We’ve heard a lot about 21st Century Skills, 21st Century learning but what are they really?
Names aplenty rattle off the tongue such as creative thinking, analytical skills and problem-based learning.
But when learning takes place without a purposeful end-in-mind to better the lives of people with all that learning sounds hollow.
Learning when applied feeds on a virtuous feedback loop of change, improvements, and further perfections.
When students are empowered for social change, we see 21st century learning at its very best.
This happened in SoCh when students from 18 schools come together to share ideas of how they can promote social changes. Ideas range from flushing and switch-off reminders, to a 30 sec fame a la Hyde Park speech in the school canteen during recess to speak on any theme.
We also witnessed how students from YES (Youth Entrepreneurship Skills) Program in Singapore of varying academic abilities who, when given free rein to design ideas for change, were self-motivated and passionate.
It’s problem-solving, problem-based learning and creative thinking combined with hard skills in marketing, design, sales and money sense all rolled into one.
The key really is empowerment – to equip students with bite-sized modules, with real-world extensions of English, Mathematics, Design subjects learnt in schools, each followed with immediate self-practice and reflection, under the watchful eyes of an mentor. English becomes an elevator pitch, Mathematics becomes net and gross, and Design knowledge becomes a 3D prototyping prerequisite.
In short, learning is most effective when it has meaning in the real-world.
Richard Branson sums it up best :
“You learn by doing” and “It’s important that people learn net and gross and how Tesco, Virgin or Apple works. Some of the things people learn at school are not particularly relevant when they leave school. “
Names aplenty rattle off the tongue such as creative thinking, analytical skills and problem-based learning.
But when learning takes place without a purposeful end-in-mind to better the lives of people with all that learning sounds hollow.
Learning when applied feeds on a virtuous feedback loop of change, improvements, and further perfections.
When students are empowered for social change, we see 21st century learning at its very best.
This happened in SoCh when students from 18 schools come together to share ideas of how they can promote social changes. Ideas range from flushing and switch-off reminders, to a 30 sec fame a la Hyde Park speech in the school canteen during recess to speak on any theme.
We also witnessed how students from YES (Youth Entrepreneurship Skills) Program in Singapore of varying academic abilities who, when given free rein to design ideas for change, were self-motivated and passionate.
It’s problem-solving, problem-based learning and creative thinking combined with hard skills in marketing, design, sales and money sense all rolled into one.
The key really is empowerment – to equip students with bite-sized modules, with real-world extensions of English, Mathematics, Design subjects learnt in schools, each followed with immediate self-practice and reflection, under the watchful eyes of an mentor. English becomes an elevator pitch, Mathematics becomes net and gross, and Design knowledge becomes a 3D prototyping prerequisite.
In short, learning is most effective when it has meaning in the real-world.
Richard Branson sums it up best :
“You learn by doing” and “It’s important that people learn net and gross and how Tesco, Virgin or Apple works. Some of the things people learn at school are not particularly relevant when they leave school. “
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