education in the United States.[18]
or in dierent career elds.[6]
1

2 THE SKILLS

The commission issued its report A Nation at Risk: The noting three continuing trends that suggest the need for
Imperative for Educational Reform in 1983. A key nd- policy and pedagogical interventions:"[23]
ing was that educational reform should focus on the goal
of creating a Learning Society. [19] The reports recom The Participation Gap the unequal access to the
mendations included instructional content and skills:
opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge
that will prepare youth for full participation in the
Five New Basics: English, Mathematics, Science, Social
world of tomorrow.
Studies, Computer Science
Other Curriculum Matters: Develop prociency, rigor,
The Transparency Problem The challenges young
and skills in Foreign Languages, Performing Arts, Fine
people face in learning to see clearly the ways that
Arts, Vocational Studies, and the pursuit of higher level
media shape perceptions of the world.
education.
[20]
Skills and abilities (consolidated):
The Ethics Challenge The breakdown of traditional forms of professional training and socializa enthusiasm for learning
tion that might prepare young people for their increasingly public roles as media makers and com deep understanding
munity participants.
application of learning
examination, inquiry, critical thinking and reasoning Leaders in the business community and higher education have routinely identied the components of deeper
communication write well, listen eectively, dislearning as necessary for success in the increasingly concuss intelligently, be procient in a foreign language,
nected, fast-paced global economy,[24] although some cultural, social, and environmental - understanding times emphasizing a sub-set of knowledge and abilities and sometimes adding other competencies, such
and implications
as creativity or information technology skills. Accord technology understand the computer as an infor- ing to labor economists at MIT and Harvards Gradumation, computation, and communication device, ate School of Education, the economic changes brought
and the world of computers, electronics, and related about over the past four decades by emerging technology
technologies.
and globalization, employers demands for people with
diverse learning across a broad range - ne arts, per- competencies like complex thinking and communications
skills has increased greatly.[25] They argue that the sucforming arts, and vocational
cess of the U.S. economy will rely on the nations ability to
Subsequent notable eorts were conducted by the US give students the foundational skills in problem-solving
[26]
Secretary of Labors Commission on Achieving Neces- and communications that computers dont have.
sary Skills (SCANS), a national coalition called the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the international
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the American Association of College and Universities, researchers at MIT and other institutions of higher
learning, and private organizations.
Additional research has found that the top skills demanded by U.S. Fortune 500 companies by the year 2000
had shifted from traditional reading, writing and arithmetic to teamwork, problem solving, and interpersonal
skills.[21] A 2006 Conference Board survey of some 400
employers revealed that the most important skills for new
workforce entrants included oral and written communications and critical thinking/problem solving, ahead of
basic knowledge and skills, such as the reading comprehension and mathematics. The three Rs were still considered foundational to new workforce entrants abilities,
employers emphasized that applied skills like collaboration/teamwork and critical thinking were very important
to success at work.[22]

In 2010, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an

eort sponsored by the National Governors Association
(NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Ocers
(CCSSO), issued the Common Core Standards, calling
for the integration of 21st century skills into K-12 curricula across the United States.[27]

2 The skills

The skills and competencies that are generally considered 21st Century skills are varied but share some common themes. They are based on the premise that effective learning, or deeper learning, a set of student educational outcomes including acquisition of robust core
academic content, higher-order thinking skills, and learning dispositions. This pedagogy involves creating, working with others, analyzing, and presenting and sharing
both the learning experience and the learned knowledge
or wisdom, including to peers and mentors as well as
A 2006 report from MIT researchers countered the sug- teachers. This contrasts with more traditional learngestion that students acquire critical skills and competen- ing methodology that involves learning by rote and recies independently by interacting with popular culture, gurgitating info/knowledge back to the teacher for a

