LEARNING AND INNOVATION SKILLS

Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as those that
separate students who are prepared for a more and more complex life and work
environment in the 21st century, and those who are not. A focus on creativity,
critical thinking, communication, and collaboration is essential to prepare
students for the future.

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Communicate Clearly
Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal
communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, value,
attitudes and intentions
Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct,
motivate and persuade)
Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their
effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)

Collaborate with Others

Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary
compromises to accomplish a common goal
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work without dominating
Use social skills in order to avoid conflict and maintain happiness

Think Interdependently
Realize that a group can accomplish more than an individual
Be sensitive of the needs of your peers and do what you can to help them
Listen to and strongly consider the ideas of others
Value the individual contributions made by each team member

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Think Creatively
Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve
and maximize creative efforts
Conceive creative solutions to problems after examining alternative
possibilities from many angles

Work Creatively with Others

Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively
Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate
group input and feedback into the work
Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real
world limits to adopting new ideas

Implement Innovations
Generate tangible, useful, novel, original, clever or ingenious products,
solutions, and techniques
Work on tasks because of the challenges they present rather than the
material rewards Be intrinsically motivated

Apply Past Knowledge to New Situations

Make connections by referring to past experiences
Draw from experience when confronted with new and perplexing problems
Abstract meaning from one experience, carry it forth, and apply it in a new
and novel situation
Recognize similarities between past experiences and current challenges
and draw from what was learned

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Think Critically
Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate
to the situation
Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall
outcomes in complex systems

Make Judgments and Decisions

Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
and alternative points of view
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis

Ask Questions
Ask questions to fill in the gaps between what is known and what is
unknown
Ask questions at all levels of Blooms Taxonomy of Thinking, but match
the purpose with the correct type of question

Solve Problems
Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and
innovative ways
Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and
lead to better solutions

REFLECTION AND AWARENESS

Metacognition (Thinking About Our Thinking)

Know what you know and know what you dont know
Be conscious of the steps and strategies during the act of problem solving
Develop a plan of action, maintain that plan in mind over a period of time,
then reflect back on and evaluate the plan upon its completion
Be aware of one's actions and the effect of those actions on others and on
the environment
Shift gears if a plan isnt working
Explain your thinking and the strategies used while making decisions

Reflect and Synthesize

Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes
Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
 LIFE AND CAREER SKILLS
Todays life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and
content knowledge. The ability to navigate the complex life and work
environments in the globally competitive information age requires students to pay
rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills.

FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY

Adapt to Change
Adapt to varied roles, jobs, responsibilities, schedules, and contexts
Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities

Think and Learn Flexibly

Change your mind when you receive additional data
Know when it is appropriate to be broad and global in your thinking and
when a situation requires detailed precision
Understand that there are multiple correct ways to solve a problem

Demonstrate Learning Through All Intelligence Pathways

Interpersonal understand other people
Intrapersonal understand yourself
Logical-Mathematical understand causal systems
Visual-Spatial present the world in your mind
Verbal-Linguistic use language to express yourself
Bodily-Kinesthetic use your body as your media
Musical-Rhythmic use music and patterns
Naturalist discriminate among living things

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION

Manage Goals and Time

Set goals with tangible and intangible success criteria
Balance tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term) goals
Utilize time and manage workload efficiently

Be a Risk-Taker
Take educated risks and frequently push the boundaries of your perceived
limits
Be resilient if your risk-taking isnt successful - Dont worry what others
think
Know when risks are not worth taking
View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and
innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and
frequent mistakes

Be Self-Directed Learners
Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore and
expand ones own learning and opportunities to gain expertise
Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level
Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process
Reflect critically on past experiences in order to inform future progress

Persist Despite Setbacks

Stick to the task until it is completed
Stay focused on your task without distraction
Have a repertoire of strategies to solve problems if one isnt working

Be Curious
Inquire rather than give answers
Identify new problems that need to be solved and probe into their causes
Enjoy figuring out problems without adult assistance
Feel compelled, enthusiastic and passionate about learning, inquiring and
mastering

Learn Continuously
Value doubt rather than certainty
Explore alternatives rather than know which choice is correct
Constantly be on the lookout for new and better ways of doing things
Believe that problems, situations, tensions, conflicts and circumstances
are valuable opportunities to learn
Invite the unknown, the creative, and the inspirational
Be humble
Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS

Interact Effectively with Others

Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak
Conduct themselves in a respectable, professional manner

Work Effectively in Diverse Teams

Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people from a range
of social and cultural backgrounds
Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values
Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and increase
both innovation and quality of work

Find Humor in Appropriate Situations

Perceive situations from an original and often interesting vantage point
Appreciate and understand others' humor
Be verbally playful when interacting with others
Be able to laugh at situations and yourself

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Manage Projects
Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing
pressures
Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result

Produce Results
Demonstrate additional attributes associated with producing high quality
products including the abilities to:
o Work positively and ethically
o Manage time and projects effectively
o Multi-task
o Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual
o Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette
o Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams
o Respect and appreciate team diversity
o Be accountable for results
o Seek feedback and respond positively to constructive criticism &
setbacks
o Attend to detail, precision, and orderly progressions

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY

Guide and Lead Others

Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to influence and guide others
toward a goal
Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal
Inspire others to reach their very best via example and selflessness
Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence and power

Be Responsible to Yourself and Others

Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct oversight
Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind
Understand, negotiate and balance diverse views and beliefs to reach
workable solutions, particularly in multi-cultural environments
Perceive others points of view, empathize, predict how others are
thinking, and anticipate potential misunderstandings

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
 INFORMATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment,
marked by various characteristics, including: 1) access to an abundance of
information, 2) rapid changes in technology tools, and 3) the ability to collaborate
and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. To be effective in
the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of
functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology.

INFORMATION LITERACY

Access and Evaluate Information

Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources)
Evaluate information critically and competently

Use and Manage Information

Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand
Manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding
the access and use of information

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)
MEDIA LITERACY

Analyze Media
Understand both how and why media messages are constructed, and for
what purposes
Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and
points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence
beliefs and behaviors
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding
the access and use of media

Create Media Products

Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools,
characteristics and conventions
Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate expressions and
interpretations in diverse, multi-cultural environments
ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) LITERACY

Apply Technology Effectively

Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and
communicate information
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS, etc.),
communication/networking tools and social networks appropriately to
access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create information to
successfully function in a knowledge economy
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding
the access and use of information technologies

Adapted from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills & Habits of Mind - (Developed by Paul A. Solarz)