This talk is about 21st century skills and answers these questions: what are they?; which ones are the most useful?; how can we help students acquire them?

1. Essential skills for 21st century learners
http://english4globalcitizens.com/
Abstract:
Rapid technological change, shifting job markets and the
increasingly connected nature of society all mean that, in this
century, young people will need new skills to become active
global citizens. In this session we will look at such “21st century
skills”: lifelong learning strategies; information processing and
critical thinking; global awareness; intercultural and interactive
communicative competence; digital literacies.
2013 LABCI CONFERENCE
LIMA 11/07/13

2. Which of these skills is the most useful and which is the
least important for 21st century citizens?
a) learn on your own using the technology available.
b) cooperate with people from other cultures.
c) remember a lot of facts.
d) understand global issues.
e) use digital media to communicate.
f) deal with information effectively and critically.
* We voted on this and the following results came out:
Most useful skills (in this order): f) d) b) a) e)
Least useful skill: c) (unanimous vote)
None of the participants had learnt any of the useful skills when at school.
All of us had learnt lots of facts.
Discussion

3. Paradigm shifts in western education:
· Middle ages (up to 1500): ecclesiastical/theocratic
(handwritten manuscripts- priests)
· Renaisance (1500-1850): classical/discursive/text-based
(printing press/books- merchant classes)
· Industrial revolution (1850-2000): modern curriculum:
science/geography/history etc. (cheaper books/mass literacy)
· Knowledge-based (2000-): 21st century skills
(digital/internet/pc/mobile phones)
Background
* In my opinion, we are in the middle of a paradigm shift right now.

4. 21st century skills
· Information handling +
critical thinking
· Self-directed learning
…………………………………………………………………………………………
· Global awareness
…………………………………………………………………………………………
· Intercultural competence
· Cooperation + digital
connections
DIGITAL
LITERACIES
e.g.
Information literacy
Search literacy
Network literacy
Dudeney/Hockley/Pegr
um (2013)
A provisional
taxonomy

5. INFORMATION HANDLING
CC Marco Arment
CRITICAL THINKING
1- Is an argument being given?
2- What is it?
3- Should I be persuaded by it?
TRACY BOWELL AND GARY KEMP (2005)
How well can your learners process the information
they get from the Net?
Arthur.C.Clarke: “Getting information from the
Internet is like getting a glass of water from Niagara
Falls.”
Background

6. ONLINE SKILLS
1. Look at the photo of Aung San Suu Kyi
and read the profile of her. Which three
facts do you think might not be true
about her?
Research
2. Choose three of the websites to check the information in Exercise 1.
1) http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/aungsansuukyi.html
2) http://www.pitara.com/magazine/people/online.asp?story=35
3) http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi
4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi
5) http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-bio.html
CHOICES UPPER INTERMEDIATE
* Checking information online. Cross-checking = a key information processing skill

7. SELF-QUESTIONING
1 What do you know about the Sun?
2 Write two questions about the Sun.
3 Listen and see which questions you can answer.
* Simple technique for listening/watching/reading:
No need for teacher to produce a task. This is a real-life processing activity.
INFORMATION
PROCESSING

8. TIPS:
· It is easier to search using the English version of Google. Look
for Google.com in English at the bottom of each Google
search page.
· When you want to find basic information about a person using
Google, put their name in quotation marks and add other
words:
“Nelson Mandela” + very short/brief biography or “Nelson
Mandela” + quick facts/ information
SEARCH LITERACY
* See Google tips for more ideas.
Other useful search engines:
Dogpile / duckduckgo / Yippy / Flickr (photos)
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/tipstricks/all.html
ONLINE SKILLS

9. * The importance of note-taking for reading/listening/watching + for preparation for
speaking and writing.
The use of mind maps/concept maps.
Getting students to show you and their partners their notes. Notes as a final
product and not just a transitional stage.
INFORMATION
PROCESSING