2.3

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)

grade. The skills are geared towards students and work- Workplace Competencies
ers to foster engagement; seeking, forging, and facilitating connections to knowledge, ideas, peers, instruc Resources: identies, organizes, plans, and allocates
tors, and wider audiences; creating creating/producing;
resources
and presenting/publishing. The classication or group Interpersonal: works with others (participates as
ing has been undertaken to encourage and promote pedmember of a team, teaches others new skills, serves
agogies that facilitate deeper learning through both tradiclients/customers, exercises leadership, negotiates,
tional instruction as well as active learning, project-based
works with diversity
learning, problem based learning, and others. A 2012
survey conducted by the American Management Asso Information: acquires and uses information (acciation (AMA) identied three top skills necessary for
quires and evaluates, organizes and maintains, and
their employees: critical thinking, communication and
interprets and communicates information; uses com[28]
collaboration.
Below are some of the more readily
puters to process information
identiable lists of 21st century skills.
Systems: understands complex inter-relationships
(understands systems, monitors and corrects perfor2.1 Common Core
mance, improves or designs systems)
The Common Core Standards issued in 2010 were in Technology: works with a variety of technologies
tended to support the application of knowledge through
(selects technology, applies technology to task, mainhigher-order thinking skills. The initiatives stated goals
tains and troubleshoots equipment)
are to promote the skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines and life
in the global economy. Skills identied for success in the 2.3 Partnership for 21st Century Skills
areas of literacy and mathematics:[29][30]
(P21)
cogent reasoning
evidence collection
critical-thinking, problem-solving, analytical
communication

2.2

SCANS

Following the release of A Nation at Risk, the U.S.

Secretary of Labor appointed the Secretarys Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) to determine the skills needed for young people to succeed
in the workplace to foster a high-performance economy.
SCANS focused on what they called learning a living
system. In 1991, they issued their initial report, What
Work Requires of Schools. The report concluded that a
high-performance workplace requires workers who have
key fundamental skills: basic skills and knowledge, thinking skills apply that knowledge, personal skills to manage
and perform; and ve key workplace competencies.[31]
Fundamental Skills
Basic Skills: reads, writes, performs arithmetic and
mathematical operations, listens and speaks.

In 2002 the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (now

the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, or P21) was
founded as a non-prot organization by a coalition that
included members of the national business community,
education leaders, and policymakers: the National Education Association (NEA), United States Department
of Education, AOL Time Warner Foundation, Apple
Computer, Inc., Cable in the Classroom, Cisco Systems,
Inc., Dell Computer Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, SAP, Ken Kay (President and Co-Founder), and
Dins Golder-Dardis.[32] To foster a national conversation
on the importance of 21st century skills for all students
and position 21st century readiness at the center of US
K-12 education, P21 identied six key skills:[32][33]
Core subjects.
21st century content.
Learning and thinking skills.
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
literacy.
Life skills.
21st century assessments.

Thinking Skills: thinks creatively, makes decisions,

senior fellows at
solves problems, visualizes, knows how to learn, and 7C Skills have been identied by P21 [11]
P21,
Bernie
Trilling
and
Charles
Fadel:
reasons
Personal Qualities: displays responsibility, selfesteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity
and honesty

Critical thinking and problem solving

Creativity and innovation

2 THE SKILLS
Cross-cultural understanding
Communications, information, and media literacy
Computing and ICT literacy

2.6 Participatory culture & new media literacies

Main article: Participatory culture

Researchers at MIT, led by Henry Jenkins, Director of

the Comparative Media Studies Program, in 2006 issued
a white paper (Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Cen2.4 The Four Cs
tury), that examined digital media and learning.[23] To
address this Digital Divide, they recommended an eort
Main article: Four Cs of 21st century learning
be made to develop the cultural competencies and social skills required to participate fully in modern society
The P21 organization also conducted research that iden- instead of merely advocating for installing computers in
tied deeper learning competencies and skills they called each classroom.[35] What they term participatory culture
the Four Cs of 21st century learning:
shifts this literacy from the individual level to a broader
connection and involvement, with the premise that networking and collaboration develop social skills that are
Collaboration
vital to new literacies. These in turn build on traditional
foundation skills and knowledge taught in school: tradi Communication
tional literacy, research, technical, and critical analysis
skills.
Critical thinking
Career and learning self-reliance

