Soft Skills are Critical Skills for a 21st Century education

Education has always adapted to the needs of society.

Prior to the 19th century, schooling was mostly informal. Education could be passed on to students by families, communities, public and private schools, literary societies, churches, individual school teachers and tutors, and even missionary and philanthropic associations. Religion was the primary motivator of education so it, naturally, made sense that churches and missionary organizations would be involved. Possessors of the knowledge were school teachers and clergy.

In the early 19th century, the switch to the “Prussian” or Industrial revolution form of education had begun. The model came to the United States in the mid-1800s and by the late 1800s, standardized public education was common place throughout the country. During this period, books became largely standardized as did the K-12 curriculum. In addition to being with school teachers, knowledge was in the books students used. It made sense that during this period students who came in possession of this knowledge through studying would be considered “smart.” It made sense that those who could quickly memorize facts without referencing books or teachers would be seen as “highly intelligent.”

Fast forward to the 1970s and computers came along. Then in the 1990s, we started having widespread usage of the internet. In the early 2000s, smart phones came about. Now, information, that was formerly only with teachers and books, was found everywhere and instantly. The world is now changing in other ways. With the work happening in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, the knowledge will not only be housed in our computers - it will be created by the technology we own.

The world has changed since the 1990s. And our education needs to move beyond the Industrial revolution. What if, instead of having students sit in rows of desks 3 feet apart, we allow them to move around freely and collaborate with each other? What if, instead of completing individual homework at home, they work on projects in the classroom under time constraints and with limited resources? What if, instead of 45-minute class periods, we allowed them to manage their own time. What if, instead of learning one topic at a time and then moving on to the next, we have them bring their knowledge of various topics into one presentation? What if, instead of quizzing them, we asked them open-ended questions that require them to put together their knowledge to come up with conclusions? What if, instead of having them write 5-paragraph essays, they wrote blog posts and made YouTube videos?

It’s not that memorization can’t be valuable in the 21st century. However, we must understand that we live in the information age and to simply memorize things doesn’t make us smart. What this means is that our ability to connect information and work with people is absolutely critical. In short, soft skills are critical skills in the 21st century:

  • Communication

  • Time Management

  • Multitasking

  • Teamwork

  • Critical Thinking

  • Self-Motivation

  • Leadership

  • Responsibility

  • Conflict Resolution

  • Research

Soft skills are not specialized skills. Rather, they are transferable from project to project, company to company, business to business. You don’t have to be an expert in banking to understand how to implement a cash management model into an operating environment. You don’t have to be an expert in babies to be able to plan a large get baby shower get together event. You don’t have to be an expert in autism to launch a webinar bringing together some of the leading experts in special education.

That’s what 360 Academy envisions - a future where our learners drive their own learning and build transferable skills that are critical for the 21st century. How do we see that happening in our studio?

  • Learners move around freely and collaborate with each other.

  • Learners are provided guidelines for projects and are asked to work together to complete the guidelines and go beyond as they desire.

  • Learners present their projects through exhibitions.

  • Those learners who understand a topic have the opportunity to teach others.

  • Socratic discussions are held daily where open-ended questions are asked.

  • Open-ended questions lead to projects where students research topics, find facts, and come to their conclusions.

  • Students are given the freedom to determine the books they want to read.

  • Growth Mindset is built into the culture of the mixed age group classroom. There is no “I can’t” at 360 Academy - only a “not yet”.

To learn more about 360 Academy and our vision, check out our Principles of Education.

Varun Bhatia