CBSE WEBINAR – 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

(JULY 17, 2021)

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

 An online session on 21 Century Skills was organised by the COE Delhi (East) on July 17, 2021 on the Webex platform. The resource person was Ms Anuradha Handa, Principal, G D Goenka Public School, Sector 48, Gurgaon. The session was attended by educators across the country.

 Through a creative presentation, Ms Handa took the participants on a journey of the history of education. Emphasising on the changes that occurred over the centuries and questioning whether these changes could be termed as Evolution or Revolution, she threw light on the present VUCA world and the kind of education that is required in the uncertainties of the present times. Her insights showed hoe the Indian Gurukul System was a truly experiential system of education that resulted in a holistic grown of a child and developed essential life skills required to be live a happy life.

 Progressing further, Ms Handa shared that only teaching students to perform well in school or in a test is no longer sufficient. We need to adapt and develop new ways of teaching and learning that reflect a changing world and prepares students for success after graduation. Schools need to prioritize the knowledge and skills that will be in the greatest demand in the future. In other words, teachers need to switch from transmitting knowledge to helping children gain the ability to process knowledge. 

Stating that the term 21st Century Skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work, habits, and character traits that are believed— by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically important to success in today’s world, she enlightened the attendees on the three broad categories of 21 Century Skill, namely Learning Skills; Literacy Skills; Life Skills. She then took everyone through a detailed explanation of each.  The highlight of the presentation was the exemplar that enabled all the participants understand how the development of 21 century skills can be interwoven into the teaching learning process. The biggest challenge that educations face is how to impart the 21 century skills to a learner. The presentation gave a lot of clarity and direction to all the attendees in this direction.