The fundamental idea of requisite knowledge is constantly changing. The key skill today is not to memorize a mammoth text but to use the information that is readily available at our fingertips purposefully and effectively. Today’s children are expected to adopt multi-purpose skills which they can transfer to many professions. These are called transferable skills.
Here are some of the transferable skills that a child needs to be equipped with whether they are to be found efficient in the 21st century.
Communication
At a time when people are trying to be right every time, this skill is overlooked. It is not necessary that a person knows how to communicate effectively if they can talk nicely. The point of a conversation should not be to win or lose but to bring clarity to a matter. The best way to teach how to effectively communicate is to make them listen carefully and empathetically to what the other person has to say.
Collaboration
Collaboration is the second most important 21st century skill. Collaborating for different programmes without getting competitive and seeing one another as a partner is very important. In coming years, or say adulthood, group activities are a substantial part of everyone’s life. This can be best achieved by making children listen, to negotiate their roles, to understand others’ strengths and to be open to give other people a chance to flaunt their skills.
Critical & Analytical Thinking
When it is technology who thinks a lot for us now, humans should never ignore their key part. Critical thinking is the ability to determine the true from the false, communicating it better by using the best points and being open to new information. Critical thinking helps us navigate through the right directions in a world full of false information. This is taught to children by asking a lot of questions to them about the things they understand and believe, by encouraging them to question things and also by guiding them on how to find a reliable source.
Similarly, analytical thinking deals with how things work and why they work the way they do. Making rational decisions, correctly identifying the problems and its consequences should be a skill that everyone must possess.
Problem Solving
Problem solving requires a lot of patience and persistence to make sure that one does not give up at the slightest inconvenience. It is a skill that everyone should have without any exception. Introduce your kid to new challenges that are unfamiliar to them and let them pave their own way to the solution. Guide them through the experience and interfere only when they need you to.
Ethics & Accountability
Being successful is one thing and getting to the success point without bringing harm to anybody is a whole different thing. Teach your kids to be kind to others, not to insult others in the process and to take accountability of every action they have done. Making sure today’s generation grows up to be independent individuals with integrity is the most important thing of all.
Literacy
Literacy in itself is an umbrella term. In the 21st century, literacy doesn’t only mean the ability to read and write but caters to more than that. Tech literacy is one of the important areas where an individual should be able to use technology to produce content and not just consume it. Media and information literacy is important to differentiate the misinformation from the correct ones. This is important in this era of fake news. Children should be introduced to various sources of information and the different advanced technology with proper guidance to equip them for today’s world.
Leadership
Being a good leader takes more than just ordering things and making other people work for you. Many of us will have to act as leaders at some point in our lives. It involves motivating others to do their jobs, dividing responsibilities based on their skill sets and discussing their strengths and weaknesses. The best way to let children explore leadership skills is by encouraging cooperative play. This allows children to divide the roles between the group and rise to the occasion to guide something they do in group.
Awareness
In the 21st century, with advanced technologies no excuses can be encouraged for not having enough awareness about the world outside. Teach children about the world outside their bubble and the diversity around. Teach them that no matter how different a person is, they need to be respected irrespective of their differences. It is our responsibility to teach the younger generation, in a comprehensible manner, the skills that will sustain them in the future so that they can face any challenges that come their way.