It is going to take creative collaboration to better equip college students to develop 21st century skills. My guest, Jeff Hittenberger, has worked in higher ed, K-12; in the U.S. and abroad; and as a teacher and as an administrator. His unique perspective helps us think about how to prepare our students in higher ed for tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.

Inspiration from childhood in Haiti

Learned from experiences growing up in Haiti.
Most common response to the question: “What’s up?”
“I’m on fire.”
Regardless of what kind of adversity you are facing, you are alive, and you have something to say.

21st Century Skills

What does higher education have to learn from what’s happening in K-12, as we all work to develop 21st century skills?

Disconnect between higher ed and K-12

Communication that one might anticipate happening between these educational bodies doesn’t happen. Can lead to gaps in students’ educational experiences. 21st century skills gives us one way to talk about what we have in common.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Resources for educators

4 competency areas, referred to as the 4Cs

PIMCO partnership

Carnegie hour

Lipscombe – competency-based higher education

Critical thinking and problem solving

Important for faculty to discover where there are differences in how they gauge critical thinking and develop ways to assess it in similar ways

Creativity

SmartBoards being used to teach physics

“He who opens a school door closes a prison.” – Victor Hugo

The maker movement

TED Talk: Thomas Suarez – 12-year-old app developer

Communication

How can we tap into the passions of our students and engage them?

Why Do Americans Stink At Math by Elizabeth Green in the New York Times

Collaboration

How the increase in technological capabilities is changing our ability to collaborate

Character

As parents of a college-age daughter, Jeff and his wife care more about who their daughter becomes as a person, in terms of her character, than they do about the knowledge she is gaining. Answering: “Who am I? Who am I becoming? What am I contributing to the world?”

Recommendations

Cheating Lessons, by James Lang (Bonni)

21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, by Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel (Jeff)

Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, by The Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills (Jeff)