Why learn 21st century skills?

More than ever before the world has become a fast changing place, where just learning a profession will not suffice. Once you have graduated and got yourself a job, you will still need to keep up with the world. In a way all skills most employers are looking for in their employees nowadays could be called 21st century skills, but let’s have a look at the 6 most mentioned:

How ‘SKILLS for SUCCESS‘ kills two birds with one stone

When I first got in touch with competitive debating, I realized immediately that it was going to change my way of teaching. Not only does a competitive debate have all the ingredients of 21st century skills, it is also very engaging and fun AND gives a perfect opportunity to talk about topics that really matter: like healthy habits, relationships, the environment, healthy work climates, etc.

To make it fit in the English classroom, however, I did feel I had to make some adjustments, since focusing solely on competitive debates might become monotonous and exclude those less proficient in English.

So, what I did first was develop a basic workshop. In this basic workshop there are several warming up exercises, then I explain the rules of the game, which we then play. Finally we talk about what this workshop and this way of working could do for the participants in everyday life. This discussion is my favorite part because participants essentially outline and discuss all the 21st-century skills on their own.

In follow up workshops I then again pick certain skills and we work on them actively. All of the activities are in English, but even for weAll activities are conducted in English, but the emphasis on teamwork ensures that even those with limited English proficiency can participate fully.

Finally, when participants feel they have enough experience, they can register for a competition. The competition is like competitive debating, but with slightly adjusted rules. Yet, I’m sure that once you know how to succeed here, you can even participate in world championships! (for more info: www.debatovani.cz )

No matter which workshop or training you choose, all of them will help you develop your English while developing your 21st century skills at the same time. It leaves the school-ish approach of language learning way behind and focuses on helping you to become top-notch in the modern labor market.

All workshops can be adjusted to different age groups/levels and if you are interested, please, do not hesitate to contact me. I’d love to hear from you!

Mathanja

A skill: The ability to do something well