What Makes Us Different?
Intellectual capital is the driving force of the 21st century. Political, social and economic progress in this millennium will depend on the intellectual potential of future generations of young people. The skills students are being taught, the manner in which they are taught and the necessity to refresh their skills should, thus, come as no surprise. The urgency for workers to expand their skill sets in order to meet the requirements of the 21st century is apparent, given the number of reports from various sources calling for immediate action.
By illustrating common definitions and scenarios in relation to the skills students and workers workers need to possess in the emerging digital age, the list serves as a bridge between the public, business and educational sector. In order to prepare themselves properly, students should acquire their skills and competences within the framework of contemporary skills. The ability of students to implement their skills in the digital age as well as objective skill assessments will determine whether the children of today are ready to live, study, work and serve society in a digital environment.
The current and the future state of global economy as well as that of individual nations depends on the level of proficiency young people attain in this new kind of literacy – the literacy of the 21st century. Being literate in the 21st century means that you have excellent academic skills, that you can think about and comprehend content, that you can work in a team and that you know how to use technology.
In order to progress in a digital economy, students will have to acquire the skills of the digital age. The educational system should keep up with these changes in order to successfully prepare its students for the world outside the classroom. The educational system should understand and accept the 21st-century skills into its academic standards. In other words, schools should implement the aforementioned skills into their programmes.
The framework for education in the 21st century demonstrates a holistic approach to teaching, which combines the discrete focus on learning objectives (a set of specific skills, substantial knowledge, competence and literacy) with innovative systems which enable students to master multidimensional 21st century skills.
These are what many people believe to be the most important skills when it comes to being successful in the 21st century.
Literacy in the Digital Age – The Basic Requirements of Today
As society changes, the skills needed to perform complex functions also change. In the early years of the 20th century, people who knew how to read, write and do basic maths were considered to be literate. Only in recent years has the educational system come to expect students to be able to read critically, write convincingly, think logically and solve complex mathematical and scientific problems. Students are expected to master computer and media literacy. They have to know how to analyse, access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create information in various media.
Visual and Information Literacy
The increased use of graphic tools has resulted from the fact that the Internet uses a graphic interface and that audio, video and data have been transferred into the digital format. Digital cameras, graphics, videos, photo standards and other such advanced technologies enable users to convey their ideas through images. Students need good visualisation skills in order to interpret images, spot patterns and communicate via images. Information literacy refers to the effective and efficient access to information, the evaluation of information in critical manner and the use of information in an accurate and creative fashion.
Cultural Literacy and Global Awareness
The world has been networking at great speed and trade globalisation has increased the need for cultural literacy. In a global economy, where interaction, partnership and global competition are highly regarded, there is a greater need for knowledge, understanding and respect among cultures, including the cultures which have been established as norms in the tech world, e.g. virtual reality
Creative Thinking – Intellectual Capital
Adaptability/managing complexity and self-direction
The interconnectivity of today’s world has brought about an unprecedented complexity. Globalisation and the Internet are very complex and they accelerate the changes in the world. In such an environment, individuals are required to independently identify change and react to it – self-actualised students will learn how to analyse and identify new conditions, as well as the skills necessary for managing them. They must be able to consider alternative plans, anticipate change and understand the way elements within the system are connected
Curiosity, Creativity and Risk
Future professionals are expected to adapt to an ever-changing environment. This life-long learning process requires one to be curious about the world and the way it works. Researches have now discovered that intellectual efforts can change a person’s brain structure. They discovered a correlation between the amount of experience a person gathers in complex environments and the changes to his brain structure. Curiosity enables lifelong learning, as it contributes to the quality of life and the intellectual capital of a nation. It is also important to take risks – without this, there would be fewer discoveries and inventions and learning would rarely take place.