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Understanding the Soft Skills Your Students Need

Back in the day, people were able to keep up with the pace of innovation fairly easily. When a new technology or invention would emerge, it would typically take several years to successfully weave itself into the fabric of society. Take, for example, the television. While it is undeniably one of the most popular forms of mass media ever developed, back in 1948, only 1 in 10 Americans owned a television set. However, twelve years later, 70 million viewers tuned in to watch the first-ever televised presidential debate between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon (Bludov, 2018). While this demonstrates an exponential growth in the number of television sets owned, it also represents the fact that it took a while to get there.

In his 2016 book, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, author Thomas L. Friedman describes the current era in which we live as the “Age of Accelerations.” He posits that our planet is in the midst of three separate powerful accelerations — globalization, technology, and climate change — and that these changes are happening both exponentially and simultaneously.

Most of today’s students accept this fact at face value. Indeed, the Linkster Generation (defined as post-millennial students who were born after 2002) are called Linksters because, for the most part, they have been linked to technology since the day they were born (Blair, 2017). They move through various screens at a lightning pace and have the power of the World Wide Web at their fingertips. The pace of progress has been incessant, and they barely bat an eyelash.

The Critical Competencies

Due to the phenomenon known as the age of acceleration, schools are being asked to address a multitude of new skills that students need to possess in order to thrive in the 21st century. As you read through them, you should notice that they are considered soft skills, or skills which are not able to be easily quantified. Indeed, many of them are specifically tied to another hot-button educational topic — social and emotional skills. As you peruse each of these seven critical competencies, think about what, if anything, you can do as a teacher to instill these soft skills in your students moving forward.

1. Self-regulation. Self-regulation is all about being in control. Students who are able to self-regulate have the ability to monitor and control their own behavior, emotions, and thoughts, and can make changes to them depending on the demands and needs of any given situation. Students who are able to self-regulate have the ability to independently monitor and assess their progress, which puts them in an ideal situation to persist in the face of defeat or setbacks, thus helping them learn from their mistakes. Because of this, self-regulation is a valued 21st century skill.
2. Critical thinking. Critical thinking utilizes a variety of higher-order thinking skills so that information can be analyzed objectively in order to make a reasoned judgment. In order to accomplish this, students must be able to objectively evaluate their sources, including such things as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research findings (Doyle, 2019).
3. Collaboration. In its truest form, collaboration involves two or more people working together toward a common goal(s). It can be synchronous (where everyone interacts in real time) or it can be asynchronous (whereby some of the interactions get time-shifted, such as making individual contributions to a Google Doc).
4. Creative thinking. Creative thinking is a highly-prized 21st century skill, as employers are constantly looking to employ people who are able to think “outside of the box.” In simple terms, creativity means being able to come up with something new, whether it be a different way of looking at a problem or discovering a new solution to an age-old question.
5. Communication. Communication is about using one’s social and emotional skills to actively and appreciatively listen, express oneself clearly and sensitively, and honor differences of opinion in a respectful and considerate manner.
6. Digital citizenship. In order to be good digital citizens, students must understand how to productively and proactively conduct themselves online in an ethical manner. Thus, students must be taught the etiquette of communicating with diverse individuals and groups in a variety of online venues.
7. Social competence. Social competence employs a variety of social-emotional skills, including, but not limited to, getting along well with others, being able to form and maintain close relationships, and being able to successfully adapt and respond to a variety of social settings.

The Foundation of a Thinking Culture

Naturally, the above critical competencies should form the foundation of all relevant and meaningful learning experiences. By embracing all of the critical competency soft skills mentioned above, teachers will help prepare students so that they are able to contribute to society in meaningful and productive ways. Cultivating a culture that provides rich and meaningful learning opportunities allows students to take more risks so that they can productively struggle and celebrate their successes. By doing so, students move from a culture of learning to one of thinking, which is exactly the foundation that they need to succeed in the 21st century.

Are you curious? Want to take a deep dive on this topic?

To learn more about teaching soft skills, as well as other critical thinking skills, visit the Professional Development Institute (PDI) website or our 21st Century Thinking Skills that Promote College and Career Readiness course.

For over 27 years, PDI has provided high-quality and affordable online professional development courses to K-12 teachers worldwide. Our online courses are designed to offer practical strategies that can be implemented in classrooms immediately. All our courses are instructor-led and conducted entirely online. Graduate-level university credit for every PDI online course for teachers is available through the University of California San Diego Division of Extended Studies. PDI offers an extensive catalog of online courses that cover the most critical topics in today's classrooms.

References:

Blair, O. (2017). “What comes after millennials? Meet the generation known as the ‘Linksters.’” Retrieved 23 Jan. 2020 from http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/millennials-generation-z-linksters-what-next-generation-x-baby-boomers-internet-social-media-a7677001.html

Bludov, S. (2018). “From struggle to embrace: TV’s technological conundrum.” Retrieved 23 Jan. 2020 from https://www.itproportal.com/features/from-struggle-to-embrace-tvs-technological-conundrum/

Doyle, A. (2019). “Critical Thinking Definition, Skills, and Examples.” Retrieved 24 Jan. 2020 from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/critical-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063745

Friedman, T.L. (2016). Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. New York, NY: Picador Books.