Gina Ruocco

3 Critical Competencies for the Future - Preparing Students to Thrive in 2020

Holland, B. (2016). 3 Critical Competencies for the Future - Preparing Students to Thrive

in 2020. Retrieved from: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2016/11/3_critical_competencies_for_the_future_-_preparing_students_to_thrive_in_2020.html?_ga=1.229275548.1475079149.1478698456

CO = Collaboration

IL = Information Literacy and 21st Century Skills

Article summary:

This article discussed how we have now entered the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, and this will result in changes in the way we live, work, and interact globally, creating new jobs, new opportunities, and even new forms of government. Therefore, in order to be successful, students will need to learn skills that will allow them to competently participate in all aspects of society and competitively in the workforce. The author posits that the recent election has proved that facets of our lives, from politics to education, are changing, and that it is critical that students become competent in Media Literacy, Computational Thinking, and Empathy in order to thrive and effectively contribute to a changing society.

Evaluation:

I found this article helpful as it defined the skills and competencies that students should possess by 2020; these competencies include complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, cognitive flexibility. Many of these competencies can be developed through library activities that encourage cooperative group work and tasks that encourage the demonstration of collaborative intelligence. One thing that would have been helpful would be for the authors to provide examples of activities for librarians and teachers that can foster these competencies.