When the new millennium approached, the world was a very different place. Email was just taking off, mobile phones were emerging and fears of the millennium bug were rife.
In conjunction with this changing world, much thought was given to what the new skills would be for the 21st century.
In the US, this led to the formation of something called the . This partnership brought together a raft of organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), private companies and high-profile individuals, to consider this question.
The outcome of that work was a push for what they dubbed the “4Cs” of 21st-century skills: collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.
You’ve no doubt heard all of these skills, and many others, referred to as 21st-century skills since then - sometimes referred to as “soft skills”, too.
25 years on
Indeed, it is now commonplace for many schools, especially internationally, to boast of 21st-century skills as a core component of their provision.
Yet, it’s worth reflecting on this. We are a quarter of the way into the 21st century. Are such “skills” and the teaching of them really something that should be sold as an innovation or unique feature? Should they not be embedded as standard by now?
Or perhaps, it is right we still see it as something novel - after all, I’m sure many educators would question whether the curriculum they teach, or how their school interprets it, reflects the modern era.
What comes next?
What’s more, while we may only be 25 years into this century, is it time we started thinking further ahead - to 22nd-century skills?
Some are already. For example, Dru Tomlin with the Association for Middle Level Education (ALME) has already suggested the ”” as care, culture, community and connection.
Certainly, these skills are increasingly seen as more valuable in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, when humankind re-evaluated what mattered most in life. And they seem all the more prescient, given that they were written before that world-changing event took place.
And with artificial intelligence threatening to upend just about all industries beyond those that rely on quintessential human work - caring, nursing, education - the choices seem especially apt.
Skills for future work
And, of course, we cannot overlook technological skills in this.
Indeed, a recent World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report, covered by Tes, emphasised how technology skills would continue to be a pressing need in many areas of society.
This is no surprise. Much of the past 25 years has been about the mix of those “new” 21st-century skills being integrated alongside the rise of technology.
Consider the skills of the 21st-century ‘natives’. They are a generation full of creative endeavour, often run through social networks or apps; they communicate openly about wellbeing; they collaborate globally online; and they, perhaps an unintended consequence of the original architects, have created a legacy of critical thinking that means many mainstream systems and narratives are now being questioned like never before.
The rise of AI may only accelerate these trends - but whether for good or ill is another matter. It is certainly not hard to picture an AI elite forming who access, use and control these tools - and another, large trance of humans, left disadvantaged by this.
Skills for equity
Is that what we want for the future? I would argue only a select few at the very top would truly consider that a just outcome.
Instead, if we are to look to the future with hope in education, I would suggest we need to consider a different set of “Cs” that all of us have it in our power to focus on and deliver:
- Consideration: Contemplate the impact of the work, project and actions on people and the planet, with mindfulness and high levels of emotional intelligence.
- Commitment: In this era of a 30-second-scrolling, too-long-didn’t-read (TLDR) generation - commit to seeing through a role or task with resilience and not quitting, but working hard to ensure some form of a successful outcome.
- Character: Be nice. Have good manners. It sounds obvious but the anonymity of social media, the petulance and arrogance of both young persons and adults in blocking others who may disagree with you, and the “ease” of keyboard spite all reflect poor conduct.
- Charity: Often those with so little give so much. This needs to change. Those with the means to donate time, money or even teach others and share knowledge, such as how to improve a skill, are all worthy acts of charity to help build a global community in service to others.
That would seem like ideals truly fit for this century - whatever changes occur.
Kausor Amin-Ali is the principal of Frontline International School in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and chair of governors at Robert Miles Infant School in Bingham in the UK. He is also the author of A-Z of School Leadership; A-Z of Teaching and more recentlyA-Z of Learning.
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