10. A great concept map of this talk by Marlies Van Eunen-de Boer (CC)
INFORMATION
PROCESSING

11. TIPS:
When evaluating websites in English
to get information, think about:
· The level of language. Websites
for young people or simplified
websites can have more accessible
language (e.g. simple Wikipedia).
Pictures and photos can also help.
· The amount of information.
Depending on the kind and amount
of information you need you should
use different types of websites (e.g.
for basic information = simple
websites).
· The organisation of the websites.
Is it easy to find the contents? Are
there summaries of information? Is
there a search facility (usually at the
top right-hand side of the page)?
· Reliability. Is the information up to
date? Is it from a reliable source
(e.g. a well-known encyclopaedia or
non-governmental organisation)?
Does it give further reference or
links?
3. Evaluate the three websites you
used. Which of the websites:
· was the easiest to understand?
· had the best information?
· was best organised?
· looked the most reliable?
CHOICES UPPER INTERMEDIATE
* The use of critical thinking to evaluate
websites for reliability.
ONLINE SKILLS

12. Welcome to the web site for the
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
(DMRD), currently located in Newark,
Delaware. The controversy surrounding
dihydrogen monoxide has never been
more widely debated, and the goal of this
site is to provide an unbiased data
clearinghouse and a forum for public
discussion.
http://www.dhmo.org/
WELCOME
Dihydrogen Monoxide FAQ
Enviro Impact of DHMO
DHMO and Cancer
DHMO Research
Editorial: Truth about DHMO
Evaluate the reliability of this website. What’s wrong with it?
ONLINE SKILLS

13. CHOICES UPPER INTERMEDIATE
MAPPING ARGUMENTS
A useful technique for critical thinking and for evaluating
arguments (written texts/audio/video/multimedia).
CRITICAL THINKING

14. Much easier with digital technology than ever before.
Examples:
- Building up your own personal learning environment
of digital/online tools and links.
- Working on your own and getting immediate feedback
in virtual learning environments like My English Lab.
Communication with your teacher + your activities
being monitored automatically.
Self-directed learning

15. Personal learning environment
1 prioritise your bookmarks
2 google expressions/structures to check them
3 use online dictionaries to check
meaning/pronunciation
4 use google images as a picture dictionary
5 use spell and grammar check features in Word
6 ask for help/advice on the class forum / VLE
Self-directed learning

16. BLENDED LEARNING
Self-directed learning

17. Climate change
Human rights
Migration
Population
Energy crisis
War + terrorism
Globalisation
World health
Economic crisis
http://www.global-challenges.org/
Inequality
Technology
Global issues
Global awareness: we live on an interconnected planet – our actions have
consequences that we may not know about.

18. CHOICES INTERMEDIATE
* Using photos as a way in to key global issues like child labour and modern-day
slavery which is often used to manufacture modern consumer products (e.g. clothes
chocolate/mobile phones).
Global awareness

19. Global awareness
* Use of graphs and videos for developing global awareness.
CHOICES UPPER INTERMEDIATE

20. english4globalcitizens.com
Global awareness
Feel free to use this material, comment on it and send me your own. It‟s open-
source and uncensored, so we can look at topics here that are not covered in ELT
coursebooks like gay rights, religion, society and politics.

21. CHOICES ELEMENTARY
Intercultural Competence

22. CHOICES PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Intercultural competence

23. Group project work:
Working together to create something (e.g. a poster/ a presentation / a
performance / an artefact.)
Digital literacy:
The use of digital tools to do this like wikis or other collaborative, open
documents.
The use of online educational networks like Glogster (multimedia projects).
Cooperation/digital connections

24. http://www.glogster.com
Online
What tasks are involved
in this online project?
Example: find good
websites
A great website for multi-
media projects.
Digital connections

25. 1 How well did you work together as a group?
A-very well B-quite well C-not very well
2 Complete the work report below:
3. Assess the participation of the others:
A-very good B-quite good C- not very good
TASKS SUSANA QUIQUE JUAN ANA
Research:
find good websites
make notes / find recordings +
graphics (permissions)
Production:
design / writing / recording:
video/audio / solving technical
problems
Presentation:
upload / share class presentation
+ follow-up questions / reacting to
feedback
Digital connections
* Tasks in red = digital literacies.

26. MAP OF TALK
globalised +
interconnected world
Lifelong learning skills
MAIN ARGUMENT: 21st century citizens will need to acquire
a new set of skills
digital knowledge economy
Reason: Rapid technological,
social + economic change
(paradigm shift)
shifting job market
Information handling/
critical thinking
Consequences.
need for:
Examples
Personal
learning
environments
Global awareness
Self-
questioning
Cross-cultural
competence
Cooperation + digital
connections
Multimedia
projects
Tolerance of
difference
Global issues

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