True Success in the 21st Century

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True Success in the 21st Century:

Abilities and Attributes I want My Students to Develop In Order to Be Successful

 

              There’s no doubt that the world has changed a lot over the last century. Just looking at our education system shows just how different our mindsets are now. While learners of the past were required to just listen and repeat (Crombie, 2014), today “we have the flipping of education where the learning takes place outside the classroom, but the essential engagement and practice is still conducted at school by the all-important facilitator rather than the teacher” (Fell, 2016, video). However, amidst all this change, our mission as believers has not changed. Our God has not changed. As a teacher, I ask myself how do I can prepare my students to meet this new world head-on, while still not forgetting what true success is in God’s eyes. For this reason, I believe that in order to be successful as 21st century followers of God, my students need to be able to be able to not only engage in the “4 C’s” of technological thinking, but also to have strong characters and a vision for their place in God’s work.

We live in a world that is replacing humans with intelligent computers. A world where successful people have to engage on with high-level technology and fast-paced change (The Future Workforce of Australia, 2017). However, how do we define true successfulness as followers of God? As Christians, our focus is on finishing the work before Jesus’ soon return. As John 17:4 says, “I have brought [God] glory on earth by finishing the work [He] gave me to do.” God may call some of my students to become workers in highly technical business circles, while He may call others to work in humble mission field. According to Paul, what is most important is that they fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). However, we are also supposed to love God not just with our heart and soul, but also with the mind (Matthew 22:37). God gave us our minds, souls, and bodies, and my students can best serve Him and complete His mission for their lives when they develop their minds and their characters to the highest capacity.

              For this reason, I hope to cultivate in my students the ability to apply the “4 C’s” of technological thinking to every aspect of their lives. The “4 C’s” are “Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity” (Soule, 2016, video). Students who are able to engage in these are not just being led passively along the path of gaining an education and growing their minds to their highest capacity, but are in-tune and cognizant of what their “personalized learning plan is, what their goal for the day is, what lesson they’re working on, and what skills they’re working on” (Soule, 2016, video). These skills will carry over into later life, whether in the business world or the humble mission field, and allow them to make challenging day-to-day decisions, adapt to and utilize new technologies (or be innovative if technology is not available), and work with a variety of people in a productive way.

Add to this a strong Christian character and values, and my students will be able to meet any life situations and successfully accomplish God’s plans for their lives. After all, if Tucker (2017) could describe the goal of education from a secular standpoint as that of preparing “all of our graduates for the kind of work that our elites have been doing—professional work requiring complex thinking skills, deep knowledge in multiple domains, strong communication skills and social skills, strong values and strong character” (p. 10, emphasis added), how much more important should this be to us as Christians. Thus, I believe that if my students are able to think critically, work collaboratively with others, communicate clearly, be creative, and live lives in accordance with God’s standard for character, they will be truly successful in the 21st century.  

 

References

Crombie, S. (2014, May 26). 21st Century Learning. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/f0RyaAsVNGU

Fell, A. (2016, April 19) Generation Z defined; The five characteristics of today's students. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/QvCwcQmnyfE

[AiTT Austraia]. (2017, February 21). The Future Workforce of Australia. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/e0PFc1QzlB4

Tucker, M. (2017), Educating for a Digital Future: The Challenge. Retrieved from http://ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/The_Challenge_MarcTucker.pdf

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