Imagine a super-efficient doctor who has no empathy, a braveheart army general who is unable to collaborate with his team, a learned lawyer who cannot make a critical analysis of her case, or an architect who understands how to build but is unable to create beautiful and innovative designs!

Impossible right? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to work with any of the professionals described above, no matter how good their degrees seem on paper! And yet, I am sure, we have all encountered such people. If we look in the mirror, we may even see some of these traits (or lack of them) in ourselves! 

‍

We may call ourselves right-brained or left-brained, or uncreative or introvert or undiplomatic or whatever - but essentially what we are saying is we lack some of these 4 critical C skills. 

As parents, as we work to build these effective learning skills to help our children become better learners for life, we want to put special emphasis on the 4 Cs of learning skills. Whether it's succeeding in school or in life, these 4 skills are especially important because they help us incorporate higher-order learning and thinking skills to better enable our child’s learning process. 

‍

In fact, in my opinion, as technology, and AI become more advanced and more entrenched in mainstream society, these 4 Cs are more critical than ever. They are the skills that make us the most human, and ironically, in a robot-powered world, will be the most valuable skills. But they do not come naturally to all. As parents, it is our job to help our children be aware of them and consciously nurture them. Do not leave it to schools or anyone else, this is too important!

‍

You may have also heard of these 4 skills as life skills. Sure they are, but learning is a key part of life. Without them, the knowledge-era learner simply would not be able to thrive. So let’s dive into these 4 mission-critical learning skills and explore how we as parents can help our children develop these skills to become better learners.

‍

What are the 4 C’s of Learning Skills for the 21st century Learner?

‍

The 4 C’s of learning skills are: 

‍

1. Critical Thinking

‍

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle

‍

These skills are about the student or learner’s ability to ask questions, analyze, interpret, and evaluate a situation or topic, in order to make a more informed decision and /or solve a problem.

Inquiry is key to 21st century skills because it helps a learner make a far more informed analysis and evaluation of any subject they are studying, as well as make logical connections using tools such as comparisons and contrasts to find new perspectives or paradigms. 

‍

While this sounds like something AI-enabled computers can do as well, the human ability to process data in context  is something no computer will be able to master for several generations to come. Mostly because context itself keeps changing in society, culture and geography.

In our age of information overload, it’s even more crucial that our children develop the ability to question the narratives, ask the important questions, and arrive at the right conclusions by sifting through all the tsunami of available data.

‍

2. Communication

‍

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

‍

Reading, writing, listening and speaking have always been important and the core of all human interaction, of course. However, in the modern age, we can also add nuances such as the ability to share information constructively and meaningfully so others see value in it, the ability to express thoughts and opinions in ways that we are understood, and the ability to articulate and be understood across diverse communication formats. 

‍

For example, digital or multi-media communication itself includes short-format comments, emails, text messages, tweets, blogs, videos, webinars, video calls, phone calls, virtual presentations, text documents, audio files etc.  among so many others. 

Overall, the purpose of developing strong communication skills is to feel like our voice can be heard in any situation that impacts our lives, and become strong self-led learners.

‍

3. Collaboration

‍

'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together'. African proverb.

‍

The pandemic has changed the way we study, work and learn forever. These changes were coming anyway, but the pandemic has accelerated it, and in some ways, brought all of us onto a similar page around the world. Now, more than ever, we have to learn how to work with others to accomplish a common goal, but to also be flexible, responsive and responsible while working with a group. Today, it’s important that we can collaborate effectively with a large group of people- many of whom we have never met and may never meet in person - to get stuff done. This needs children to deliberately build better collaboration skills, so they are prepared for this new future. 

‍

4. Creativity

"Creativity is intelligence having fun". Albert Einstein

‍

Creativity is not just about being an artist or someone who ‘creates’ something artistic. If you have read this essay by Osho about creativity, you know that it is not an activity which is creative or not creative, but rather the person who brings the quality of creation or creativity to any activity they are doing. Who says accounting cannot be a creative activity, for example? 

‍

Or even cleaning a room or ironing clothes? Each and any activity done mindfully, with full presence, with an open mind and responsiveness to ideas from others, with a intent of making an idea more purposeful, useful, and coming up with new ways to connect abstract or diverse ideas to come up with a better way becomes an act of creation, a fruit of creative thinking. 

‍

Another important element of creative thinking is fearlessness - no fear of experimentation or failure, of judgment or evaluation. Creativity needs the freedom to fail forward.

‍

The 5th C

‍

Off late, we hear about a 5th C that has to do with an individual’s civic sense. It has been referred to as citizenship, character, charitableness, conscientiousness and such terms, but in essence, is developing the child’s empathy and their consciousness. Awareness that they live in a connected world where the actions of one - good or bad - have the power to affect and impact the lives of all. 

‍

Why are the 4C’s of Learning or Education so Important in the 21st Century? 

‍

The 4 C’s of learning skills: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity may be more important than ever to succeed in the 21st century, but in my opinion, these have always been the 4 higher-order thinking skills that can enable a learner to elevate their success beyond what others are able to achieve.

‍

The best professionals we have encountered, no matter where - be it a teacher, barber, doctor or a lawyer or security guard who mans the gate - when we trust someone to do their job well, it is not just because of their technical skills, but also because they are able to bring these 4 Cs to their work process as well.

‍

However, in the 21st century - the digital age of information, disruption and technology, these skills are more important than ever. Why is that? 

‍

Precisely because this is the age of digital, data, robots, AI and technology-enabled interactions. 

These 4 C skills are so important to being a good learner in our digital age because they are what make us intrinsically human.

‍

These 4 C skills allow us to elevate our performance beyond that of a highly intelligent robot, who can be stuffed full of knowledge, who can even build patterns from the data using AI but are unable to replicate human empathy, human connections, and human creativity in the intangible ways that we can.

These skills, therefore, can truly set us apart from robots, and in the time to come, as AI-enabled robots take on more and more of the repetitive and low-engagement, entry-level jobs, these skills will be what differentiates us even from our fellow humans. 

‍

They will be the skills employers look for, in a world where technical knowledge, facts and information, even connected data can be accessed at the click of a button (or a voice command).

‍

Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking are All Connected!

‍

When it comes to the 4Cs and all the other skills and techniques that support your child’s learning strategy, the key thing to remember is that everything is interconnected. No learning happens in a silo, just as no living happens in a silo.

‍

But learning to learn is not just mastering these 4Cs. It is a deliberate strategy that needs to be built around the right combination of learning skills, techniques, styles and mindsets.

‍

Also read:

The one-page all-in Effective Learning Poster

The Parent's Role in Effective Learning