Five steps to developing students' skills for tomorrow's challenges

Five steps to developing students' skills for tomorrow's challenges

Skills such as resilience, communication, proactivity and leadership are just some of the areas that are essential when facing the challenges of the 21st century job landscape – but it’s not always clear how to teach these. Sustaining young people’s effort when facing big challenges and equipping them with the skillsets they’ll need to prepare for the unseen future is a significant task. But it doesn’t have to be a daunting one! Following this five step guide, I hope to give you the building blocks to support your students on their future career journey.

1. Teach collaboration as a value and skillset

Young people need new skills for the current and future workplace that will make them ready to collaborate with others, not only in their own classroom or workplace but potentially with others across the planet. Encouraging students to work together on a creative challenge, and allowing them to reflect on the learnings they take from the exercise, will help them better understand what it means to be a part of an increasingly collaborative and connected world.

As a bite sized exercise to get students building this way of thinking, you could look at the creativity challenge in Activity One of the LifeSkills Innovation and idea generation lesson.

. Build on evaluation and analysis

New information is being discovered and shared at an ever-growing rate. Predictions show that 50 percent of the facts students are memorising today will no longer be accurate or complete in the near future. Students need to know not only how to find accurate information, but also how to critically analyse its reliability and usefulness. Building research-based tasks and projects into your teaching will provide a basis to develop this essential 21st century skillset for work. Why not try the LifeSkills Big data lesson for some case studies to get students thinking about the sorts of ways they could put these skills into action.

3. Teach tolerance and resilience

To successfully work in a growing collaborative and global community, employers will be looking for candidates who show an ability and openness to communicate with unfamiliar cultures and ideas. To build these skills, students will need exposure to open discussions and experiences that can help them feel comfortable communicating with others. School trips, debating sessions, visits to a workplace or Q&As with a local employer are all good ways of showing students open mindsets in action. For example, why not ask Founders4Schools to connect your school with a local business leader to give an inspirational talk about their experiences? Your institution may be eligible for free LifeSkills sessions facilitated by one of our charity partners, supported, where possible, by Barclays employees to give real-world examples.

4. Help students learn through their strengths

We are all born with brains that want to learn. We’re also born with different strengths, and by growing the strengths we best identify with we can better feed that appetite for learning. One size certainly doesn’t fit all when it comes to developing young minds! It can be challenging to tailor the curriculum for each individual, but by looking ahead you can start to pinpoint elements of your classes which will appeal to particular students’ strengths and interests. By using “front-loading” techniques to bring these particular topics to the forefront of your teaching, you can start to tap into students’ natural curiosity.

5. Use learning beyond the classroom

By using what they learn repeatedly and in different, personally meaningful ways, students will find it much easier to retain and retrieve what they learn in the classroom. It will also help them better understand the importance of certain skills in their everyday and future lives. Try providing opportunities for students to "transfer" school learning to real-life situations – for example, when looking at solving a problem, ask students how they would approach a scenario that could happen to them, and the steps they would go through to solve it. You can make a start with the LifeSkills Problem Solving lesson plan, which sets out an approach to systematically tackle challenges, with real-life scenarios to inspire your students

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Research

Open Access

Published: 25 November 2019

Developing student 21st Century skills in selected exemplary inclusive STEM high schools

Stephanie M. Stehle & 

Erin E. Peters-Burton 

International Journal of STEM Education volume 6, Article number: 39 (2019) Cite this article

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Abstract

Background

There is a need to arm students with noncognitive, or 21st Century, skills to prepare them for a more STEM-based job market. As STEM schools are created in a response to this call to action, research is needed to better understand how exemplary STEM schools successfully accomplish this goal. This conversion mixed method study analyzed student work samples and teacher lesson plans from seven exemplary inclusive STEM high schools to better understand at what level teachers at these schools are engaging and developing student 21st Century skills.

Results

We found of the 67 lesson plans collected at the inclusive STEM high schools, 50 included instruction on 21st Century skills. Most of these lesson plans designed instruction for 21st Century skills at an introductory level. Few lesson plans encouraged multiple 21st Century skills and addressed higher levels of those skills. Although there was not a significant difference between levels of 21st Century skills by grade level, there was an overall trend of higher levels of 21st Century skills demonstrated in lesson plans designed for grades 11 and 12. We also found that lesson plans that lasted three or more days had higher levels of 21st Century skills.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that inclusive STEM high schools provide environments that support the development of 21st Century skills. Yet, more can be done in the area of teacher professional development to improve instruction of high levels of 21st Century skills.

