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21st Century Skills

The Learning Skills - The Four C's

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  1. Critical Thinking - Students ask themselves why clean energy is important in order to identify the problem. Next, students have to develop a solution for the problem they have identified. For example: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (2021), the “lead in gasoline proved to be a public health concern.” To solve this problem, students would propose a lead-free alternative, such as unicorn tears.

  2. Creativity - While there are many sources online that could be used to create a project, students will still need to tailor the information and design to meet the requirements of the project. Projects require students to be able to think outside of the box and figure out how to make alterations or use ideas that do not quite meet their needs so that they can achieve their project goals. For example, students may not be able to make a full-sized wind turbine that would generate large amounts of power, and wind may not be readily available for testing their model. By exercising their creativity, students can make changes to an existing wind turbine blueprint to work on a smaller scale, and they may find some other way to test their model. They might even use a wind turbine blueprint to develop an idea that achieves some completely different purpose!

  3. Collaboration - A project requires a lot of effort in many areas, such as creating ideas, conducting tests and experiments, observing and analyzing data, creating a presentation, making decisions, etc., which is a lot to ask of one individual who with no expertise and maybe even very little experience. As a group, though, students are required to assess their personal skills and contribute overall to the group effort. For example, two students may be particularly good at building things, one better at following instructions and the other better at physically handling materials. Together they could build the solar-powered oven based on a tutorial or instructions that they find online.

  4. Communication - Students have to have open discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of clean energy while defining what “renewable energy” is and identifying examples of clean energy. Example: The debate is an opportunity for students to learn how to present their idea clearly as well as to persuade.

The Literacy Skills

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  1. Information Literacy -  When looking up information, students will need to be able to differentiate between what is fact and what is not. For this project, the instructor could give some information ahead of time, such as how to identify if a source is credible or not. Throughout the projects, students would be required to keep a log of the sources that they used for their project. For example, if students need statistics or data about the effects of gasoline use on the environment or on health, they should use a website like www.eia.gov, which is an official site for the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as opposed to Ask.com where anyone can comment and share incorrect information.

  2. Media Literacy - In the same stretch as information literacy, media literacy focuses on a student’s ability to search for credible sources of information using various forms of media. Again, the instructor should provide some tips ahead of time on how to search for reliable sources. For example, if students plan to build a wind turbine, Google may not be the most valuable search engine available. Leading students to an online database that provides information about wind turbines, including details about how to design an effective model, would be more efficient. Likewise, teaching students to use a website that can provide visual instruction on building a model, such as Youtube, could help them find more detailed information and examples.

  3. Technology Literacy - With some basic information about the abilities that technology has to offer, students can make more informed decisions about how to approach their clean energy projects. Without knowing what technology is capable of, students will be less likely to utilize technology in their project, regardless of how simple or well-known the technology may seem to be. For example: If the project requires recording and comparing mathematical data, a program such as Excel can assist in providing accurate data analysis. Another example would be a video program that would allow students to slow down a video and zoom in to see specific parts of a video, making it easier to make accurate observations that can be viewed over and over, as opposed to watching one time and having to interpret data from a split-second memory.

The Life Skills

  1. Flexibility - As in any group project, there will be multiple participants who have their own ideas about the best way to approach each aspect of these clean energy projects. In some cases, students will experience moments where they must pass on their own ideas to use another participant’s ideas. Additionally, there may be times that one idea does not work and the group as a whole must be prepared to reassess their choices and try another approach. For example: When building the solar oven, there may be two students who offer suggestions for the design of the model, but the group will need to choose one design. The owner of the unused idea must be flexible in their ability to work with the team on an idea that is not their own. If the first idea fails, the group could make the decision to attempt the second idea.

  2. Leadership - Students will develop leadership skills through identifying the aspects of the group project that need to be completed and taking steps to meeting the needs of the group and project, either through volunteering themselves or delegating others for the task. For example: When engineering their clean energy source, one student may take the initiative to break down the project into the different parts and delegate each section to volunteers or the remaining team members. The students each also have the opportunity to lead in their own section of the project and contact each other to involve them as they see fit.

  3. Initiative - As part of a group, students will have the opportunity to take initiative through the development of their group’s clean energy source. For example: Once everyone has said that they have finished the part assigned to them, one or more students may choose to make one final check that all parts of the project have been completed and may even make a few adjustments to the model to ensure that it operates smoothly.

  4. Productivity - For these projects, students will have a time limit for accomplishing their overall goals, and the goals for these projects will be high. This combination will challenge students to work together as efficiently as possible. Some examples of students learning to work efficiently include delegating tasks to individuals in advance, making choices about how to spend group focus (e.g. choosing one design for a solar-powered oven as opposed to attempting two separate designs at the same time), and prioritizing tasks according to whether or not one tasks relies on observing or pulling data from another task. For example: The solar-powered oven should be designed and created first so that it can be tested and adjustments can be made. After the oven is working smoothly, data can be recorded for the report. If the group is not productive, all parts of the project cannot be completed on time.

  5. Social Skills - Group projects require a lot of human interaction, especially communication. Students learn to communicate with one another and work side-by-side in building their models or analyzing data. Also, some projects may require students to interact with persons outside of their project group, such as for an interview. 

References

U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2021, December 13). Gasoline and the environment - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Energy Information Administration. Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/gasoline/gasoline-and-the-environment.php

Stauffer, B. (2022, March 17). What Are 21st Century Skills? Applied Educational Systems. Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills

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