21st Century Attributes Every Learner Should Possess

We live in a world of academic standards. Although much debate surrounds the virtues of a standards-based education, it is still important to consider why do standards even exist? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a standard is “a level of quality or achievement that is considered acceptable or desirable”. Applying this definition to 21^st century education, have we as an industry achieved an acceptable or desirable level of 21^st century proficiency in our students? Or, do we need to rethink what learning objectives our instruction truly targets? The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) produced a list of 21^st century attributes every 21^st century child should possess. In the age of Common Core, does our education model effectively promote these skills in our students? If not, do we need to ensure these attributes, or standards are taught? 

Core attributes found in the ISTE and IASL standards include:

• Intellectual curiosity and innovation
• Ability to locate, select, evaluate and structure information
• Problem solving and decision-making creative and critical thinking
• Communication, negotiation and collaboration skills
• Ethical and productive users and producers of media
• Responsible and flexible users of social media
• Active digital citizenship
• Capacity to think across disciplines and form authentic knowledge connections