As a middle or high school career readiness teacher, you likely need to teach 21st century skills as part of your curriculum. While all twelve of those skills are necessary to teach, the "four C's" are often considered to be the most important. The four C’s of21st Century skillsare: These four skills are essential for modern students to succeed in school and the workplace. They often make the biggest impact in terms of setting your students apart when applying for positions and starting their careers. In this article, you'll discover what each skill entails and why they are so important to teach. You'll also be able to download a free guide on how you can teach the 4 C's of 21st Century skills in middle or high school courses. Critical thinking is the practice of solving problems, among other qualities. In addition to working through problems, solving puzzles, and similar activities, critical thinking also includes an element of skepticism. This is important in the 21st Century because it’s harder than ever to verify accurate information (mostly thanks to the internet). Critical thinkingempowers students to discover the truth in assertions, especially when it comes to separating fact from opinion. With critical thinking, students don’t just learn a set of facts or figures. Instead, they learn how to discover the facts and figures for themselves. Through asking questions, learners become engaged in the world around them. Then they can help spread their knowledge to their peers, helping others to think critically, too. Students sharing the knowledge they've mastered with others might be the most important aspect of developing critical thinking skills. Whether they learn how to think critically from spending time online or simply asking “Why?” in everyday life, this skill prepares students for a life of independence and purposeful thought. Still, critical thinking is just one of the four C’s in 21st Century skills. It works just fine when students use it alone. But when students combine it with thenextskill, the sky is the limit to what they can achieve. Creativity is the practice of thinking outside the box. While creativity is often treated like a you-have-it-or-you-don’t quality, students canlearnhow to be creative by solving problems, creating systems, or just trying something they haven’t tried before. That doesn’t mean every student will become an artist or a writer. Instead, it means they’ll be able to look at a problem from multiple perspectives — including those that others may not see. Creativity allows students to embrace their inner strengths from big-picture planning to meticulous organization. As students learn about their creativity, they also learn how to express it in healthy and productive ways. More importantly, they also becomemotivatedto share that creativity with others. Just like with critical thinking, that makes creativity contagious. When a student creates an interesting or innovativesolution to a problem, the next student can become inspired to try something similar. That’s not to say every single creative endeavor will be a ringing success. Students will fail at some point, and some of their ideas simply won’t work. Butthat’s okay. The point of creativity is to encourage students to think differently than convention demands. They don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. Instead, they can figure out a better way. Students don’t have to embrace their creativity alone, either. In fact, creativity works best when combined with the next 21st Century skill. Collaborationis the practice of working together to achieve a common goal. Collaborationis important because whether students realize it or not, they’ll probably work with other people for the rest of their lives. Virtually every job requires someone to work with another person at some point, even if it’s for something as simple as what to get for lunch. Practicingcollaboration and teamworkhelps students understand how to address a problem, pitch solutions, and decide the best course of action. It’s also helpful for them to learn that other people don’t always have the same ideas that they do. In fact, as students practice collaboration more and more, they’ll learn that they have almostnoneof the same ideas that others do. This can affect students in one of two ways. First, it could discourage them since nobody seems to agree with them that often. Second, it could embolden them because they realize they’re bringing something unique to every conversation. As a teacher, it’s crucial that you encourage students to look at themselves through that second lens. That way, students learn that they should speak up when they have an idea. Even when their ideas aren't the best suited to the problem, speaking up and sharing their solutions can help them when collaborating with others. Communication is the practice of conveying ideas quickly and clearly. Communicationis often taken for granted in today’s society. After all, if you say something, that means you conveyed an idea, right? But in the age of text-based communications — including texting, emails, and social media — it’s never been more important for students to learn how to convey their thoughts in a way that others can understand them. That’s because text-based communications lacktone, which is critical to understanding the context of someone’s words. Still, even in situations where vocal tone is available, students need to learn how to communicate effectively. That includes minimizing tangents, speaking directly to an idea, and checking other participants to make sure they’re engaged. Reading an audience — even if it’s just two other people in a group discussion — lets students determine whether they should keep expanding on an idea or wrap up their point. Their audience could even be their family at Thanksgiving dinner. The point is that as students practice communication, they become better at efficiently conveying an idea without losing their point—or their audience. When they master the art of effective communication, students can streamline their ideas and make a positive impression on those around them. Still, it’s important to note that communication isn’t enough on its own to help students with 21st Century skills. To really succeed, students need to use all four of these skills together. The four C’s of 21st Century skills work together as a system to help students comprehensively understand subjects and navigate living and working in the 21st century. Because each of the four C's are general skills that help students throughout their personal and professional lives, they are essential qualities that people need to succeed in a wide range of situations. Each of the four C's cover interrelated concepts paramount to being an educated person: Combined, the four C’s empower students to be discerning people capable of expressing themselves and working with others to find insightful solutions to everyday challenges. When working together, learners who have mastered the four C's of 21st century skills have ability to make a profound impact on both their professional workplaces and their communities. Now you know what the four C's of 21st Century skills are and why employers want new hires to have them. So now you're probably wondering how to teach 21st Century skills in your daily middle and high school classes. Click below to get your free guide on teachingcritical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication!1. Critical Thinking
2. Creativity
3. Collaboration
4. Communication
How Do the Four C’s Work Together?