Introduction

School-aged students in the USA are underperforming, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. National Assessment of Educational Progress (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a) scores show that in science, only 34% of 8th graders are performing at or above proficiency and 12th grade students at or above proficient US students drop to 22%. Similarly, mathematics scores show 33% of 8th graders and 22% of 12th graders were at or above proficiency (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a). Additionally, the US mathematics scores for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 2015 were lower than the scores for 2009 and 2012 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; OECD, 2018). US students not only underachieve in mathematics and science, but are also not engaging successfully in engineering and technology. At the secondary level, there are relatively few students in the USA that take engineering (2%) and computer science (5.7%) (National Science Board, 2016). The NAEP technology and engineering literacy (TEL) assessment found that for technology and engineering literacy, only 43% of 8th graders were at or above the proficiency level (U.S. Department of Education, 2015b). This consistent trend of underperformance has focused many national, state, and local efforts to improve student experiences in integrated STEM subjects (cf. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010; Texas Education Association (n.d.) for school-aged students and beyond.

The efforts for improvement in STEM teaching in K-12 environments have yielded a slight increase in the enrollment of STEM majors recently (National Science Board, 2016). However, roughly half of students who declare a STEM major when entering college either switch majors or drop out of college (National Science Board, 2016). One approach to helping students persist in undergraduate education is a stronger foundation in content knowledge, academic skills, and noncognitive skills (Farrington et al., 2012).

Academic skills, including analysis and problem solving skills, allow students to engage with content knowledge at higher levels of cognition. Noncognitive skills, including study skills, time management, and self-management, assist students in optimizing their ability to gain content knowledge and use their academic skills to solve problems. Students who possess these skills have high-quality academic behaviors, characterized by a pursuit of academic goals despite any setbacks (Farrington et al., 2012).

Because academic skills, noncognitive skills, and content knowledge have fluid definitions and may not be directly observable, for the purposes of this study we used 21st Century skills consisting of knowledge construction, real-world problem solving, skilled communication, collaboration, use of information and communication technology for learning, and self-regulation (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2016). Graduates who possess 21st Century skills are sought out by employers (National Research Council, 2013). In the environment of rapid advancements in technology and globalization, employees need to be flexible and perpetual learners in order to keep up with new developments (Bybee, 2013; Johnson, Peters-Burton, & Moore, 2016). There is a need to ensure that students who graduate the K-12 system are adept in 21st Century skills so that they can be successful in this new workforce landscape (Bybee, 2013).

Not only do 21st Century skills help students be successful in all areas of formal school, these skills are also necessary for a person to adapt and thrive in an ever changing world (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2016). One movement embracing the need for the development of student 21st Century skills is the proliferation of inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs), schools that serve all students regardless of prior academic achievement (LaForce et al., 2016; Lynch et al., 2018). ISHSs promote student research experiences by using inquiry-based curricular models to scaffold independent learning and encourage personal responsibility (Tofel-Grehl & Callahan, 2014). The goal for ISHSs to facilitate this type of student-centered learning is to build students’ 21st Century skills such as adaptability, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and self-management (Bybee, 2013; Johnson et al., 2016; LaForce et al., 2016). Although there has been some evidence that not all ISHSs are advantageous in offering STEM opportunities (Eisenhart et al., 2015), there is an accumulation of evidence that ISHSs can increase college and career readiness for students from groups who are typically underrepresented in STEM careers (Erdogan & Stuessy, 2015; Means, Wang, Viki, Peters, & Lynch, 2016). As the number of inclusive STEM schools continue to increase across the USA, there is a need to understand the ways these schools successfully engage students in 21st Century skills. The purpose of this paper is to systematically analyze teacher-constructed lessons and student work from seven exemplar ISHSs in order to better understand how teachers are engaging and developing student 21st Century skills.

Specifically, this study looked at the extent to which teachers at these exemplar ISHSs ask students to practice the 21st Century skills and at the level of student performance of the following categories: (a) knowledge construction, (b) real-world problem solving, (c) skilled communication, (d) collaboration, (e) use of information and communication technology (ICT) for learning, and (f) self-regulation (SRI International, n.d.-a; SRI International, n.d.-b). An examination of the lesson plans and student work products at exemplar ISHSs provides insight into effective development of student 21st Century skills in a variety of contexts.

