Introduction
Critical Thinking Skills are essential for success in the 21st century. This 60 minute multimedia learning content introduces basics of Critical Thinking skills.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Monday, 15 March 2010
Visual Fluency Skills & Problem Solving
LIST OF GOOD LEARNING RESOURCES FOR 21ST CENTURY TRAINERS AND LEARNERS
I will share resources that are relevant for 21st century skills and will keep adding to my list.
1. Solving Problems with Pictures – Books by Dan Roam
The Visual Thinking Toolkit suggested by Dan:
- Defining the Problem through “Who/What, Where, When, How, How Much, Why" Analysis
- Representing these visually:
Visually all the above is much more simple and interesting than what I have made it appear in text description!
My recommended steps:
1. See Dan’s Authors@Google video first (http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com)
2. Then visit the book website
I will share resources that are relevant for 21st century skills and will keep adding to my list.
1. Solving Problems with Pictures – Books by Dan Roam
- 21st century skill covered: Visual Communication , Problem Solving
- Books: The Back of the Napkin, Unfolding the Napkin
- Website: http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com
- Lectures: Authors@Google: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuA_yz7aTo0
The Visual Thinking Toolkit suggested by Dan:
- Defining the Problem through “Who/What, Where, When, How, How Much, Why" Analysis
- Representing these visually:
- Who/What = Portrait
- Where = Map
- When = Timeline
- How = FlowChart
- How Much = Bar/Pie Chart
- Why = Multivariate Diagram
- Simple or Elaborate
- Qualitative or Quantitative
- Vision or Execution
- Individual or Comparison
- Change or Status Quo
Visually all the above is much more simple and interesting than what I have made it appear in text description!
My recommended steps:
1. See Dan’s Authors@Google video first (http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com)
2. Then visit the book website
- See the videos on the home page (animated walk-through)
- See more video clips ‘Napkin Cam’ (http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/botn.php)
- See sample pages and exercises from the book ‘Unfolding the Napkin’
- Visit the Dan’s Blog on the website
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
20th vs 21st Century Education – The Difference
20th century education was focused on providing basic cognitive skills and a stockpile of knowledge. You chose an area where job possibilities were bright, gathered knowledge and were set for life.
Today you don’t change several jobs you change several careers!
21st century education needs to be different because rate of change is so rapid that just keeping up-to-date in any domain is a challenge. You also need to make sure that your skills don’t become obsolete and that you are able to make the most of new opportunities.
Thus, focus of education today has to be on acquiring fundamental life skills like yearning-to-learn, learning-to-self-learn, learning-to-think and learning-to-be, that help you reinvent yourself.
With these life skills you can discover what is it you are passionate about. Use self-learning and thinking skills to gain knowledge about that domain. And, keep yourself up-do-date through participation in knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Even if the area you are deeply interested in is a very niche area, chances are that you can still make it a financially viable proposition. Technology will help you consolidate a fragmented or dispersed market. Say, you like to write on a topic which is not very popular. You can still have a good fan following because internet and content aggregation sites will help you reach out to a global audience and consolidate your reader-base.
Acquiring new knowledge is easier today because abundant content is available. Distance learning through electronic means makes learning easy and cost-effective. You can also participate in knowledge networks where, by listening you can keep up-to-date and by contributing you can deepen your understanding.
21st century skills like deriving insight from information can also help you spot threats and opportunities earlier and give you time for course correction.
Say due to external factors like financial crisis, outsourcing or obsolescence of your skills because of automation you lose your job. Or you realize that better opportunities exist in another domain. Or a new domain comes up. In all these situations too life skills like self-learning and thinking skills can be used to reinvent your self.
Today you don’t change several jobs you change several careers!
21st century education needs to be different because rate of change is so rapid that just keeping up-to-date in any domain is a challenge. You also need to make sure that your skills don’t become obsolete and that you are able to make the most of new opportunities.
Thus, focus of education today has to be on acquiring fundamental life skills like yearning-to-learn, learning-to-self-learn, learning-to-think and learning-to-be, that help you reinvent yourself.
With these life skills you can discover what is it you are passionate about. Use self-learning and thinking skills to gain knowledge about that domain. And, keep yourself up-do-date through participation in knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Even if the area you are deeply interested in is a very niche area, chances are that you can still make it a financially viable proposition. Technology will help you consolidate a fragmented or dispersed market. Say, you like to write on a topic which is not very popular. You can still have a good fan following because internet and content aggregation sites will help you reach out to a global audience and consolidate your reader-base.
Acquiring new knowledge is easier today because abundant content is available. Distance learning through electronic means makes learning easy and cost-effective. You can also participate in knowledge networks where, by listening you can keep up-to-date and by contributing you can deepen your understanding.
21st century skills like deriving insight from information can also help you spot threats and opportunities earlier and give you time for course correction.
Say due to external factors like financial crisis, outsourcing or obsolescence of your skills because of automation you lose your job. Or you realize that better opportunities exist in another domain. Or a new domain comes up. In all these situations too life skills like self-learning and thinking skills can be used to reinvent your self.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Ideas for Enriching eLearning Experiences
Best practices can be derived from game-design, story-telling and all other things addictive to make learning experiences rich, interesting and effective. I share my thoughts on insights that can be derived from games, stories and social learning to create engaging learning experiences and welcome your comments.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Saber Tooth Curriculum
A 1.25 mts audio-visual sum-up of the book 'The Saber Tooth Curriculum' by J Abner Peddiwell.
The story highlights why it is essential to acquire new skills when the context or the conditions change, but how we resist change because it is difficult to change our mindset.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
What are key life skills for 21st century?
Learning to learn, learning to think, learning to be... these are some of the key life skills for success in the 21st century. But 'yearning to learn' is a timeless lifeskill. (6:21 mts)
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