The Four Cs
Written by: Nicole Heusser
In today’s interconnected world, content-based knowledge of a subject is no longer enough. Yes, of course it is still important to teach our students the four “classical” skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
But in the 21st century, language mastery requires more than just vocabulary and grammar. It’s also about how you apply this knowledge through a set of soft skills.
The Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) defines those additional skills as the “Four Cs”:
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Communication
Critical thinking (P21 definition): Reason effectively, use systems thinking, make judgments and decisions, solve problems
Communication (P21 definition): Communicate clearly
Collaboration (P21 definition): Collaborate with others
Creativity (P21 definition): Think creatively, implement innovation
Tim Phillips’ upcoming workshop “Developing Learners’ 21st Century Skills” (register here) will hopefully shed some light on some of the following questions:
- How can we implement those skills into our EFL / ESL classrooms?
- How can we create and 4C activities which are relevant to our students?
- How can we encourage our learners to be creative?
- How do we create a learning environment which focuses on collaboration?
- How do we foster and nurture creativity in our classrooms?
For those of you, who would like to know more about the “Four Cs” ahead of the workshop in March, I’ve compiled a reading list with relevant articles:
