innovation

I read an article from eSchool News. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)-gotta love all the achronyms-is a national coalition of business and education leaders. The group is trying to define the skills needed for success in the 21st Century. "It's essential, say coalition members, that students have a strong grasp of these skills for the United States to remain competitive in the 21st-century economy." It names the skills "Learning and Innovation Skills." The skills "focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, as well as mastery of information, media, and technology skills--all of which are 'essential for preparing students for the future,'" Finally, I like this conclusion: "To be effective in the 21st century, today's students must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical-thinking skills related to information, media, and technology."
"Other skills stressed in the new framework are what P21 calls "Life and Career Skills," such as flexibility, accountability, innovation, self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, leadership, and responsibility. According to P21, these are skills that many U.S. employers say are increasingly hard to find among prospective employees."
Partnership for 21st Century Skills