In 2002, four skills have been identified by the United States-based Partnership for 21st Century Skills as the most important skills required for 21st-century education. These are Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. So what is the importance of these skills for the students?

• Critical Thinking - We at the age where there are lots of information than ever before. We get information from the internet and from communicating with other people. But how do we know which information is correct? Which information still needs further research? How do we know if we should believe this or that? Critical thinking is one's ability to ask questions if he senses a problem. It's about having a good judgment for better decision making.
• Communication - When we say communication, it's not just sending text-based messages in emails, social media, etc. It's about sharing ideas with other students or with teachers. If you practice your communication skills it will be easier for you to express your thoughts or feeling about a topic and get the full attention of the listeners.
• Collaboration - It is about making progress in cooperation with others, working toward a common goal. It is the ability to view situations from other's perspectives and it builds more positive relationships with others.
• Creativity - A good classroom environment has some elements of creativity for better student engagement. Creativity is thinking outside the box and being innovative. With the right mix of creativity along with technology and exciting lessons, students will see a different perspective in education.

Today, we observe a huge growth in classroom technology. We can use this to encourage students collaboration with the use of different versatile technology tools that are available.

Now that we have an idea what 4 C's in education is about, how can we incorporate this in school?

#thebeardedtech #4CinEducation