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Skills for the 21st Century Student

As the world becomes increasingly complex and diverse, it is obvious that new skills are going to be needed by the 21st Century student in order to have a successful future. It would be easy to go into detail with some of the obvious ones, such as technological awareness, but I believe that today's students can be more successful by looking inward and reflecting on personal skills and behaviors to find the tools that will make him or her achieve the highest levels.

If I had a tool box with three implements for the 21st Century student, the first one I would give is the adaptability to deal with change. It is easier for younger students to deal with our changing society as many of them have always lived in a society where many nationalities and religions are represented. However, diversity awareness does not always translate into a willingness to accept change. By nature, people tend to fight against any kind of change that is brought on without their knowledge, or input. In the 21st Century, however, it is taking place more than ever because of our troubled economy, willingness to seek foreign markets, (as well as our changing demographic structure), and with more minorities and over-60 workers in the workplace. More successful people tend to handle unwanted change better, and today's student should also work at developing this skill.

My second implement to present would be the willingness to learn new skills. Roughly 20 years ago, an educator named Gary Marx adopted nine trends and their effect on the future. With global change came more trends, and Marx's total currently stands at 16. Number 15 rings very clear when looking back to the 1980's. He says that people must be prepared for jobs and careers that may not currently exist. Looking back to the 80's, who was preparing to be a web designer or gamer? How many students learned Mandarin as a business skill? Having the ability to try new things, and develop new abilities is essential to the concept of lifelong learning, and having the willingness to put this skill into play on a daily basis will be crucial to the successful 21st Century citizen.

Finally, having an increase of global and technological knowledge will also mean needing the ability to work and communicate with individuals of different races and cultures. A sense of diplomacy will be important to the 21st Century student. Today's student may sit side by side with a student of another ethnic origin, but that student may not be from the original country. In dealing with today's business and diplomatic world, it is very important to understand and empathize with different cultural beliefs. It is more important to know what is acceptable in today's business setting. Offending a potential customer can be hazardous to one's company!

In conclusion, there are certainly dozens of skills that the 21st Century learner will need for the future. In my opinion, the three most important skills will be the adaptability to deal with change, the willingness to learn new skills, and the diplomatic skills necessary to work well within our global business society. Generally, keeping an open mind and open eyes will be a good way to begin becoming successful at developing these skills.

Learn more about this author, Jim McGrath.
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