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Report B rief • JuLY 2012 Board on Testing and AssessmeNT • Board on sciencE education

Education for Life and Work Developing Transferable Knowledge and in the 21st Century

Business, political, and educational leaders are increas- ingly asking schools to integrate development of skills such as , critical thinking, and into the teaching and of academic subjects. These skills are often referred to as “21st century skills” or “.” At the request of several foundations, the National Research Council appointed a committee of experts in education, psy- chology, and economics to more clearly define “deeper learn- ing” and “21st century skills,” consider these skills’ impor- tance for positive outcomes in education, work, and other areas of life, address how to teach them, and examine re- lated issues. The committee’s findings and recommendations are detailed in its report Education for Life and Work: Developing Transfer- able Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century.

First Steps Toward Clarifying Terms Deeper learning is the process through which a person becomes capable of taking what was learned in one situation and applying it to new situations – in other words, learning for “transfer.” Through deeper learning, students develop expertise in a particular discipline or subject area. Suppose a student learns about means, medians and modes in mathematics. Deeper learning would mean that the student would learn not only how to calculate these values, but also under- stand how and when each is best used. For example, if the student later worked at a store that tracked average daily sales each month, he or she would recognize that a special sale on the first day of a particular month could skew the mean and that an alternative measure like the median might be more representative of daily sales for that month. Through the process of deeper learning, students develop 21st century competencies – transferable knowledge and skills. In contrast to a view of “21st century skills” as general

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social in uence with others analysis responsibility decision-making assertive leadership critical thinking empathy/perspective-taking adaptive learning executive function reasoning/argumentation trust COGNITIVE INTERPERSONAL problem solving interpersonal competencies self presentation active listening interpretation communication coordination conflict resolution service orientation information and negotiation collaboration (ict) literacy cooperation adaptability teamwork integrity appreciation for diversity intellectual interest and curiosity self-monitoring continuous learning artistic and cultural appreciation initiative INTRAPERSONAL self-evaluation productivity flexibility professionalism/ethics metacognition physical and psychological health self direction grit citizenship work ethic/conscientiousness self-reinforcement responsibility perseverance career orientation

“21st century skills” grouped into three broad domains

skills that can be applied to a range of different The Importance of 21st Century tasks in various civic, workplace, or family con- Competencies texts, the committee views these competencies as The committee examined evidence on the impor- aspects of expertise that are specific to – and inter- tance of 21st century competencies within the twined with – knowledge of a particular discipline three domains for positive outcomes in education, or subject area. The committee uses the broader work, health, and other areas. They reached the term “competencies” rather than “skills” to include following conclusions: both knowledge and skills. • the available research is limited and primarily Precise definitions of the many terms used for “21st correlational in nature. To date, only a few stud- century skills” are not possible at this time, in part ies have demonstrated a causal relationship be- because there is little research to support such defi- tween one or more 21st century competencies nitions. However, as a preliminary way to organize and adult outcomes. the skills, the committee first identified three broad domains of competence: • cognitive competencies, which have been more extensively studied than interpersonal and intra- • the cognitive domain, which includes think- personal competencies, show consistent, positive ing, reasoning, and related skills; correlations of modest size with desirable out- • the intrapersonal domain, which involves comes in education, the workplace, and health. self-management, including the ability to regu- • among intrapersonal and interpersonal compe- late one’s behavior and emotions to reach goals; tencies, conscientiousness – being organized, and responsible, and hardworking – shows the stron- • the interpersonal domain, which involves gest correlation with desirable work and educa- expressing information to others, as well as in- tional outcomes. Anti-social behavior, which has terpreting others’ messages and responding both intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects, is appropriately. negatively correlated with these outcomes. The committee then took several existing lists of • educational attainment – the total number of “21st century skills” and, based on a content analy- years a person spends in school – strongly pre- sis, grouped them within these three domains. dicts adult earnings, as well as health and civic The figure above links similar competencies togeth- engagement. It may be that schooling builds er, groupings that provide a starting point for further some mix of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrap- research on the competencies’ meaning and value. ersonal skills that are valued by the labor market.

