Two major global trends pose a fundamental problem for our educational system – as well as several opportunities. The first is that the world is shifting to a knowledge-based economy from an industrial economy. The other issue is that the new generation, having grown up in the digital age, has an entirely different motivation for learning.
To prepare our children for future success in their lives, we need to understand what skill sets they will need once they arrive. So here are the seven 21 century skills that schools in Abu Dhabi teach their students in their classrooms.
Skill #1: Analytical and problem-solving.
Students will need to improve their ability to look at situations from many perspectives and come up with their answers. Regardless of the industry they choose to get employed in, the capacity to think and respond swiftly is a necessary skill for the future. To practice this, teachers in Abu Dhabi high school give students with scenarios in which they must solve problems on their own
Skill #2: Network Collaboration and Influence Leadership
Recognize that not everyone is born with the ability to lead. The capacity to lead others, on the other hand, can significantly aid a person’s advancement and success in their chosen field. More than just traditional, teamwork is necessary to prepare pupils in this area. Rather than merely forming a group and assigning responsibilities to one another, students should be encouraged to take on diverse roles among their group for each project job.
Skill #3: Agility and adaptability.
When we look back over the last two decades, we can now see how much has transformed in the workplace and worldwide. Our students must be at ease with the concept of change and be ready and adjust to the situation around them. Teachers in Abu Dhabi high school are well-trained in this area, where they can design a dynamic environment in the classroom that helps students prepare for the future.
Skill #4: Initiative and Entrepreneurship
Students must learn to take charge and make a difference in the world. We should promote these abilities in our schools and communities. We can ask students for more than just a list of classroom norms as they can be highly creative and take an interest in shaping their classroom experience.
Skill #5 Impactful Oral and Written Communication
We must teach our students how to speak with confidence and clarity. It does not come naturally, but it is possible to teach and learn diction, speed, volume, and gestures with practice. The same skills that are useful in drama can also be helpful in oral communication. The distinction between formal and informal written forms is critical for students to understand and apply.
Skill #6: Accessing and Interpreting Information.
Today’s students have unprecedented access to information. The Internet is a fantastic research tool that can be their closest friend or worst enemy. Accessing information is simple, but pulling out a good source of information is difficult. Students must learn how and where to sift through the thousands of web pages available on a given topic to find what they require. They must learn to distinguish between factual information and factually sounding opinions.
Skill #7: Curiosity and Imagination.
Students are naturally curious about their peers and surroundings and want to learn more about them. Their imaginations are wild and free, allowing them to create an infinite number of practical and unrealistic things. Our job as educators is more about not taking it away from them. We must encourage them to develop these skills by teaching them to be more artistically and purposefully.
Concluding
Even though children need to learn a core level of skills, it is critical to engage students in projects where they can apply what they understand. Schools in Abu Dhabi help students acquire the skills crucial to their success in the future. We must actively involve them in higher-order reasoning skills. As educators, we must move away from relying on lower-level skills like memorization and recall; instead enable students to learn higher-order thinking skills like applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
