Dr. Helen Haste, visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education describes the 21st century student as a collaborative tool user who needs a new brand of competencies to thrive within a changing environment.

In this interesting 4-part video series, Prof. Haste talks about -

1. The 21st century student as a “tool-user” – Students collaborating with others and using technological tools to solve a problem, as opposed to being problem-solvers using logic and working independently on solving problems.
2. Technology and youth participation – The last US elections and the recent protests in Iran are great examples of the use of technology to foster youth engagement in shaping the destiny of nations.
3. Five competences for adapting to a changing world – which are Prof. Haste’s version of “21st century skills.” She asserts that “competence” in the contemporary world “is not just about skill, but about adaptation.” The 5 competencies that kids today need to be taught -
   1. Managing ambiguity,
   2. Agency & responsibility,
      
   3. Finding and sustaining community,
      
   4. Managing emotion, and
      
   5. Managing technological change.

4. Rethinking the landscape of education- In this closing section, Prof. Haste describes the implications of the aforementioned 3 factors on the future of education in conjunction with their impact on youth identity, community, and citizenship.

The biggest take-away for parents is perhaps the learning that our kids need to be groomed for a world that is very different from the one in which we grew up, and as parents we need to help them be prepared, whether or not schools step up to the challenge.