21st Century Skills

STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND DEMONSTRATE THE PERSONAL TRAITS THAT ENCOURAGE PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY WORK, SELF-INITIA TIVE, AND EMPLO Y ABILITY. APPLIES PERSONAL TRAITS TO ALL SITUATIONS. UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TRAITS MUST BE PRACTICED AND DEVELOPED.

STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND DEMONSTRATE HOW TO SEARCH FOR AND LOCATE INFORMATION FOR ANY GIVEN SUBJECT. UNDERSTAND THAT RESEARCH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE AND WORK, AND THAT EFFECTIVE RESEARCH SKILLS ENHANCE WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE.

STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND HOW TO CRITICALLY THINK AND OBJECTIVELY ANALYZE AND REASON THROUGH INFORMATION USING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES, EMPIRICAL DATA, EXPERIENCE AND COMMON SENSE.

STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND HOW TO EFFECTIVELY RELATE, APPLY, AND ADAPT INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES TO ANY PERSONAL, WORKPLACE, OR EDUCA TIONAL SITUA TION.

STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND DEMONSTRATE HOW TO PRODUCE RESULTS BY DOING, RECORDING, COMMUNICATING, ACTING AND LEADING FROM INFORMATION STUDIED AND LEARNED, AND DO SO IN VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS, AND IN BOTH AND INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS.

Presents a positive attitude about work, learning, challenges, and about other people.

Is self-motivated and self-disciplined, and can work and think independently.

Deals honestly and with integrity in all situations

Is helpful and finds ways to provide value.

Is dependable in all situations, including regular and on-time attendance, and completing assigned tasks on-time.

Shows respect for others and others’ time and possessions (including your coworkers and employer, and personal time vs. work time).

Demonstrates eagerness for self-improvement and continues to be a self-directed learner professionally and personally.

Is adaptable and flexible to change and setbacks.

Is teachable and accepts feedback.

Takes responsibility for own actions.

Works hard at any given task – has good work ethic.

Resourcefully produces results regardless of challenges or tedious tasks.

Dresses and acts appropriately for the situation.

Developing and asking the right questions.

Ask relevant and pertinent (i.e. “right”) questions to focus research efforts given a specific situation.

Properly use interrogative questions to research the needed information (who, what, where, why, when, which, how).

Understand how and when to use the following questioning strategies: yes and No questions, probing questions, leading questions and rhetorical questions.

Information Literacy – gathering and discerning relevant information.

Locate and gather relevant information in printed and digital formats from various sources, including:

Different browsers and search engine results

Libraries, colleges and universities

Community and industry groups, associations, publications, and businesse

Subject matter experts 

Differentiate between primary, secondary and tertiary sources, and understand the basic pros and cons of each source type.

Understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative information.

Discern between relevant and credible sources versus irrelevant and questionable sources.

Understand how and why (for what purposes) different information (messages, content, media, advertising, research, etc.) is developed and presented.

Recognize bias or spin within the messages presented.

Recognize when information becomes propaganda and how it might influence beliefs and behaviors.

Proper use of gathered information.

Understand the ethical and legal issues surrounding the access and use of information, including:

Basic copyright and fair use laws.

Difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism.

Provide proper citation for sources.

Organize information for useful analysis.

Quickly assimilate needed and relevant data from irrelevant information.

Use technology as a tool to help organize and evaluate information.

Conceptualize and reorganize gathered information into useful forms.

Narrow the gathered research by categorizing it into appropriate sub-groups.

Apply critical thinking skills to objectively evaluate and analyze information.

Understand how bias and ego can affect objective reasoning.

Distinguish between fact and opinion, truth and error.

Recognize past and current trends, patterns, or cycles in research.

Understand and apply different reasoning methods appropriate to the situation to logically analyze and test assumptions.

Understand and apply cause and effect reasoning (or “if, then” logic) to study possible conclusions in various situations.

Understand and apply the concept of “opportunity costs” to various situations.

Understand and apply the “pros versus cons” methodology to reasoning in various situations.

Understand and apply inductive reasoning (or “generalizing”) to various situations (Inductive reasoning takes specific observable instances and creates a general rule/law from those specific instances). 

