Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communications
According to the findings of a recent Gallup poll, “More than three in four adults “strongly agree” that K-12 schools should teach critical thinking and communication to children.” (Click here to view the Gallup article.)
The main implication, according to the researchers and conductors of the poll, is that “Americans’ views on what schools should be teaching parallel the opinions of employers, educators, and young people themselves, who are calling for students to be better equipped to analyze information, communicate effectively, and to collaborate with diverse people in a global work environment to solve complex problems.”
In my experience, analysis, critical thinking, and communication skills are framework skills. You still have to know something about something. More importantly, these are not stand-alone skills. They work together in a specific sequence. You collect information and raw data, you conduct analysis, and then you communicate your findings.
Collaboration, on the other hand, is an interpersonal skill. Any way you cut it, it’s probably something you should be really good at. Collaboration basically means, don’t take anything too personal, and be willing to compromise on stuff. In today’s “everybody wins” culture, that shouldn’t be a tough one, I think.
Overall, it’s a positive sign that parents really do know what’s best for their children. So, how about a survey to see if our schools are actually performing to these expectations?
-gc.