Preparing 21st Century Students for a Global Society: The Important Role of the Four C’s in Making this Happen
From Mike Kaspar
A policy maker walks into a school and says, “From this day forward we oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills including critical thinking skills in all our state-funded schools.” “But, why?” asks a shocked educator. “Because,” the policy maker declares, “They are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education which focuses on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.” “And, that means?” asks the bewildered teacher. “It means that we oppose the teaching of “higher order thinking skills” like critical thinking because we believe that the purpose is to challenge a student’s “fixed beliefs” and undermine “parental authority.” “What the...?” ponders the teacher.

Would we be shocked if this actually happened? I think probably, “yes.” However, within this strange, little vignette does lay some truth about what is happening in at least one state (Texas, in this case) around the business of educational reform. In many educational circles, the development of a student’s critical thinking skills is a paramount goal; a higher order thinking skill to achieve. But, as one cognitive scientist supposed, critical thinking may not be teachable. Daniel Willingham, from the University of Virginia pondered this (2007) when he found that even after decades of cognitive research, critical thinking does not seem to be a skill that can be taught. He found that cognitive science research showed that thinking is not a skill like those where, once you learn it, you can apply it to any situation.

So with this information, what do you think about the skill of “critical thinking?” Can it be taught? Should it be taught? Who can teach it? When should it be taught? But, let’s not stop there. Future job-seekers should have a number of other skills, too, as pointed out by the American Management Association in a 2010 survey. What, then, are these other skills future job seekers should have?

Well, those other skills are communication, collaboration and creativity. And since they all begin with the letter ‘c’ and along with critical thinking, we have the “Four Cs”... a list of skills every student should have in addition to strong content mastery. Here, too, it is believed that critical thinking can be taught, using a clear definition of what critical thinking means.

To help understand the fundamental aspects of the “Four Cs” and how an educator can implement them into instruction, the National Education Association has released, “Preparing 21st Century Students for a Global Society...An Educators’ Guide to the “Four Cs.” The Guide intends to answer some of the relevant questions around the “Four Cs” as it drills down into each of the skills.

For each skill there is a section on the importance of the “C,” the definition of the “C,” how the “C” is related to other Skills, ways to integrate the “C” into the classroom, “reflections on the “C,” and resources related to the “C.”

Look over the guide. Decide if you find its recommendations useful in developing a student’s skills set. Will a student be able to see both sides of an issue, is the student open to new evidence that disconfirms firmly held ideas, can the student reason dispassionately, demand that claims be backed by evidence, and deduce and infer conclusions from available fact and solving problems?

The digital Guide can be found at: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf. Sixteen states have formally adopted 21st century education as a strategy for all their students. To learn more about the Partnership for the 21st Century (P21), check out www.p21.org.

Mike Kaspar, Ph.D. is Senior Policy Analyst at the National Education Association.

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