Understand and apply deductive reasoning (or “deduction”) to various situations (Deductive reasoning takes a generally known rule/law and applies that rule to specific observable instances).

Applied reading and interpretation skills. With minimal instruction, read, monitor, interpret, and understand information presented in various formats or tools (i.e. news articles, journal articles, charts, graphs, tables, flow charts, gauges, dials, signs, controls, etc., that may be found in various work situations.

Relate information for problem solving.

Clearly conceptualize, document, and communicate a problem or question to be solved.

Understand the true purpose and intent of solving the problem

Consider the opinions of other people, times and places, different from one's own

Relate potential solutions to differnt people and situations to try and understand potential effects

Relate, infer, and apply the gathered research to the specific situation, problem or question

Use creative thinking to solve problems.

Develop new ideas that contribute to a given situation using various techniques, including brainstorming and “thinking outside the box”.

Seek to understand the situation from another stakeholder’s point-of-view (i.e. a customer, colleague, etc.)

Ask questions which challenge prevailing assumptions, including one’s own assumptions and ideas.

Identify and ask clarifying questions that may lead to better solutions (ex. Who will do x? What will happen if x? Where will x be located? Why will x work? When could x be done? Which x works best? How will x happen?) 

Apply fundamental works and personal mathematics including addition, subtraction, and basic algebra to a given situation.

Make effective fundamental work and personal mathematics. 

Evaluate the gathered and analyzed information, evidence, and alternative points of view.

Apply decision-making processes appropriate to the situation and required policies.

Recognize when information becomes propaganda and how it might influence beliefs and behaviors. 

Understand that every decision and action has consequences (intended or unintended).

Effectively communicate with others. 

Understand the intended/target audience, including an understanding of background, culture, environments, and demographics.

Understand and demonstrate positive and negative verbal and non-verbal communication.

Clearly and concisely communicate verbally and non-verbally in the following situations: formal/structured and impromptu speech, debate, collaborative discussion, and interview.

Clearly and concisely communicate in writing (using proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, word choice, etc.) using the following: resume, general letter, set of instructions, basic presentation, email, persuasive letter, business report.

Apply the four basic parts of writing to any written communication. The four basic parts are:

Basic information (title, author, contact information)

Introduction (quick statement of purpose and intent to entice attention)

Body (presentation of details related to one’s intent)

Conclusion (focused summary of most important parts of content, including one’s findings, recommendation, and/or call to action)

Regarding standard work-related productivity software, demonstrate competency in the basic use of, understanding the purpose for, and determining the best software for a particular job. Focus should be given on:

Word processor software

Spreadsheets software

Presentation software

Browser software

Effectively interact and collaborate with others – peers, colleagues/coworkers, employer, customers

Work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams:

Value the individual contributions of each group member and be open to new and diverse perspectives.

Show sensitivity to cultural differences.

Actively participate and contribute in group discussions and assignments.

Proactively accept and complete assigned tasks.

Understand the importance of having a positive attitude while working in group situations.

Respectfully accept and incorporate input and feedback from others about one’s own work.

Understand the role of active listening in effective interpersonal communication and demonstrate active listening skills.

Demonstrate how to appropriately deal with difficult individuals (client/customer, coworker, boss, peer) by doing the following: show empathy and understanding, do not minimize the individual's problem/concern, ensure understanding by clarifying the individual's statements using appropriate questioning and listening techniques (ask open ended questions to narrow the scope of the problem, restate what is said to verify understanding, etc.), avoid arguing, provide possible solutions, and provide ways for follow-up or next steps.

Effectively manage projects.

Set and meet S.M.A.R.T. goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures.

Plan and prioritize tasks and work-flow to achieve desired outcomes.

Understand how to multi-task (managing multiple projects during the same period of time).

Effectively guide and lead others.

Expect and encourage positive personal traits and quality results from one’s self and from others.

Be positive about others’ abilities and efforts.

Listen to others’ ideas and leverage the strengths of others to accomplish a common goal.

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence and power.

Proactively seek the next task to be done, and appropriately work to accomplish that task.

Effectively lead a meeting: provide a meeting agenda, start and stop on time, provide a clear purpose, allot sufficient time to discuss, make assignments to specific indifivuals, record decisions and assignments for follow-up.