How Do You Teach the Four C's of 21st Century Skills?
FAQs
What Are the 4 C's of 21st Century Skills? ›
The 4 C's to 21st century skills are just what the title indicates. Students need these specific skills to fully participate in today's global community: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity.
What are the four C's of 21st century skills? ›The 21st century learning skills are often called the 4 C's: critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating. These skills help students learn, and so they are vital to success in school and beyond.
What are the 5Cs in 21st century learning? ›A core element of SCSD's Strategic Plan is a focus on the skills and conceptual tools that are critical for 21st Century learners, including the 5Cs: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, Citizenship (global and local) and Creativity & Innovation.
What are the 4 C's of communication? ›The power of communication can be encapsulated through the lens of four essential "C"s: Connection, Collaboration, Concentration, and Candidness. Each of these key aspects of communication contributes to a thriving workplace.
What are the 4 C's and how are they practiced? ›Do you know what they are? Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are considered the four c's and are all skills that are needed in order to succeed in today's world.
What are the 4 C's for a 21st century focused education? ›The 4 C's to 21st century skills are just what the title indicates. Students need these specific skills to fully participate in today's global community: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity.
What are the 4 C's language learning? ›The 4Cs consist of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. They are also portable skills individuals can transfer from one assignment to other assignments and from one job to another job.
What are the four key components of the 21st century learning? ›Learning Skills: Also known as the "four Cs" of 21st century learning, these include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
What are the 5 C's of 21st century manager? ›The 5 Cs of 21st century skills are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and character. Why are the 5 Cs important? The 5 Cs are important for several reasons, including adaptability, employability, personal and professional success, innovation, and globalization.
What do the 5 C's stand for? ›Character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions are the 5 C's of credit. Lenders may look at the 5 C's when considering credit applications. Understanding the 5 C's could help you boost your creditworthiness, making it easier to qualify for the credit you apply for.
What does the 4 C's mean? ›
To develop successful members of the global society, education must be based on a framework of the Four C's: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking.
What is the 4 C's protocol? ›When dealing with suspicious items apply the 4 Cs protocol: CONFIRM, CLEAR, COMMUNICATE AND CONTROL.
Which of the 4 C's is most important? ›That's why cut is the most important of the 4Cs—if a diamond is poorly cut, no clarity grating, color grading, or carat weight will make up for it. The diamond will look dull and glassy. When a diamond is cut to the proper proportions and symmetry, it will return light out of its top.
What are the four C's of 21st century learning? ›The 4 C's of 21st Century skills are:
Critical thinking. Creativity. Collaboration. Communication.
- I. CREATIVITY. The world of arts brings together demanding teaching and the need for regular practice. ...
- II. CAN-DO SPIRIT. It is through sport that each individual assesses his or her own ability and can compare himself or herself to others. ...
- III. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. ...
- IV. CULTURE.
The 4 C's of Marketing are Customer, Cost, Convenience, and Communication. These 4 C's determine whether a company is likely to succeed or fail in the long run. The customer is the heart of any marketing strategy. If the customer doesn't buy your product or service, you're unlikely to turn a profit.
How to implement the 4 cs in the classroom? ›- Step 1: Prompt Critical and Creative Thinking. After introducing and modeling a new concept, prompt students to think critically and creatively about it. ...
- Step 2: Prompt Communication and Collaboration. ...
- Step 3: Present. ...
- Scheduling the Steps.
Teaching through the lens of the "Four Cs"—critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity—will help us and our students stay essential in an evolving world of work. Unlike traditional workforce development, however, the four Cs can't wait until middle or high school.
What are the four C's in early childhood education? ›The 4 C's are considered essential to a child's future success. The 4c's are communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. These four skills are considered “super skills” of the future and are essential 21st-century skills.