Conceptual framework

In an attempt to clearly define the skills, content knowledge and literacies that students would need to be successful in their future endeavors, the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21; 2016) created a framework that includes (a) life and career skills; (b) learning and innovation skills; (c) information, media, and technology skills; and (d) key subjects (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2016). The first three parts of the framework, (a) life and career skills, (b) learning and innovation skills, and (c) information, media, and technology skills, describe proficiencies or literacies students should develop and can be integrated and developed in any academic lesson. The fourth piece, key subjects, suggests 21st Century interdisciplinary themes or content to engage students in authentic study (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2016).

Due to the need to build 21st Century skills, this study focused on the teaching and learning of (a) learning and innovation skills; (b) information, media, and technology skills; and (c) life and career skills at exemplar ISHSs. In order to operationalize and measure the three categories, we searched for instruments that measured the learning of 21st Century skills. Microsoft, in collaboration with SRI Education, developed two rubrics that are designed to assess the extent to which 21st Century skills are present in lessons and the extent to which students demonstrate the skills from these lessons (SRI International, n.d.-a; SRI International, n.d.-b). The 21st Century Learning Design Learning Activity Rubric examined the proficiency of teacher lesson plans for the development of 21st Century skills while the 21st Century Learning Design Student Work Rubric examined the level of competency for each 21st Century skill. Although the rubrics did not align exactly with the P21 Framework, we felt that there was enough alignment with the categories that the rubrics would be useful in measuring the extent to which lessons in ISHSs taught 21st Century skills and the extent to which students demonstrated these skills. The rubrics had the same categories for lesson assessment and student work assessment: (a) knowledge construction, (b) real-world problem solving, (c) skilled communication, (d) collaboration, (e) use of ICT for learning, and (f) self-regulation in teacher lesson plans and student work samples (SRI International, n.d.-a; SRI International, n.d.-b). Table 1 shows how the categories assessed in the two rubrics align with the categories in the P21 Framework. Further, as we reviewed the literature on these categories, a model of their relationship emerged. Our literature review discusses the individual categories followed by the conceptual model of how these categories work together in 21st Century skill development.

Environment means anything that surrounds us. It can be living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic) things. It includes physical, chemical and other natural forces. Living things live in their environment. They constantly interact with it and adapt themselves to conditions in their environment.

en·​vi·​ron·​ment | \ in-ˈvī-rə(n)-mənt , -ˈvī(-ə)r(n)- \

Definition of environment

1: the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded

2a: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (such as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival

b: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community

3: the position or characteristic position of a linguistic element in a sequence

4: a computer interface from which various tasks can be performeda programming environment

Other Words from environmentSynonymsChoose the Right SynonymMeanings of EnvironmentMore Example SentencesPhrases Containing environmentLearn More About environment

Other Words from environment

environmental \ in-​ˌvī-​rə(n)-​ˈmen-​tᵊl , -​ˌvī(-​ə)r(n)-​ \ adjective

environmentally \ in-​ˌvī-​rə(n)-​ˈmen-​tᵊl-​ē , -​ˌvī(-​ə)r(n)-​ \ adverb

Synonyms for environment

Synonyms

ambient, 

atmosphere, 

climate, 

clime, 

context, 

contexture, 

environs, 

medium, 

milieu, 

mise-en-scène, 

setting, 

surround, 

surroundings, 

terrain

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Choose the Right Synonym for environment

BACKGROUND, SETTING, ENVIRONMENT, MILIEU, MISE-EN-SCÈNE mean the place, time, and circumstances in which something occurs. BACKGROUND often refers to the circumstances or events that precede a phenomenon or development. the shocking decision was part of the background of the riots SETTING suggests looking at real-life situations in literary or dramatic terms. a militant reformer who was born into an unlikely social setting ENVIRONMENT applies to all the external factors that have a formative influence on one's physical, mental, or moral development. the kind of environment that produces juvenile delinquents MILIEU applies especially to the physical and social surroundings of a person or group of persons. an intellectual milieu conducive to artistic experimentation MISE-EN-SCÈNE strongly suggests the use of properties to achieve a particular atmosphere or theatrical effect. a gothic thriller with a carefully crafted mise-en-scène 

Meanings of Environment

Descending from the Middle French preposition environ “around,” environment , in its most basic meaning, is “that which surrounds.” When preceded by the and unmodified, it usually refers to the natural world (“please don’t litter if you care about the environment”). In a less physical, more extended sense, it may signify the circumstances and conditions that make up everyday life (“He grew up in a loving environment.”) The word may also be applied in highly specialized ways, denoting, for example, “the position of a linguistic element” (“how g gets pronounced in Italian depends upon its phonetic environment”) or “a computer interface from which various tasks can be performed” (“the app works in varied environments").

