Defining 21st century skills is an editorial matter. There are dozens of examples floating range with a range of authority behind them—some inspired, grassroots efforts, other core brands of multimillion dollar organizations making a national push.
There is even debate as to whether they are truly necessary, the idea being that learning habits and priorities are timeless, and do not change because the world itself changes. But the scale and rate of change are unrelenting.
Culture oozes forward.
Trends and movements emerge and overwhelm old habits.
Technology does its dizzying dance.
And learning has to change with it.
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What’s a “Currency”?
Anything of value can be considered currency. In a system of bartering, items or service are exchanged. Money for widgets, one service for another. In education, learners find their own currencies–currencies that often diverge from those set by educators.
But on a broader level, while learning will likely always have as its foundation the ability to read, write, and think, in the fast-paced, information-rich, socialized digital world of 2012, new currencies are emerging for learners to master–new skills, concepts, and thinking habits that are crucial to a consistent ability to absorb, process, and redistribute data and original thinking as a global citizen.
The currencies listed below are inspired by a variety of thinkers, in form most of all by Art Costa and Bena Kallick’s excellent Habits of Mind.
These fifteen currencies represent Edudemic’s position on defining what 21st century skills should involve, a topic we take to task in the June issue of Edudemic Magazine.
Edudemic Learning Currencies 2.0
