22 November 2020

Competencies for the 21st century: Jurisdictional progress

Robert Taylor, Charles Fadel, Helyn Kim, and Esther Care

Education systems around the world are increasingly recognizing the need to teach their students a new set of competencies beyond traditional disciplines such as mathematics, science, and reading. In order to be successful in learning, life, and work, students must master 21st century skills like creativity and critical thinking, social-emotional learning characteristics like curiosity and resilience, and meta-learning abilities often described as “learning to learn.”

While the importance of this broadened set of competencies is widely acknowledged by education policies, implementation into educational curricula varies significantly. This brief and the interactive below document how 22 jurisdictions—countries, provinces, and states—in North America, Europe, and Asia and the Pacific have incorporated 21st century competencies into their education systems.[1]

3 ways to see where and how educators are teaching 21st century competencies

1. Select a location to see its overall level of progress and specific competencies developed.

2. Select a competency to see which locations include it explicitly in their curricula and related documents.[2]

COL – Collaboration COM – Communication
COU – Courage CRE – Creativity
CRI – Critical thinking CUR – Curiosity
ETH – Ethics GRO – Growth mindset
LEA – Leadership MET – Metacognition
MIN – Mindfulness RES – Resilience

3. Select a level of progress to see which locations have advanced to that level.

Inclusion – Competencies are included anywhere in the curriculum, perhaps in one subject only.

Identification – Competencies are identified in the curriculum in a cross-disciplinary context.

Progression – Specific documentation exists as to how the competencies should progress over time and across education levels.

Pedagogy – Teaching techniques for the competencies are systematically included in the curriculum.

Assessment – Assessments measure students’ progress on the competencies.

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