Our students desperately need to get into real life. The Association of American Colleges and Universities asked hundreds of top employers what they felt students lacked most and this is what they said.
- The ability to work well in teams—especially with people different from yourself
- An understanding of science and technology and how these subjects are used in real-world settings
- The ability to write and speak well
- The ability to think clearly about complex problems
- The ability to analyze a problem to develop workable solutions
- An understanding of global context in which work is now done
- The ability to be creative and innovative in solving problems
- The ability to apply knowledge and skills in new settings
- The ability to understand numbers and statistics
Here are three things every parent can do to increase these skills in kids.
- Project-based learning: Multiple studies have found that project-based learning, or the incorporation of real-life questions and projects into academic subjects dramatically increases soft skills. See this study.
- Chores: Yes Chores! I know in our hearts we really want this one to be true, but it actually is. One of the biggest longitudinal studies in history, the Harvard Grant Study, suggests that the biggest factor in future success is doing the “nobody wants to do this dirty, gross task and so why not me” chore. What soft skill are we looking for here: Grit. Read here.
- No More Gaming: The biggest factor keeping kids from future success according to Jean Twenge, recent Author of “IGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy–and completely unprepared for adulthood” is they are stuck in front of a screen. What’s more, the World Health Organization just added gaming addiction as a mental health disorder. We’ve got to help them get off their screens!
Call to see how Knox Academy can help your child gain 21st Century skills of success.