21st-century problems require skills that few are trained in

“The experiences of students in and out of the classroom are not preparing them for these skills that are needed as adults,” Graesser and colleagues write.

This unique set of cognitive and social skills include:

Shared understanding: Group members share common goals when solving a new problem.
Accountability: The contributions that each member makes are visible to the rest of the group.
Differentiated roles: Group members draw on their specific expertise to complete different tasks.
Interdependency: Group members depend on the contributions of others to solve the problem.
One reason for the lack of CPS training is a deficit in evidence-based standards and curricula. Secondary school curricula typically focus on educating task- and discipline-specific knowledge, placing little emphasis on educating students’ ability to communicate and collaborate effectively.

“Students rarely receive meaningful instruction, modeling, and feedback on collaboration,” the researchers note.

When students do receive training relevant to CPS, it is often because they participate in extracurricular activities such as band, sports, student newspapers, and volunteer activities. Even then, the collaborative competencies are not directly relevant to problem solving. The authors argue that it is time to make CPS activities a core part of the curriculum.

Source: Solving 21st-century problems requires skills that few are trained in, scientists find