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Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills pp 17–66Cite as

Defining Twenty-First Century Skills

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Abstract

As the previous chapter indicates, there has been a significant shift in advanced economies from manufacturing to information and knowledge services. Knowledge itself is growing ever more specialized and expanding exponentially. Information and communication technology is transforming the nature of how work is conducted and the meaning of social relationships. Decentralized decision making, information sharing, teamwork, and innovation are key in today’s enterprises. No longer can students look forward to middle class success in the conduct of manual labor or use of routine skills – work that can be accomplished by machines. Rather, whether a technician or a professional person, success lies in being able to communicate, share, and use information to solve complex problems, in being able to adapt and innovate in response to new demands and changing circumstances, in being able to marshal and expand the power of technology to create new knowledge, and in expanding human capacity and productivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Marilyn Binkley

  2. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Ola Erstad

  3. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Joan Herman

  4. World Class Arena Limited, London, UK

    Martin Ripley & Mike Rumble

  5. WestEd, San Francisco, California, USA

    May Miller-Ricci

Authors
  1. Marilyn Binkley
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  2. Ola Erstad
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  3. Joan Herman
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  4. Senta Raizen
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  5. Martin Ripley
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  6. May Miller-Ricci
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  7. Mike Rumble
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Correspondence to Marilyn Binkley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Queensberry Street 234, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Patrick Griffin

  2. , Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Queensberry Street 234, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Barry McGaw

  3. , Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Esther Care

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Binkley, M. et al. (2012). Defining Twenty-First Century Skills. In: Griffin, P., McGaw, B., Care, E. (eds) Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2324-5_2

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