“21st Century Skills: planning for an uncertain future” Jon White
www.derby.ac.uk
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Introduction
• Welcome
• Our challenges
• Contested visions of quality
• Measures of success
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Planning for the future
• Learning from the past
• The pace of change
• Drivers of change
• Fairness and justice for all
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21st Century Citizen (EU, 2005)
1. A skilled communicator
2. Language and cultural awareness
3. Embraces technological change
4. Flexible and adaptable
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21st Century Child
• Emotionally literate
• Included
• Critical
• Resilient
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Activity: planned change
Three areas of change for which adults can prepare children
Growing up
At home
At school
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Change is part of life
• Managing change needs cognitive training
• Planning for change takes time
• However, when the unexpected things happen… you are better able to manage.
• Resilience grows over time. (Foley et al, 2008)
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Activity: unplanned change
When resilience is needed
Family? Health? Economic?
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Promoting resilience in children: strategies
• The key person
• Relationships
• Participation
• Emotional vocabulary (O’Conner, 2013)
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Activities to promote empowerment
Story telling
Free play
Role play
Diaries
Community projects
Games Gardening (Trodd,2011)
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The resilient child will demonstrate
• Social competence (Citizen:1, 2 and 3)
• Autonomy (Citizen: 4)
• Persistence (Citizen: 4)
(Newman, 2004)
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Visions of Quality
• Conversation between children and adults
• Understanding liminal places
• Children as co-constructors (Lam and Pollard, 2006)
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Conclusions
The 21st century teacher practitioner will
• Listen to children: 100 voices!
• Connect with communities
• Reflect on practice
• Be entrepreneurial and innovate
ReferencesClark A & Moss P (2008) Listening to young Children: The Mosaic Approach London: National Children’s Bureau
Clifford R and Pianta R (2010) Transitions for Young Children: Creating connections across early childhood systems New York: Brookes
Foley P & Leverett S (Eds) (2008) Connecting with Children: developing working relationships Maidenhead:Policy Press/ OUP
Lam M and Pollard A (2006) A conceptual framework for understanding children as agents in transition from home to kindergarten, Early Years, 26, 2 p123 – 141
Newman T (2004) What Works in Building Resilience? Barnardo’s, London: UK
O’Conner A (2012) Understanding Transitions in the Early Years: Supporting change through attachment and resilience Oxford: Routledge
Raley Y and Preyer G (2010) Philosophy of Education in the Era of Globalization Oxford: Routledge
Symonds J (Forthcoming, 2015) Understanding School Transition: What happens to children and how to help them Oxford: Routledge
Trodd L (2011) Transitions in the Early Years: Working with children and families London: Sage
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