2 Education for Life and Work July 2012 If so, making it possible for students to get more • Encourage elaboration, questioning, education may itself be a useful complementary and explanation – for example, by prompt- way to develop 21st century competencies. ing students who are reading a history text to More research is needed to increase our under- explain the material aloud to themselves or oth- standing of the relationships between particular ers as they read. twenty-first century competencies and desired adult • Engage learners in challenging tasks, outcomes. while also supporting them with guidance, feed- Over a century of research on transfer has yielded back, and encouragement to reflect on their own little evidence that teaching can develop general learning processes. cognitive competencies that are transferable to any • Teach with examples and cases, such as new discipline, problem or context, in or out of modeling step-by-step how students can carry school. Much of the research has been carried out out a procedure to solve a problem while ex- in the cognitive domain and it shows that transfer plaining the reason for each step. does occur but is limited in scope. Studies of inter- • Prime student motivation by connecting ventions to teach social and emotional skills suggest topics to students’ personal lives and interests, that these also support transfer beyond the imme- engaging students in problem solving, and draw- diate context in which they were acquired, affect- ing attention to the knowledge and skills students ing students’ behavior throughout the school day. are developing and their relevance, rather than More research is needed to illuminate whether, and grades or scores. to what extent, competencies learned in one disci- pline or context of application can generalize and • Use “formative” assessments, which con- transfer to other disciplines or contexts. tinuously monitor students’ progress and provide feedback to teachers and students for use in ad- The committee found not only that deeper learning justing their teaching and learning strategies. develops 21st century competencies, but also that the relationship flows both ways: 21st century com- Deeper Learning in Standards petencies can aid the process of deeper learning in Documents a discipline or subject area. For example, deeper The committee found important areas where goals learning to develop expertise in a discipline or sub- for deeper learning and 21st century competencies ject area requires months of sustained, deliberate overlap with the new Common Core State Standards practice – a process supported by the intrapersonal in English language arts and mathematics and the competency of conscientiousness. NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education. All Teaching for Deeper Learning three documents highlight the importance of helping students understand the general principles underly- Emerging evidence indicates that cognitive, intraper- ing specific content, a hallmark of deeper learn- sonal, and interpersonal competencies can be taught ing. A cluster of cognitive competencies—including and learned in ways that support transfer. Research critical thinking, nonroutine problem solving, and in the cognitive domain has also identified features constructing and evaluating evidence-based argu- of instruction that are likely to support transfer within ments—is included in all three disciplines. Cover- a given subject area. For example, transfer is sup- age of other competencies—especially those in ported when instruction helps learners understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal domains—is the general principles underlying the specific ex- uneven. Developing the full range of 21st century amples included in their original learning. Teaching competencies within the disciplines will require sys- that emphasizes not only content knowledge, but tematic instruction and sustained practice, a change also how, when, and why to apply this knowledge from current practice that will require additional in- is essential to transfer. Instruction should follow these structional time and resources. research-based teaching methods: • Use multiple and varied representations Moving Forward of concepts and tasks, such as diagrams, Because 21st century competencies support deeper numerical and mathematical representations, learning of school subjects, their widespread acqui- and simulations, along with support to help stu- sition could potentially reduce disparities in educa- dents interpret them. tional attainment, preparing a broader swathe of

July 2012 Education for Life and Work 3 young people for successful adult outcomes in work and other areas of life. Research Needs However, important challenges remain in two major areas. First, research and development Far more research is needed to fill gaps in the is needed to create and evaluate new curricula evidence base on deeper learning and 21st based on the research-based instructional meth- century competencies. Foundations and feder- ods described above, and to find valid ways to al agencies should support research aimed at: assess cognitive, intrapersonal, and interperson- • Establishing agreed-upon definitions of al skills. Second, at the level of education sys- 21st century competencies and ways to tems and policies, new approaches to teacher measure and assess them. preparation and professional development will • Better illuminating the relationships – par- be needed to help instructors acquire a deep ticularly any causal relationships -- between understanding of the role of 21st century compe- 21st century competencies and desired tencies in learning core academic content and outcomes. create environments that support students’ learn- ing of these competencies. • Gaining a better understanding of whether, and to what extent, teaching for transfer To help address these systemic issues, the states within an academic discipline (such as and the federal government should establish pol- mathematics) can facilitate the transfer of icies and programs -- in the areas of assessment, competencies across disciplines (for exam- accountability, curriculum and materials, and ple, from mathematics to history). teacher education -- to support students’ acquisi- tion of transferable knowledge and skills.

COMMITTEE ON DEFINING DEEPER LEARNING AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS JAMES W. PELLEGRINO (Chair), Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois–Chicago; GREG J. DUNCAN, University of California, Irvine; JOAN L. HERMAN, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, University of California, Los Angeles; MARGARET A. HONEY, New York Hall of Science, Queens; PATRICK C. KYLLONEN, Center for New Constructs, Educational Testing Service; HENRY M. LEVIN, Teachers College, Columbia University; CHRISTINE MASSEY, Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania; RICHARD E. MAYER, University of California, Santa Barbara; KENT McGUIRE, Southern Education Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia P. DAVID PEARSON, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley; EDWARD A. SILVER, University of Michigan; MARGARET L. HILTON, Study Director

For More Information . . . This brief was pre- pared by the Board on Testing and Assessment based on the report Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferrable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. The study was sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Pearson Foundation, SCE, the Stupski Foundation and the Raikes Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect those of the sponsoring organizations. Copies of the report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242; http://www.nap.edu.

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