The times forced us to continue to follow everything at that
time, as well as education which also followed the progress of the times. From
the beginning of human civilization until now in the 21st century, human life
continues to develop. Take a look at the image below:
Early human civilization lived side by side with nature, relying on hunting animals and looking for other foodstuffs.
Agrarian Society
around 13,000 BC humans began to develop ways of farming in order to survive in uncertain situations and produce the desired crop or material.
Industrial Society
At the end of the 18th century, steam-powered machines were introduced which helped humans move a lot, and also in industry which began to use steam engines to make it easier to produce goods in large quantities.
Information Society
In the mid-20th century, computers began to be used to facilitate human life, from the industrial sector to the dissemination of information.
Super Smart Society
and from the middle of the 21st century until now we are in the era of super smart society whose generations were born side by side with technology. This generation has a very open mind and can easily get information from various sources, using technology in every activity makes this generation called native technology.
The world of work and communication is changing rapidly. As teachers we need to prepare our secondary learners with the 21st-century skills they need to thrive in today’s digital and globalized society.
Here are seven essential 21st-century skills your teenage
students need to learn and some ideas about how to teach them.
1. Critical Thinking
One of the most important 21st century skills to teach our
learners is how to think critically. With so much information available online,
it’s crucial that young people analyze, question and challenge what
they are being told. They should remain open-minded, evaluate
situations and think outside the box when approaching
tasks.
Encourage critical thinking in class by having
students predict what is going to happen in a reading or listening
activity, giving them challenging problems to solve, using
a variety of games and puzzles and asking questions with
multiple answers.
You could also try class debates where
learners have to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the different
scenarios before starting.
These opportunities will make learning more exciting, help
create a classroom culture where asking questions is positive and also arouse
students’ curiosity.
2. Communication
Communication is the skill many students find challenging to
acquire, especially in a second language, so it’s essential you give them
plenty of practice.
Good communicators will not only speak English more clearly
and confidently, they’ll also excel outside of the class when it comes to
studying, working or traveling.
Learners need to be able to express their opinions on
a range of subjects, make themselves understood to others
and work well in groups.
At the start of a course, try making a set of
‘communication rules’, which all the students should agree to follow.
Include things like, only speaking in English or listening
to others when they are talking.
Ensure that your students listen carefully to their
partners by having them face each other when working in pairs, provide
them with speaking frames to help them formulate their ideas,
and use authentic audio and video materials as much as
possible.
3. Collaboration
This skill links nicely with communication, as good
collaborators work effectively with others to achieve a common goal. Learning
how to take turns, respecting other people’s opinions
and being a good team player is vital for the success of your
class.
Teamwork skills will also help students when they leave
school and find jobs, as many of them will have to work with people from
different backgrounds or cultures.
Include pair work, group work, and
collaborative projects frequently in your lessons, making sure
to vary who students work with so that they can collaborate
with different types of people.
Also try assigning different roles to students when
working in groups, so that everyone gets a chance to be the leader and doesn’t
feel left out.
Doing team building activities at the
beginning of a course will also help break down barriers and make students
feel more comfortable with their new classmates.
4. Creativity
Everyone has a creative side – they just might not know it
yet! It’s your role as a teacher to help students explore their creativity and
stimulate their imaginations.
Similar to critical thinking, students should be encouraged
to think of new and innovative ways to solve problems. As well
helping them in their other subjects at school, it will also benefit them when
entering higher education or the workplace.
Traditional arts and crafts are a good place to
start, but there are many other things you can do in class to boost creativity.
One idea is to give students some random objects from around
your house (or around the school) and get them to come up with weird and
wonderful new uses for them. You can also spend time in class listening
to music, singing songs and reading poetry. You can also include drama in
your lessons and put on a class show once a term.
Whatever you do, you should praise students for the things
they do well and draw attention to positive behavior and actions in
class. By taking the focus off negative things in class, you’ll create an
environment where errors are acceptable and your students won’t be afraid of
making mistakes.
5. Cultural Awareness
More than ever, we are living and working in multicultural
environments. Learners need to be able to understand the differences
between themselves and people from other countries who have different
cultures or traditions.
Developing respect and understanding for others will
help students find common ground with anyone they meet, whether it’s at school
or later when they are studying, working or traveling.
You can create cultural awareness among your students
by using authentic materials whenever possible. One way to do
this is to watch videos that show life in other countries or regions and
always try to expose students to different cultures around the world;
including their music, clothes, food, traditions and beliefs.
You could do this bringing in speakers from other countries
to speak to the class, having a class charity which helps people from abroad or
even simply having students research a country and hen give a presentation to
the rest of the class about what they discovered.
6. Digital Literacy
Although it’s getting to the point where our teenage
learners have a better understanding of the digital world than we do, it’s
important to use technology in our classes so that our
students are engaged and motivated to learn.
We need to remember that many of the younger generations do
not know a life without Google, social media or smartphones. It’s therefore
important that the way we teach reflects this.
Incorporate
smartphones into your classes to research projects, check
definitions of words or play interactive quizzes like Kahoot. Use interactive whiteboards or
projectors to show authentic videos or have students make their own.
If you are worried about your students chatting to friends
or getting distracted by this technology during your class, you can try giving
them a 30 second technology break in the middle of the lesson where they can
check their notifications.
It’s also crucial that we encourage learners to use
technology safely, educate them on the potential dangers they face online and
teach them about what information or websites they can trust.
7. Autonomy
Many young people study English because it’s part of the
school curriculum, or it might be that their parents have signed them up for
extracurricular classes. Unfortunately, this often causes a lack of motivation
among teenagers.
It’s therefore important to personalize your classes.
Speak to your teenage students about the benefits of learning English and how
it will help them in the future when studying, traveling or looking for a job.
You should also give students a choice in class.
Like adults, teenagers like to be trusted and given the responsibility to make
their own decisions. Let them decide between homework tasks or
even the type of activity they are going to do next.
Also have them come up with the class rules and even get
them to include one or two for you. You will soon see that the more independent
learners they become, the more ownership they’ll take for their
learning.
What Does Digital Literacy Involve
So digital literacy is important. But which technical
skills employers are after. And more importantly — how do I present
them on my resume? Here are four digital literacy examples you should
consider.
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