to help learners thrive in a world of disruptive change and shape a better future
Nearly a quarter into the new century, 21st Century skill frameworks abound. These have been articulated by numerous national and international organizations for two decades now to foster innovation in support of these skills. And while 21st Century skill frameworks are organized in slightly different ways, collectively they are found to be “consistent with each other” (Dede, 2010, p.11) in their emphasis on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.
Less true is that we have made progress in aligning curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in any significant and systematic way in support of these skills. There may be innovation happening in individual classrooms, but the incentive structures, the year-end high stakes assessments, the college admission criteria, the tenure and promotion criteria favoring research over teaching and learning, the standards for university accreditation, aka the nuts and bolts of education systems have not changed. Without alignment of classroom practice with reward systems and policy, reporting on educational innovation on future facing skills continues to be more lip service than driven by evidence.
OECD Learning Compass 2030
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 is a framework that highlights the flexibility required to reorient teaching and learning dynamically according to local conditions. It is holistic in that it incorporates knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values (head, heart, and hand), but in addition to the core foundation of skills, it sets as its goal the development of three transformative competencies : 1) to create new value, 2) to reconcile tensions and dilemmas, 3) to take responsibility. The competencies emphasize that learners need to become self-aware, take responsibility, work well with others, and possess the agency and self-determination to create value and thrive in a changing world. To achieve these transformative competencies requires nothing less than authentic learning experiences that help foster these skills and dispositions.
OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030: OECD Learning Compass 2030
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 is a future-oriented framework for learning. It orients students in a world of uncertainty and rapid change and helps them navigate towards the future we want. Co-created by policy makers, researchers, school leaders, teachers, students and social partners from around the world, as well as other international organizations, the Learning Compass also creates a common language and understanding about broad education goals. It is globally informed and locally contextualized. To find out more visit www.oecd.org/education/2030-project.A call to action
As humanity is facing a series of interconnected crises that threaten the wellbeing of the most vulnerable populations on this planet: from climate change and worldwide pandemics to global economic inequality and learning losses, the need design for these competencies grows.
reDesignED specializes in learning designs that foster future-facing skills. We follow the science (Reilly & Reeves, 2024) behind these competencies to deliver bespoke solutions in which curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment align to deepen learning while optimizing for the development of these transformative competencies.
To learn more about our consultations and design services, please contact us .