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Seven skills to be successful in the 21st century

Francisco Miraval

I recently went for a cup of coffee with a colleague, who also works in education. During the conversation, my colleague suggested a book. I have learned many years ago that I should take those suggestions seriously, because in many cases the book contains material or information I need. Therefore, as soon as I was able to do it, I order a used copy of that book.

The book is The Global Achievement Gap, by Tony Wagner, an expert in education based in Harvard. The book is not new (it was published in 200 . And the ideas Wagner shares are not new either. However, those are important ideas that deserve to be repeated.

According to Wagner, those who want to be successful in the 21st century (“successful” does not mean “destroying the competition”) should possess or develop seven key characteristics.

Those characteristics are critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership by influence, adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective oral and written communication, access and analysis of information, and curiosity and information.

As soon as I read that list, I asked myself how many of those characteristics and skills I already possess. I was not looking for an answer, but just to feel good about myself and to have some hope of surviving in the 21st century.

However, that question is not only narcissistic, but it is also irrelevant. After all, I should not ask how many 21st skills I already have, but how many skills I am willing to develop through hard work and study.

For example, you cannot improvise critical thinking skills or leadership. And establishing a meaningful network of contacts to develop collaboration agreements will not happen overnight. In fact, it takes a long time.

In the same way, to open a business, or to achieve a solid level of communication skills are skills that you have to improve constantly.

Having said that, I do not think we should ask ourselves if we are thinkers with the imagination, adaptability and communication skills needed for the 21st century. I think we should ask ourselves if we are teaching our children how to achieve and develop those characteristics. After all, they are our future and the future of the country.

Are we (parents, teachers) teaching our children how to think for themselves, how to be good leaders, how to collaborate with others, and how to adapt rapidly to constant changes?

Are we teaching them to have initiative, to be entrepreneurs, to communicate properly, to analyze information, and to be curious and imaginative? Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge.

In other words, are we sharing with the next generation those skills they need to build their own future, a future that is not a continuation of our present and certainly not a continuation of our past?

Regardless of the answer, one thing is true: without critical thinking, the other characteristics would soon disappear. For that reason, let us develop our own multilingual and multigenerational critical thinking skills.

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