Examples of environment in a Sentence

He grew up in a loving environment. We're trying to create a better business environment. These animals were raised in a controlled environment.See More

Recent Examples on the WebProtests came from Republicans in Congress, the NSBA board and activist groups, who charged that NSBA was taking sides against conservatives in a highly politicized environment.— Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 21 May 2022In the current economic environment, raising the minimum wage to $15.50 will not solve any problems.— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2022This is especially true in the current work environment.— Pavel Podkorytov, Forbes, 20 May 2022See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'environment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Phrases Containing environment

the environment

First Known Use of environment

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Buying Guide

Our Reviews team at Britannica has selected the best natural cleaning products

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Time Traveler for environment

The first known use of environment was in 1827

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Dictionary Entries Near environment

environ

environment

environmentalism

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Statistics for environment

Last Updated

24 May 2022

Look-up Popularity

Top 1% of words

Cite this Entry

“Environment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environment. Accessed 30 May. 2022.

Style: MLA



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school

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nice information

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More Definitions for environment

environment

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​ment | \ in-ˈvī-rən-mənt , -ˈvī-ərn-mənt \

Kids Definition of environment

1: a person's physical surroundingsHe lives in a comfortable rural environment.

2: the surrounding conditions or forces (as soil, climate, and living things) that influence a plant's or animal's characteristics and ability to survive

3: the social and cultural conditions that affect the life of a person or communitya happy home environment

environment

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​ment | \ in-ˈvī-rən-mənt , -ˈvī(-ə)rn- \

Medical Definition of environment

1: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival

2: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community

Other Words from environment

environmental \ -​ˌvī-​rən-​ˈment-​ᵊl, -​ˌvī(-​ə)rn-​ \ adjective

environmentally \ -​ᵊl-​ē \ adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on environment

Nglish: Translation of environment for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of environment for Arabic Speakers

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The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species, climate, weather and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity.[1] The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished as components:

Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive civilized human intervention, including all vegetation, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere, and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries and their nature.
Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries, such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism, not originating from civilized human actions.

Land management has preserved the natural characteristics of Hopetoun Falls, Australia while allowing ample access for visitors.

An image of the Sahara desert from satellite. It is the world's largest hot desert and third-largest desert after the polar deserts.
In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment. Built environments are where humans have fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion, the natural environment is greatly changed into a simplified human environment. Even acts which seem less extreme, such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert, the modified environment becomes an artificial one. Though many animals build things to provide a better environment for themselves, they are not human, hence beaver dams, and the works of mound-building termites, are thought of as natural.

People cannot find absolutely natural environments on Earth, and naturalness usually varies in a continuum, from 100% natural in one extreme to 0% natural in the other. The massive environmental changes of humanity in the Anthropocene have fundamentally effected all natural environments: including from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution from plastic and other chemicals in the air and water. More precisely, we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment, and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform.[2] If, for instance, in an agricultural field, the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil, but the structure is quite different.

Composition
Geological activity
Water on Earth
Atmosphere, climate and weather
Life
Ecosystems
Biomes
Biogeochemical cycles
Wilderness

Coastal Science, 2011

11.11.4.2.2 Collective action
Environmental problems in coastal regions require a collaborative approach among governments, civil society, and private interests, presenting a difficult collective action problem (Olsen and Nickerson, 2003 and Centre for UN Reform Education 2007). Environmental problems are diffuse and cross borders and jurisdictions. Incentives can arise to ignore transboundary impacts and neglect the management of shared resources, particularly when the diffuse nature of the benefits makes free riding on the efforts of others attractive. In the Arctic, the issue of oil and gas exploitation is a good example of the collection action problem. For example, not all Arctic states are members of key agreements. For example, the Russian Federation is not a member of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation.

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