How to Help Your Child Excel in the 21st Century?

The world our children will face as they enter the workforce will be dramatically different from the ones we faced today. The increasingly connected, innovative environment is accelerating the pace of change, making an already uncertain world even more complex and ambiguous. The need to adapt rapidly to these changes will no doubt intimidate most, but with a prescient understanding of the skills necessary for success for the 21st century, you can give your child a critical head start from his/her peers.

Numerous researches had been done to pinpoint the core skills that can help a child reach his/her learning potential and be successful in the future. Leveraging and adapting the latest insights available on the topic and our experience as educators in both the US and Singapore, we have developed a set of practical tips and advice on how you can help your child develop the core skills required for success in the 21st century.

As a preamble to a multi-part series on this topic, we will explain the framework that we have adapted from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Excellence in the 21st century environment requires not only a strong appreciation of Core Academic Concepts and Foundation, there are also 3 other prerequisites – Learning, Thinking and Innovation skills, Life and Social skills, and Technology and Information Management aptitude.

Core Academic Foundation, with 21st Century Themes

A mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential for children today. This extends beyond the typical Science, English and Mathematics that were the core focus during our school days. There is an urgent need to build up an appreciation of humanities and social sciences, such as history, geography and arts. Humanities do not typically demand a right answer and often allow students to think from multiple perspectives, debate the various possibilities, before coming to a meaningful and well thought through set of responses. This trains students not to accept the one “right” answer, but also to question and probe deeper – skills critical for the knowledge based economy.

However, basic competency in the “new core” is insufficient. There is an urgent need to weave multi-disciplinary themes in the 21st century into your child’s learning. These include a broader global awareness (critical in an increasingly global and connected world), financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy and civic mindedness. Our education system, while increasingly open and broad-based, may not be able to spend too much resources outside the core, as an enlightened parent, you can play an active role to shape your child’s education outside the classroom and help your child learn at a higher level.

Learning, Thinking and Innovating Skills

The global knowledge economy in the 21st century presents increasingly complex, ambiguous life and work environments and has heightened the importance of creativity and independent thinking. Success is thus dependant on the ability to question established norms and commonly accepted knowledge, thinking critically at a deeper level and creating new found knowledge and concepts beyond the obvious. A focus on creative, critical thinking, communications and collaboration is essential to prepare your child for the future. Despite best efforts by school systems and governments around the world, this remains a significant challenge in the lecture-style classroom environment. It is important to find ways to help your child master these critical skills to make him/her a 21st century problem solver and innovator.

Life and Social Skills

Having first-class academic achievements and an inquisitive and inventive mind may not make your child exceptionally well-placed to overcome challenges in the 21st century. The 21st Century society is not merely about acing exams, getting a degree and obtaining a stable job. The ability to navigate complex life and work environments in a globally competitive information age is critical. Firstly, he/she must learn to be flexible and adaptable to work effectively in an ambiguous climate of changing priorities and varied roles. Your child must also be motivated, self-directed and be willing to take initiative at work. In a multicultural, diverse and global workplace, one must learn to be culturally aware and sensitive to earn the respect of a multinational team. He/she must also set and meet high standards and goals in delivery quality work on time. More importantly, he/she must take up responsibilities, acquire leadership skills and build his/her self-confidence. This requires him/her to pay rigorous attention and significant guidance from you and other mentors to master these life and social skills.

Technology and Information Management Aptitude

We live in a technology driven and media saturated environment, where there is an overflow of information and rapid changes in technology platforms. The pervasiveness of internet has also empowered individual contribution on an unprecedented level in today’s knowledge-based economy. One can only imagine how rapid technological innovations would impact the working environment of our children. As Daniel Burns aptly pointed out in his book ‘24 technologies That Will revolutionize Our Lives’, “The future belongs to those who are capable of being retained again and again.” To be effective 21st century leaders, managers and professionals, your child must learn to adapt to the rapidly changing technology landscape and be competent in accessing, evaluating and applying information effectively. He/she must also be able to interpret and decipher messages from various media sources and actively use digital and information technology to manage, create, integrate and communicate new found knowledge and concepts.

While this seems a gargantuan task, there is room for schools and parents to work closely together to impart and reinforce these skills. There is also room for parents to shape their children’s learning environment and allow them to acquire these critical foundation skills and learn more effectively at a higher level.

In the second part of our series, we will explore how you can help strengthen your child’s core academic abilities and help him/her connect the dots between the different disciplines. We will also share some practical tips on how you can weave in some global awareness and financial literacy into his/her daily learning.

By Miss Brenda Yeow and Ms Angeline Tong