Participatory culture is dened by this study as having:

low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement,
strong support for creating and sharing ones creations,
The University of Southern California's Project New Lit- informal mentorship, belief that members own contributions matter, and social connection (caring what other
eracies website list four dierent C skills:[23]
people think about their creations).[23] Forms of participatory culture include:[23]
Create
Creativity

Circulate
Connect
Collaborate

2.5

7 Survival Skills

In 2008, author and Harvard Graduate School of Education researcher Tony Wagner identied what he
termed the 7 Survival Skills needed for the modern
workplace:[34]
Critical thinking and problem solving
Collaboration
Agility and adaptability
Initiative and entrepreneurialism
Eective oral and written communication

Aliations memberships, formal and informal, in

online communities centered around various forms of
media, such as message boards, metagaming, game
clans, and other social media).
Expressions producing new creative forms, such
as digital sampling, skinning and modding, fan
videomaking, fan ction writing, zines, mash-ups.
Collaborative Problem-solving working together
in teams, formal and informal, to complete tasks and
develop new knowledge (such as through Wikipedia,
alternative reality gaming, spoiling).
Circulations shaping the ow of media (such as
podcasting, blogging).
The skills identied were:[1]
Play
Simulation
Appropriation
Multitasking

Accessing and analyzing information

Distributed Cognition

Curiosity and imagination

Collective Intelligence

2.9

American Association of College and Universities

Judgment
Transmedia Navigation
Networking
Negotiation
A 2005 study (Lenhardt & Madden) found that more
than one-half of all teens have created media content,
and roughly one third of teens who use the Internet have
shared content they produced, indicating a high degree
of involvement in participatory cultures.[23] Such digital
literacies emphasize the intellectual activities of a person
working with sophisticated information communications
technology, not on prociency with the tool.[1][36]

2.7

EnGauge 21st century skills

2.9 American Association of College and

Universities
The AAC&U conducted several studies and surveys of
their members. In 2007 they recommended that graduates of higher education attain four skills - The Essential
Learning Outcomes:[38]
Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and
Natural World
Intellectual and Practical Skills
Personal and Social Responsibility
Integrative Learning
They found that skills most widely addressed in college
and university goals are:[39]

writing
In 2003 the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and the Metiri Group issued a report entitled en critical thinking
Gauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age
based on two years of research. The report called for
quantitative reasoning
policymakers and educators to dene 21st century skills,
oral communication
highlight the relationship of those skills to conventional
academic standards, and recognize the need for multiple
intercultural skills
assessments to measure and evaluate these skills within
the context of academic standards and the current tech information literacy
nological and global society.[37] To provide a common un ethical reasoning
derstanding of, and language for discussing, the needs of
students, citizens, and workers in a modern digital society, the report identied four skill clusters":
A 2015 survey of AAC&U member institutions added
the following goals:
Digital-Age Literacy
analytic reasoning
Inventive Thinking
research skills and projects
Eective Communication
integration of learning across disciplines
High Productivity
application of learning beyond the classroom

2.8

OECD competencies

In 1997, member countries of the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development launched the
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
to monitor the extent to which students near the end of
compulsory schooling have acquired the knowledge and
skills essential for full participation in society.[8] In 2005
they identied three Competency Categories:"
Using Tools Interactively
Interacting in Heterogeneous Groups
Acting Autonomously

civic engagement and competence

2.10 ISTE / NETS performance standards

The ISTE Educational Technology Standards (formerly National Educational Technology Standards
(NETS)) are a set of standards published by the
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
to leverage the use of technology in K-12 education.[40][41] These are sometimes intermixed with information and communication technologies (ICT) skills. In
2007 NETS issued a series of six performance indicators
(only the rst four are on their website as of 2016):
Creativity and Innovation

