ARTICLE BY TONY WAGNER 7 Survival Skills for 21 st Century

Today’s Students “Today’s students need to master seven survival skills to thrive in the new world of work…to become productive citizens who contribute to solving some of the most pressing issues we face in the 21 st century”.

#1 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving “Yesterday’s answers won’t solve today’s problems.” At the heart of critical thinking is the ability to ask the right questions. Today’s markets are changing so fast we are challenged to do things that haven’t been done before forcing us to rethink and/or think anew. Consider Steve Jobs of Apple— creator of the I-pad, I-phone. It takes creative genius.

Critical Thinking cont. Critical Thinking requires active minds and students are involved with:  Choosing, making decisions  Making connections to other things.  Identifying questions  Clarifying something that is unclear  Analyzing data and/or information  Synthesizing: being able to reason from the general to a particular (opposite of inference)  Comparing/contrasting  Reasoning  Making inferences—reasoning from the specific to the general

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Cont. Problem Solving involves:  Recognizing problems, finding solutions, answering and posing questions.  Investigating, brainstorming, evaluating and explaining.  Drawing conclusions, using decision making and solving problems.

#2 Collaboration and Leadership “ Every week they’re on a variety of conference calls; they’re doing Web casts; they’re doing net meetings.” Christie Pedra, CEO Siemens. “Kids just out of school have an amazing lack of preparedness in general leadership skills and collaborative skills…they lack the ability to influence.” Mike Summers VP Global Talent Mgmt. Dell. Collaboration involves:  Delegating roles, working in teams and listening.  Synthesizing diverse (different) viewpoints, compromising and reaching a group consensus.  Teaching others, negotiating, communicating and building a cooperative community (work group).

#2 Leadership cont. Leadership involves:  Guiding, teaching and/or following others.  Using problem solving skills to influence others in a positive way.  Facilitating (making easier), setting goals (short and long term).  Working collaboratively (together) to accomplish goals.  Creating a friendly respectful environment.  Acting ethically

Agility and Adaptability The top 10 most in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in We are living in exponential times with technological changes happening at an ever increasing rate. “ I can guarantee the job I hire someone to do will change or may not exist in the future.” Clay Parker, BOC Edwards. Agility and Adaptability requires students to be able to:  Think outside the box.  Be flexible  Be willing to accept and implement change.

Initiative and Entrepreneurialism “I say to my employees, if you try five things and get all five of them right, you may be failing. If you try 10 things and get eight of them right, you’re a hero.” Mike Chandler, Senior VP Cisco Initiative and Entrepreneurialism requires students to:  Set goals that are challenging and appropriate.  Be flexible and willing to take risks.  Demonstrating desire to advance one’s own skills, expanding one’s own knowledge and opportunities.  Working towards expertise in one’s work and being productive— seeking help when needed. Entrepreneur: A person who organizes, operates and assumes the risk for a business venture. This applies to students too!

#5 Effective Oral & Written Communication. “We are routinely surprised at the difficulty some young people have in communicating: verbal skills, written skills, presentation skills…they have difficulty being clear and concise…difficulty creating focus, energy and passion around the points they want to make. They don’t know how to write with a ‘real’ voice.” Mike Summers VP Global Talent Mgmt. Dell.

#5 Effective communication cont. Effective communication involves:  Being specific and clear in all forms of communication.  Being able to state what the point of the communication is and/or what you want the receivers to take away with them.  Being clear (in your mind) about what you are trying to convey and well prepared.  Being able to write with a true personal voice.  Being persuasive when appropriate and necessary.  Being able to use appropriate vocabulary—no slangs, technology specific abbreviations, etc.

#5 continued.  Articulating ideas and thinking.  Ability to speak one-on-one—NO texting!  Presenting, translating and publishing  Crafting messages  Using media effectively

#6 Accessing & Analyzing Information There is so much information available to us in the 21 st Century. The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming so it is critical that students know how to access and analyze data specific to their needs. Information literacy involves:  Accessing information effectively  Evaluating information critically  Using information successfully  Understanding legal-ethical issues for use and accessing such as plagiarism and copy-right

#7 Curiosity and Imagination “People who’ve learned to ask great questions and have learned to be inquisitive are the ones who move the fastest in our environment because they solve the biggest problems in ways that have the most impact on innovation.” Mike Summers VP Dell

Curiosity & Imagination Cont.  Curiosity: The desire to know or learn.  Imagination: The ability to deal with reality creatively.  Thinking outside the box, suggesting possibilities, giving ideas, providing options.  Discovering new ways, paths, methods and/or objects  Showing originality, drafting and communicating new ideas.  Designing, constructing, building, inventing, improving, managing.  Taking reasonable risks.

Clay Parker President BOC Edwards “First and foremost, I look for someone who asks good questions…we can’t teach them how to ask good questions—how to think ”.