Discover the 7Cs: Learning for Life (and Work) in the 21st Century

Description

In order to live happily and work successfully in the future information society, today’s young people need to acquire a variety of soft skills, not only academic knowledge!

Because of this, more than 20 years into the 21st century, experts and policymakers are urging educational systems to start including the principles of competency-based education in knowledge-based traditional school curricula.

School curricula across the world have widely integrated what are popularly called the “4 Cs”, that is critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. In contrast, the new 3Cs, i.e., cross-cultural understanding, career and life skills, and computing and digital literacy, have been gaining momentum only in recent years in response to the increasing population migration, the accelerating changes in the workforce, and the vigorous technological development.

This course will help you gain a systematic understanding of all the “7 Cs”, and of how you can integrate them into your teaching and school curricula. As a participant, you will explore the landscape of the employment and skills needed in this century, and critically discuss how it leads to the paradigm shifts in education.

You will thus take part in the discussion and practical activities designed to help your students acquire the fundamental skills that they will need to thrive in the 21st century.

By the end of the course, you will gain knowledge and confidence in leading changes in the curriculum, and taking action to implement innovative pedagogies that align with the role of education in the 21st century.

By instilling significant change in your students, you will be more able to prepare them for their future life.

Concept by Pui Ying Law

The 7Cs of education

• Creativity: Harnessing the power of imagination to generate innovative ideas and solutions.
• Critical Thinking: Developing the ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information effectively.
• Communication: Enhancing verbal, written, and non-verbal communication skills to express ideas clearly.
• Collaboration: Working together with others to achieve common goals, fostering teamwork and cooperation.
• Cross-cultural Understanding: Embracing diversity and promoting intercultural awareness and respect.
• Career and Life Skills: Equipping learners with the essential skills for success in their future careers and personal lives.
• Computing and Digital Literacy: Acquiring the skills and knowledge to navigate and utilize technology effectively.

Learning outcomes

The course will help the participants to:

• Explore the landscape of the employment and skills needed in this century;
• Understand why paradigm shifts in education are continuous with – rather than opposed to – traditional education;
• Promote creative ways of thinking in their students;
• Make their students communicate more effectively;
• Implement effective strategies for collaborative learning in the classroom;
• Foster cross-cultural understanding;
• Discover how to introduce computing and digital literacy;
• Discuss career and life skills;
• Gain a systematic understanding of the 7Cs for a 21st-century education;
• Broaden the professional capacity to integrate the 7Cs into teaching and learning.

Tentative Schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course and skill sets for the 21st century

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

Skill sets for the 21st century

• The landscape of employment and skills in 2030;
• The paradigm shift in education: What? How? Why?
• World café: How is school education in your country working towards 21st-century skills?

Day 2 – Ways of thinking: Creativity and Critical thinking

• Understanding the creative process: ways to promote thinking creatively, working creatively with others, and implement innovation;
• How to promote effective critical thinking for problem-solving in the classroom.

Day 3 – Ways of working: Communication and Collaboration

• Principles of effective communication in the classroom;
• Effective strategies for collaborative learning, promoting teamwork and leadership.

Day 4 – Skills for living in the world: Cross-cultural understanding and Career and life skills

• Introduction to cross-cultural understanding as an essential global competence;
• How to promote intercultural communication for effective interaction with others and working in diverse teams;
• Introduction to career and life skills as lifelong learning competence;
• How to strengthen adaptability and flexibility, stimulate initiative and self-direction;
• Good examples of intercultural learning and career learning in schools.

Day 5 – Tools for working: Computing and digital literacy

• Introduction to ICT literacy, digital literacy, and media literacy as essential skills;
• Good examples of integrating ICT, digital, and media literacy into teaching and learning different subjects;
• World café: Mapping the 7Cs into my school context.

Day 6 – Course closure & cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.

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