Global Survival Skills

Our children today live in an environment, which demands educational experiences to help them cope and succeed in a rapidly challenging global society. This in turn demands that as educators, we examine and tend to the practical ends and means of their educational experience. Harvard professor and researcher Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap questions whether conventional curriculums in the United States pay sufficient attention to what other researchers have named 21st. Century skills. He posits seven “survival” skills that our children will need in order to engage, succeed and excel in their future environments.

1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
2. Collaboration (including across networks) and leadership by influence rather than authority
3. Agility & Adaptability
4. Initiative & Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication
6. Accessing & Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity & Imagination

In his research Wagner gives examples of countries that understand the importance of education to their social and economic futures. One example is Singapore, whose educational motto is: Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. To quote from Singapore’s Education Reform Movement: Thinking Schools will be learning organizations in every sense, constantly challenging assumptions, and seeking better ways of doing things through participation, creativity and innovation. Thinking schools will be the cradle of thinking students as well as thinking adults and this spirit of learning should accompany our students even after they leave school.

This is the kind of learning community we should be developing in our schools: where teachers engage in collaborative and reflective learning and in turn provide learning opportunities through teaming and collaboration in the classroom; where questions are asked and welcomed and used to influence, reason and promote thinking and deep understandings; where teachers and children are both encouraged, supported, empowered and motivated to be the best they can be.