A1: It's a great question. What's the big deal about 21st century skills? If they were so important, why don't schools teach them? That's actually a really great point, so let me give you the expert answer. I have 20+ years of experience inside the K12 system. I started my career in the classroom as a teacher, earned my Masters and came back to become a certified principal, superintendent and school business administrator. When I started in education, I thought the same thing. What's the big deal about 21st century skills? And the reason I thought that was because I didn't learn these skills in school and since I am a highly successful person - The answer is "I don't need 21st century skills!"
But I was wrong, and here's why?
Not to brag or anything, but I was smarter than 99% of the teachers that tried to teach me. The better teachers recognized that I didn't need them to go through a book with me. If they handed me a book, I could read it faster than they could teach it in class. I could also understand 90% of it on my own. All I needed was for the teacher to answer my questions, when I had them. And that wasn't often. But here's the point. School doesn't teach 21st century skills. Thus, I can't say I don't need 21st century skills, since I never learned them in school.
It would be like saying I don't need to take vitamins because no one ever gave me vitamins to take. Just because you were never got something, doesn't mean they aren't good for you. The same goes with 21st century skills. Just because schools don't teach them, doesn't mean you don't need them.
Here's why you need to learn 21st century skills.
I only realized this when I became a principal and then a superintendent. And the reason it took me that long to realize this was because teachers don't look at the BIG PICTURE. Teachers are focused on helping their students do well in class, and a teacher will teach whatever the district chooses as the curriculum. Teachers don't like to admit this, but if a K12 district wanted to put racist or Nazi propaganda into the curriculum, teachers wouldn't notice. Here's my point. The curriculum your local school uses is based on 19th century basic skills, reading, writing and math. Nothing more or less.
Think about every English assignment you ever had, what did the teacher ask you to do? They asked you to read the book, analyze the book and write a paper. Do you see my point? They wanted you to read, and write. That's called 19th century skills.
Let's look at every math and science class you ever took. What did the teachers ask you to do in those classes? They asked you to memorize formulas and numbers and then do calculations. That's it. Nothing more or less. That's called 19th century math skills.
Whether you are in kindergarten or senior year of high school, that's all you were doing. Reading assignments, writing assignments and math assignments, even in the most ADVANCED classes. The most you learned were 19th century skills. Are you ready for the big take-away? And remember, I didn't realize this myself until I was forced to look at the BIG PICTURE because I became the superintendent of a K12 district.
Based on actual test score data, about 90% of students can handle 19th century skills, like reading, writing and math by the 5th grade. What that means is 90% of students can handle a teacher giving them a book and leaving them alone by the 5th grade. In fact, most middle and high school students are being slowed down by the teacher's lesson planning. And we see this everyday, where more and more students are bored with school, don't want to listen to teachers and general disinterested. Obviously, this puts the teacher in an awkward situation. What's the teacher supposed to do? They didn't choose the curriculum to teach.
Here's the answer. What schools need to teach and what I wished I had learned in school was what Georgetown University researchers refer to as the ESSENTIAL SKILLS. According to their 2020 research study, there are five skills that have become the most important skills in the 21st century to know. And more importantly, if you don't learn them -- you will NOT BE successful. These five essential skills are why you need to learn 21st century skills.