21st Century Skills

There was an editorial in the Boston Globe yesterday about “The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills” that has set off a firestorm of comments, mostly negative. The writer, Maura Banta, sets out the view:

That is why the debate over the value of teaching students so-called “21st century skills” is baffling. These skills include problem-solving, financial and business literacy, global awareness, and innovation. A vocal minority disregard them as “soft skills,” others recognize them for what they truly are: the number one job requirements for anyone interested in success after high school.

Those commenting were vehement in their reaction. At the base of this argument is the question whether standardized testing and “rigorous” education drive the right education results. Most of the folks commenting on Ms. Banta’s piece have faith in this kind of approach to education

I don’t buy it. As the parent of two high school students, I often shake my head. They are attending one of the “best rated” public high schools in the Boston area. But, while it may be best of breed in today’s context, I believe that they will some day look back and laugh at how antiquated their learning environment was. Most of what they do is designed for “one size fits all” when each of my sons has a completely different learning style. Computers are used in their classrooms in very limited ways.

Our education system, like our society is caught between two worlds. Today’s classrooms and, indeed, many of today’s businesses are trying to deal with a knowledge economy using industrial-era tools. The industrial era was very top down. Standards and answers came from the top. They were not to be questioned. Our factories and our classrooms were designed for mass production. Mass production of workers led to the creation of the least common denominator for learning. By the way, this issue and the solutions provided by technology are explained very clearly by Clay Christenson and co-authors in Disrupting Class, which I recently reviewed here. The amazon page for the book includes a great blog by co-author Michael B. Horn.

The comments to Ms Banta’s piece are quick to dismiss the “soft” skills that she extols. I see a similar attitude in business. We have an undying faith in hard assets and “hard” numbers. Yet, in my work as a consultant, I see the lack of “soft” skills tripping up people of all ages. So many workers today and, unfortunately their children, have been taught that there is one way to do things. Once they learn that way, they are resistant to change. They have been trained to do as they are told rather than to solve problems.

Are “hard skills” irrelevant? Absolutely not. But they are no good if they are locked inside a head (of a student or a worker) that doesn’t know how to apply them. Our nation faces great challenges today. Hard skills, top-down standards and closed minds will not come close to providing the solutions we need. Soft is the new hard. Get used to it.