AUGUST 20189skill-based approach and is moving towards it too. The 4 C's of 21st-century skills - Collab-oration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity - are the parameters K-12 ed-ucators have to facilitate in a way that all stu-dents turn out to be leaders in their respective fields, and can apply the knowledge and not just remember.The challenge will be to align the curriculum with these skills. So, how do schools do it or how does it look like?4 C's and Schools Doing it RightThe 21st-century skills are viewed as the basis for our students' future achievements. These all won by a con-siderable margin vote from the instruction experts who have given their contemplations on why they feel these skills are generally essential. When teachers discuss these skills, they often ask - What do these 21st-century abilities look like in the classroom, and how would we gauge them?Creativity and Innovation: Students will be required to think and work creatively in this digital era. You ask your students what they want to create and you will face a long pause and confusions. This is because they know what to do with what is built but fail at ideating from scratch. This is why creativity is essential. You will need more people to think out of the box and analyse the problem to fix it. In schools like Blue School, as a part of the curricu-lum, kids in grades 2 to 8 come up with ways to improve recycling, create 3D models of New York City, and fix home appliances. They gain intimacy with real-world problems that few kids are exposed to when learning their time-table with flashcards.Critical Thinking and Problem SolvingNo teacher would ever be able to go to their class and say: Today, we are going to learn critical thinking. It can never be a taught, its a skill that can be inculcated. Critical thinking training is becoming a common prac-tice in the workplace to help develop employees' inno-vation skills. To address the future require-ments, schools are now weaving it in with the syllabus. In some schools, kids turn everyday ob-jects into circuit boards and learn 3D mod-elling to build playhouses, learning to solve problems practically. They address real-life issues as a part of Math-project learning. CommunicationAs simple as it sounds, communication is one of the most significant areas of concern for the modern-workforce. Students often fail to articulate their thoughts and are trapped in a "communication gap". Hence, it is vital to impart communication skills to students.Like School 21 does! Every year it organises "Ignite"- a culmination of a year's worth of work, effort, and learning. This annual event culminates in pupils writing, redrafting and performing an `Ignite' speech, a five-minute presentation in which a set of 20 slides advance automatically every fifteen seconds while the speaker is talking. Ushering children incrementally, year by year, to understand the process of creation, delivery, and ulti-mately eloquence, Ignite speeches move students be-yond merely giving them a platform to speak and to be listened to, but empowers them to know how and why they should use their voice.Collaboration: The Internet has bridged the dis-tance between people. Today, I can speak or listen to any educator via the internet. It is a practice to communicate and market for global demographics instantaneously and effectively.Platforms like "Skype a Scientist" is the prime example of exceptional collaboration. Skype, a Scientist, matches scientists with classrooms around the world! Scientists will Skype into the classroom for 30-60 minute Q and A sessions that can cover the scientist's expertise or what it's like to be a scientist.Final TakeawayIf this is not breaking the barriers of classrooms, I don't know what is. So, you cannot deny that this is the beginning of the end of the traditional teaching-learning system. While there are schools in the west that are geared-up for this disruption, we still are lacking the spirit in general. I leave it to you, to tell me if you had a chance, what will 13-year-old you would want in her school? What will your day in school be like now? As simple as it sounds, communication is one of the most significant areas of concern for the modern-workforceAditya Shah
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