21ST CENTURY EDUCATION - A FUTURISTIC

VIEW

Firstly, we need to recognize that the 21st century education is the bedrock of

competitiveness and we need to act accordingly, taking into consideration every

aspect of our education system which must be aligned to equip the present generation

with the pre-requisite skills needed to compete. So, the ability to compete demands a

futuristic-fresh approach to education.

In an economy driven by innovation and knowledge; in market places engaged in

intense competitions and constant renewal; in a world of tremendous opportunity and

skills; in a society facing complex business, political, scientific, technological, health

and environmental challenges and in diverse workplaces and communication that

hinge on collaborative relationships and social networking, the ingenuity, agility and

skills are crucial to face the competition.

We are living in exponential times, the amount of technical information is doubling

every year, and it’s a challenge to adopt a new paradigm shift of education. We now

live in an increasingly diverse, globalized and media saturated society and

technological revolution will have a greater impact on the society.

We may not be able to foresee the career of future generation, but it is a good bet that,

critical thinking, creative problem solving and familiarity will be the basic job

requirements. Even people who work in other professions will need a strong

background in technology.

21st century skills are the new building blocks for getting adapted to the changing

scenario. The demands of 21st century education focus is mainly on

Inventive thinking:

Adaptability, managing complexity, self-direction, curiosity & imagination, creativity

& risk taking, high order thinking and sound reasoning, accessing & analysing

information.

High productivity:

Prioritizing, planning and management for results, effective use of real world tools,

ability to produce relevant high quality products

Effective Communicator:

Entrepreneur skills like prioritizing, planning, managing for results, effective use of

real world tools, ability to produce high quality output, teaming, collaboration and

inter-personal skills, personal and inter-personal skills, social and creative

responsibility and interactive communicator, social & civic responsibility, agility &

adaptability and effective oral and written communication.

Digital Literacy:

Basic, scientific, economic and technological literacies, visual and informational

literacies, multi-cultural literacy, global awareness, social media, online learning

through audio and video lectures and ICT.

Leadership qualities: collaborative access network and leading by influence and

example

These needs lead to a need for students to be able to communicate functions and create

change personally, socially, economically, and politically on local, national and

global levels, thereby enabling them to face the challenges of emerging technologies

and resulting globalization and also to gear up to the unlimited possibilities for

exploring new discoveries and developments such as new forms of energy, medical

advances, restoration of environmentally ravaged areas, communication and

exploration of space and depths of the ocean.

Emerging learning landscape:

The emerging landscape of education should cater the following to help the 21st

century learner for a better adaptability and connectivity to the ever changing

demands of the 21st century:

Student centred & performance focussed learning

Flexible progression with multi-path options

Media rich multi-sensory stimulation

Learner constructed knowledge from multiple information sources and experiences

Collaborative work on authentic real world projects

Student engagement in definition, design, management of projects

Creative thinking for original innovation and original solutions

Global expertise information and learning experiences

Converging information and communication systems.

Digital literacy and communication skills

Expanded focus including digital and global citizenship

Integrated assessment for learning

Therefore, education needs a holistic approach to meet the ever changing needs of

21st century!