People matter!

People are at the heart of twenty-first century skills

The image shows one attempt to describe twenty-first century skills (most attempts are similar).  Items 7-16 describe the skills that students need to approach complex challenges and changing environments.

Yet nowhere is there any mention that it is people who are very often the most important element in both these challenges and these environments.  People as integral elements of the challenges and changes and as essential contributors to their solution.

We might glean this information from the items 9, 10, 15 and 16 (communication, collaboration, leadership, and social and cultural awareness). But these dry items do not convey the central importance of every student being comfortable and capable of treating other humans as humans, as subjective beings, and being treated the same way themselves.

All students will learn this most effectively if, throughout their schooling, they are treated as human beings, not as objects, but as subjective beings, with rich inner lives.

A large minority of teachers do this now but there is still no obligation on the majority to do so.

Why is this?  Are we not serious about bringing up our young people ready to face an uncertain future with the right sets of skills?

If we are serious then let’s help every single person in a school treat every other with the unconditional respect (love), that they deserve.

John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation. At the core of this work is the practice of encounter.  Earlier blogs can be found here.

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