A Changing World Demands Changing Skills

As a student, I received a traditional education comprised of isolated topics taught through obsolete teaching strategies. I have not used the words “obsolete” and “isolated” because the knowledge and skills were outdated and ineffective for our time (Reimers, 2009) but because I realised that they cannot support us as adults and functional members of our communities now. I had to unlearn and relearn many skills and update my knowledge according to the world I live in today. The good news is, now we have realised that instructors must not only prepare students with the skills they need today but they must also prepare for the future where they would be living their actual lives. The world continues to change, it is a dynamic process. I support the claim that the “changing world demands changing skills” and we need to make our teaching and learning flexible and multi-dimensional to support these changes.

The world we live in today demands us to work with rapidly changing technology, experience the interconnectedness of human-made systems, adjust to economic and social challenges and accept new forms of employment (McGivney & Winthrop, 2016). You could not imagine a society twenty years ago with social media influencers and business psychologists, now, our children have an array of pressing or new occupations to consider, such as environmental scientists, YouTubers, nanotechnologists, organic food producers and waste management consultants (Bukszpan, 2012). Social entrepreneurship is more in demand than private jobs, people have opened up small businesses in the blooming economic world. As an educator, I no longer feel the need to teach students to memorize facts and regurgitate them, I want them to practice and develop skills that can be transferred in novel situations throughout their lives. I want them to extend their thinking beyond the reception of information and develop connections between ideas, challenge their thinking process and adjust their learning (Mansilla & Jackson, 2013). I want them to make the reflection and action spiral larger and larger throughout their lives by continuously accommodating new information into their schemas and acknowledging that change is the new normal.

Indeed, the fast-growing and transforming world requires three-dimensional learning where skills and attitudes such as “teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence, and creativity” are equally significant as the depth of knowledge “rooted in academic competencies such as literacy, numeracy and science” (McGivney & Winthrop, 2016, para. 4). The overlapping and interconnected nature of social, research, thinking, self-management and communication skills make the process of learning dual coded; declarative and procedural. We need to remember that learning experiences are used to stimulate and develop connections between various parts of students' young brains, not overfill their long-term memories with information. Sharpening of senses and social/emotional intelligence are skills far more critical to thrive in an ever-changing world.

In addition, “planetary challenges such as climate change, health epidemics, global poverty, global economic recessions and trade imbalances, assaults on human rights, terrorism, political instability, and international conflicts” (Reimers, 2009, para. 2) have moved us to introduce concepts into our curriculum that help develop sustainable thinking in our students. Teaching concepts like conflict, conservation, consumption, sustainability, diversity, action, peace, systems and exploitation are far more effective and critical than memorizing historical facts and chemical equations. Thus, “global competence” is required for growing global interdependence as the citizens of this globe share the progress and challenges and live interconnected lives through the changing dynamics of employment, cultures, societies, technologies and economy (Mansilla & Jackson, 2011). This global competence requires our students to act as magpies and adorn their minds with handpicked knowledge, equip their toolboxes with the latest skills that they can use to take action and solve problems in their local and global communities.

Also, as an educator, I consider the “what, why and how” of my curriculum and instruction. The purpose of learning and teaching must define the outcomes (Sinek, 2009). If my purpose is to transfer information to my students, I won’t be able to make an impact on my learning community, however, if I design my instruction to inspire young minds and make them capable of taking initiative, I have succeeded in helping to prepare them for the future. Commitment, perseverance, empathy and self-awareness are the secret ingredients of 21st-century teaching and learning (What Is Global Competence? n.d.) Maintaining our identities while working alongside multicultural workforces, acknowledging the challenges faced by people in conflict zones and migrants, and designing solutions to the environmental, technological and economic changes require specific attitudes that support us and our students to use the right tools in adverse times.

Bukszpan, D. (2012, January 4). 21st Century Jobs. CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2012/01/04/21st-Century-Jobs.html

Mansilla, V. B., & Jackson, A. (2013). Educating for global competence: Learning redefined for an interconnected world.

In H. Jacobs (Ed.), Mastering Global Literacy (5-27). New York: Solution Tree. Retrieved from http://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Educating%20for%20Global%20Competence%20Short%20HHJ.pdf

Mansilla, V., & Jackson, A. (2011). Educating for global competence. New York, NY: Asia Society. Retrieved from https://asiasociety.org/files/book-globalcompetence.pdf

McGivney, E., & Winthrop, R. (2016, May 19). Skills for a changing world: Advancing quality learning for vibrant societies.

Brookings; Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/research/skills-for-a-changing-world/
Reimers, F. M. (2009).

Leading for Global Competency - Educational Leadership. Www.ascd.org. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Leading-for-Global-Competency.aspx

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. New York, N.Y.: Portfolio. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action/transcript?language=en

What Is Global Competence? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.worldsavvy.org/our-approach/global-competence/.

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