5
Communication and Collaboration
Research and Information Fluency
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision
Making
Digital Citizenship
Technology Operations and Concepts

2.11 ICT Literacy Panel digital literacy

standards (2007)
In 2007 the Educational Testing Service (ETS) ICT Literacy Panel released its digital literacy standards:[42]

REFERENCES

In 2009, Dede created a category system for Web 2.0

tools:[1]
Sharing (communal bookmarking, photo/video
sharing, social networking, writers workshops/fanction)
Thinking (blogs, podcasts, online discussion fora)
Co-Creating (wikis/collaborative le creation,
mashups/collective media creation, collaborative
social change communities)

3 Implementation

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Multiple agencies and organizations have issued guides
prociencies:
and recommendation for implementation of 21st century skills in schools. These include ve separate
educational areas: standards, assessment, professional
Cognitive prociency
development, curriculum & instruction, and learning
Technical prociency
environments.[43][44]
ICT prociency
A person possessing these skills would be expected
to perform these tasks for a particular set of information: access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create/publish/present. The emphasis is on prociency with
digital tools.[42]

2.12 Dede learning styles and categories

In 2005, Chris Dede of the Harvard Graduate School of
Education developed a framework based on new digital
literacies entitled
Neomillennial Learning Styles:[1]
Fluency in multiple media
Active learning based on collectively seeking, sieving, and synthesizing experiences.
Expression through non-linear, associational webs
of representations.
Co-design by teachers and students of personalized
learning experiences.
Dede category system
With the exponential expansion of personal access to Internet resources, including social media, information and
content on the Internet has evolved from being created by
website providers to individuals and communities of contributors. The 21st century Internet centered on material
created by a small number of people, Web 2.0 tools (e.g.
Wikipedia) foster online communication, collaboration,
and creation of content by large numbers of people (individually or in groups) in online communities.[1]

The designs of learning environments and curricula have

been impacted by the initiatives and eorts to implement and support 21st century skills with a move away
from the factory model school model.[45][46] Hands-on
learning project-based learning have resulted in the development of programs and spaces such as STEM and
makerspaces. Collaborative learning environments have
fostered exibility in furniture and classroom layout as
well as dierentiated spaces, such as small seminar rooms
near classrooms. Literacy with, and access to, digital technology has impacted the design of furniture and
xed components as students and teachers use tablets,
interactive whiteboards and interactive projectors. Classroom sizes have grown to accommodate a variety of furniture arrangements and grouping, many of which are less
space-ecient than traditional congurations of desks in
rows.[47]

4 See also
Applied academics
Design-based learning
STEM elds

5 References
[1] Chris Dede, Comparing Frameworks for 21st Century
Skills, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2009. Retrieved 2016-03-09
[2] Stedman Graham, Preparing for the 21st Century: Soft
Skills Matter, Hungton Post, April 26, 2015. Retrieved
2016-03-16

[3] Larry Cuban, Content vs. skills in high schools - 21st century arguments echo 19th century conicts, November 3,
2015. Retrieved 2016-03-12

[24] Riddell, Roger (August 8, 2014). Is STEM enough to

prepare students for tomorrows workforce?". Education
Dive. Education Dive.

[4] Job-hopping is the new normal for millennials, Forbes

Magazine, August 14, 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-12

[25] Murnane, Richard J.; Levy, Frank (1996). Teaching the

New Basic Skills: Principles for Educating Children to
Thrive in a Changing Economy. New York: Free Press.

[5] Are millennials more likely to switch jobs and employers,

Psychology Today, March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2016-0312

[26] Levy, Frank; Murnane, Richard. Dancing with Robots:

Human Skills for Computerized Work (PDF). Third Way.

