Charles Fadel from the Center for Curriculum Redesign discusses complex competencies

View Charles Fadel, Founder and Chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign (Boston, Massachusetts) as he unpacks the state of play – four layers to assess complex competencies. Charles Fadel comments on how well the complex competencies are being taught and assessed based on what he is seeing around the world.

Around the world, frameworks exist with different versions, different names and different arrangements, but there is an underlying commonality.

Education systems globally recognise there is a need to broaden their learning goals to prepare students for their future. They are increasingly recognising the need to teach their students a new set of competencies beyond traditional disciplines such as mathematics, science and reading. In order to be successful in learning, life and work, students must master 21st-century skills like creativity and critical thinking, social-emotional learning characteristics like curiosity and resilience, and meta-learning abilities often described as “learning to learn.”

The Brookings Institution examined the extent to which countries around the world are including 21st-century skills and social-emotional learning in their national education policies so that students can develop these competencies. The study found that, although most countries acknowledged the importance of 21st-century skills in their high-level education policies, the inclusion of these skills was less evident in curriculum and pedagogy policies, suggesting they may not be present in classrooms.

…education systems recognise the need to broaden their learning goals to prepare students for the 21st century. A previous study by the Brookings Institution examined the extent to which countries around the world are including “21st-century skills” and “social emotional learning” in their national education policies so that students can develop these competencies. …Although most countries acknowledged the importance of 21st-century skills in their high-level education policies, the inclusion of these skills was less evident in curriculum and pedagogy policies, suggesting they may not be present in classrooms.

_{R. Taylor, C. Fadel, K. Helyn, E. Care, Competencies for the 21st century Jurisdictional progress, (2020) p. 1}

Explore the interactive on the Brookings Institute website to see where and how educators from across 22 jurisdictions – countries, provinces and states – in North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific have incorporated 21st-century competencies into their education systems and are teaching 21st-century competencies.

Reflect

Are competencies evident in the curriculum and pedagogy in your system or organisation? Note your thoughts in your journal.

Further reading/viewing

If you’d like to read more, Charles Fadel co-authored a paper called Competencies for the 21st century – Jurisdictional progress.

You can also watch a video of Charles Fadel in conversation with Anthony Mackay AM about assessing countries’ competencies.