21世紀學生需要的技能和能力
今天，我們的學生在一個受著科技和社會經濟趨勢影響而瞬息萬變的世界中成長。經濟合作與發展組織教育與技能總監Andreas Schleicher曾表示：「因應經濟及社會的急速變化，學校必須裝備學生以應付尚未創造的職位、有待研發的技術，以及仍未出現的難題」（Schleicher，2011年）。如此，問題就來了，在這些未知因素下，老師如何為學生的未來做好準備？本文以21世紀評估與教學（ATC21S）提出的框架中的思維方式、工作方式及工作工具，來討論老師如何培養學生所需要的技能和能力，以迎接轉變所帶來的影響。
思維方式：創造力、批判性思維、解難和決策
思維方式包括了創意、批判性思考、解難和決策。根據世界各地主要人力資源官員和一些全球最大企業僱主的意見，世界經濟論壇的2018年未來就業報告提出，2018至2022年勞動力市場所需的十大新技能中，創造力、批判性思維和解決複雜問題的能力皆榜上有名。因此，我們鼓勵老師與其只將學科內容傳遞給學生，更應在日常教學中多引導學生在思考上打破常框，並運用創新的方法與人協作。同時，老師亦要提供批判性思考的訓練，以致學生能分析及評估不同的證據、論點、說法和看法。讓學生使用已建立的評估準則作同儕評估，也是訓練批判性思維的一個好機會。要成為一個積極的學習者，學生必須不斷反思學習經歷，並找出過程中發生的問題。通過參與真實的習作和個案研究，學生可以解決各種常見和陌生的問題，闡明各種觀點，最後找出可行的方案。
工作方式：溝通和協作
要投入21世紀的工作，學生需要良好的溝通和協作技能。溝通技巧是指利用各種形式的口語、書面表達和非語言方式有效地傳達想法和意念的能力。因為我們經常與不同的人共處，大家有著各種不同的觀點和想法，所以良好的協作至為重要。透過協作，我們可以把多方面的力量和資源結聚一起，以實現共同目標。在學校的環境中，老師亦可採用協作學習。首先，老師需要營造有利學生參與，融合個人及小組工作的學習環境。進行協作學習時，學生參與共同的任務，當中彼此依賴，並要為彼此負責。事實證明，這個教學法能為學生帶來裨益，在發展互動社交技能的同時，亦鼓勵學生為其學習負責任。
工作工具：資訊素養和資訊與通訊科技素養
21世紀的工作工具包括資訊素養和資訊與通訊科技素養。資訊素養是識別所需資訊的能力，以及快速和有效地搜尋、評估和使用資訊的才能。生活在資訊氾濫的世界，我們經常瀏覽過量的資訊。因此，學生需要懂得批判性地檢視資訊來源，以及有關資訊是否他們所需。當然，評估其準確性、可靠性和當前性也很重要。資訊與通訊科技素養指的是有效地應用科技的能力。當科技被視為知識的推動者時，為學生提供使用數碼技術去獲取、管理和整合資訊的學習環境可以為他們的未來生活製造優勢。
21世紀的教育不再只是傳遞知識，而是像Andreas Schleicher所言，重點在於「涉及解難、決策、創意和批判性思考的思維方式……以及包括溝通和協作的工作方式」（Schleicher，2011年）。我們希望，在面對科技浪潮和社會經濟變革的同時，我們可以為學生裝備以上所提及的技能和能力，幫助他們應對全球的變化。
參考文獻：
Schleicher, A. (2011). The case for 21st century learning. OECD Observer, 282, 42-43. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://www.bollettinoadapt.it/old/files/document/11702schleicher_oecd_.pdf
World Economic Forum. (2018). The future of jobs report 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2018.pdf
Skills and Competencies Students Needed in the 21st Century
Nowadays, our students are influenced by technology and socio-economic trends in this fast changing world. Andreas Schleicher, the Director for the Directorate for Education and Skills of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) contended earlier, “because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don't yet know will arise” (Schleicher, 2011). Then the question comes, how shall teachers prepare students for their future with these unknowns? Adopting from the framework suggested by Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century (ATC21S) specifically on ways of thinking, ways of working and tools for working, this article discusses the skills and competencies that teachers shall prepare students for the effect of changes.
Ways of Thinking: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
Ways of thinking concern creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. Taking input from chief human resources officers and some of the world's largest employers around the world, the Future of Jobs Report 2018 of World Economic Forum revealed that creativity, critical thinking and complex problem solving would be in the top 10 trending skills demanded from 2018 to 2022. In view of this, instead of only imparting the subject content and information to students in daily teaching, teachers are encouraged to guide their students to think creatively and work creatively with others. Meanwhile, training on critical thinking skills has to be provided, so that our students would be able to analyse and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs. Making students assessing peers' work using set criteria also provides a good opportunity to practise critical thinking.
To be an active learner, he/she has to reflect constantly on their learning experiences and identify the problems that occur during the process. Through tackling authentic tasks and case studies, students solve different kinds of familiar and unfamiliar problems, clarify various points of view and finally lead to workable solutions.
Ways of Working: Communication and Collaboration
To learn and work in the 21st Century, students are required of reasonable communication and collaboration skills. Communication skills are the ability to convey thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and non-verbal forms. We all know “play well with others” is important, as we are surrounded with people with different perspectives and ideas of various subjects. Collaboration allows us to join force and pool resources together to achieve a common goal. At school, teachers could adopt collaborative learning. To start with, teachers could create learning environments that engage students and incorporate individual and group works. Students are allowed to work on a common task in which each individual depends on and is accountable to each other. It has been proved to be beneficial to students by developing social interaction skills as well as encouraging their responsibility for learning.
Tools for Working: Information Literacy and Information and Communications Literacy
Speaking of tools for working in the 21st Century, they refer to information literacy and information and communications (ICT) literacy. Information literacy is the capacity to identify what information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate and use the information effectively and efficiently. Living in the world with abundant information, we often navigate the overloaded information. For this reason, students need to be able to examine information sources critically, whether the information found is relevant to what they need. It is also important to evaluate its accuracy, reliability and currency. ICT literacy refers to how much one can apply technology effectively. When technology is regarded as a knowledge enabler, providing students with a learning environment to use digital technologies to access, manage and integrate information could give them an edge for their future lives.
Education in the 21st Century is not about passing on content knowledge, but in Andreas Schleicher's words, it is about “ways of thinking which involve creative and critical approaches to problem solving and decision making… also about ways of working, including communication and collaboration” (Schleicher, 2011). We hope that, while facing the waves of technology and socio-economic changes, we can prepare our students with the mentioned skills and competencies to navigate our global society.
References:
Schleicher, A. (2011). The case for 21st century learning. OECD Observer, 282, 42-43. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://www.bollettinoadapt.it/old/files/document/11702schleicher_oecd_.pdf
World Economic Forum. (2018). The future of jobs report 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2018.pdf