[6] Career changers - 4 tips to determine if your skills are

transferable, Forbes Magazine, April 28, 2014. Retrieved
2016-03-12
[7] Futurework - Trends and Challenges for work in the 21st
century, US Department of Labor report, Chapter 4. Retrieved 2016-03-12

[27] Frequently Asked Questions. Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
[28] Critical Skills Survey (PDF). New York: American Management Association. 2012.
[29] Common Core Initiative - Read the Standards. Retrieved
2016-03-09

[8] The Denition and Selection of Key Competencies, OECD,

2005. Retrieved 2016-03-08

[30] Common Core Initiative - Literacy Standards. Retrieved

2016-03-09

[9] 21st-century-workplaces Attitudinal Skills for 21st century

workplaces, Arbora. Retrieved 2016-03-12

[31] SCANS report 1991. Retrieved 2016-03-08

[10] Soft Skills in Big Demand, Education Week, March 8,

2016. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[32] P21 Our History. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[33] P21 Skills. Retrieved 2016-03-09
[34] Tony Wagner, 7 Survival Skills. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[11] Trilling, Bernie and Fadel, Charles: 21st Century Skills:

Learning for Life in Our Times, Jossey-Bass (publisher),
2009. ISBN 978-0-470-55362-6. Retrieved 2016-03-13
[12] C21 - A Parents Guide to 21st century learning. Retrieved 2016-03-13
[13] Canadians for 21st century learning and innovation. Retrieved 2016-03-13
[14] 21st Century Learning Alliance. Retrieved 2016-03-13

[35] New Media Literacies webpage. Retrieved 2016-03-08

[36] Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, Henry Jenkins. Retrieved 2016-03-09
[37] enGuage 21st Century Skills. Retrieved 2016-03-08
[38] Talking Points: AAC&U 2009 Member Survey Findings .
Retrieved 2016-03-10

[15] New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Retrieved 2016-03-13

[39] AAC&U - Recent Trends in General Education Design,

Learning Outcomes, and Teaching Approaches, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-10

[16] APEC Human Resources Development Working Group.

Retrieved 2016-03-13

[40] NETS Project(2007). National Educational Technology

Standards for Students. ISTE. ISBN 978-1-56484-237-4.

[17] What should student learn in the 21st century? Charles

Fadel, Education and Skills Today, May 18, 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-12

[41] ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[18] Nation at Risk, introduction Retrieved 2016-03-09

[42] Digital Transformation - A Framework for ICT Literacy.

International ICT Literacy Panel. 2007. Retrieved 201603-08

[19] Nation at Risk. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[43] P21 implementation guide. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[20] Nation at Risk, recommendations. Retrieved 2016-03-09

[44] Hanover Research, Best Practices in Implementing 21st

Century Skills Initiatives. Retrieved 2016-03-11

[21] Cassel, R.N.; Kolstad, R. (1998). The critical job-skills

requirements for the 21st century: Living and working
with people. Journal of Instructional Psychology 25 (3):
176180.
[22] Are They Ready to Work? Employers Perspectives on the
Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the
21st Century U.S. Workforce (PDF). Washington, D.C.:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 2006.
[23] Jenkins. Retrieved 2016-03-07

[45] NEA 21st-Century Learner, summer 2011. Retrieved

2016-03-11
[46] Top 10 Characteristics of a 21st Century Classroom, Ed
Tech Review, 20 December 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-11
[47] Making 21st Century Schools - Creating LearnerCentered Schoolplaces/Workplaces for a New Culture
of Students at Work, Bob Pearlman, EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY/SeptemberOctober 2009. Retrieved
2016-03-11

External links
edorigami - 21st Century Learning Spaces
Seven Survival Skills
Chris Dede, Comparing Frameworks for 21st Century Skills, Harvard Graduate School, July 1009.
How Do You Dene 21st-Century Learning?
Making 21st Century Schools - Creating LearnerCentered Schoolplaces/Workplaces for a New Culture of Students at Work, Bob Pearlman
About eSTEM

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