What exactly does Curriculum mean
4. 21st Century Skills
4.1. Integration of 21st Century Skill into Teaching and Learning
Here we will consider the integration of 5 of these identified skills. The skills to be considered are:
1. Scientific Literacy: Ability to use scientific knowledge and principles to understand one’s environment and test hypothesis.
2. ICT Literacy: Ability to use and create technology based content, including finding and sharing information, answering questions, interacting with other people and computer programming.
3. Financial Literacy: Ability to understand conceptual and numerical aspects of finance in practice.
4. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Ability to identify, analyse and evaluate situations, ideas and information to formulate responses and solutions.
5. Creativity: Ability to imagine and device new, innovative ways of addressing problems, answering questions or expressing meaning through the application, synthesis or repurposing of knowledge.
The above skilled mentioned are important to individual development and national development. A student goes to School e.g. University, he studied Electrical Engineering, he would have acquired Scientific (and engineering) literacy while in school. He needs to acquire ICT literacy through the use of AutoCAD software and other related software for electrical design. He may acquire programming skill for computation of complex electrical parameters. He needs Critical thinking to solve electrical problems for his clients and organization. There may be problem of poor distribution of current in a building; he needs to display his critical thinking/problem solving skill to address this issue. He needs his Creativity to design new tools or new concept or bring innovations to his jobs/businesses. For the business to expand and be a going-concern there is need for knowledge of Financial literacy otherwise he may not be able to withstand the vicissitudes of life.
The above scenario is a typical example of integration of 21st Century skill into teaching and learning. This would enable our students to be equipped, understand and confront the challenges of life after leaving the Academic community to pursue their individual careers. This would subsequently lead to economic development of the nation.