In this paper, the authors argue that knowledge is, of course, crucial but young people need to understand how to find it, how to interpret it, how to utilise it and how and when to act on it. This requires a broad set of skills including foresight, imagination, self-awareness, curiosity and the capacity to take informed risks. The challenge is that these wider skills are often seen to be intangible, difficult to influence and problematic to measure. This paper outlines a range of ideas and approaches to developing and measuring these wider skills, and asserts their importance both for learnin
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In this paper, the authors argue that knowledge is, of course, crucial but young people need to understand how to find it, how to interpret it, how to utilise it and how and when to act on it. This requires a broad set of skills including foresight, imagination, self-awareness, curiosity and the capacity to take informed risks. The challenge is that these wider skills are often seen to be intangible, difficult to influence and problematic to measure. This paper outlines a range of ideas and approaches to developing and measuring these wider skills, and asserts their importance both for learning and for innovation.
The authors have identified and commented on a number of different frameworks that list such wider skills drawn from four different kinds of sources: national and regional educational departments; research institutions; third sector; and private sector. Included are some general observations about similarities and differences along with a more detailed commentary about each framework. The authors suggest that there are significant pedagogical implications for the development of wider skills and argue that there are linguistic and cultural issues which need to be explored. The authors review progress in thinking about the measurement of wider skills and suggest that there are a number of methods, which, if used together, may provide a more rounded and usefully formative picture of what is being learned. Finally, the authors look at the connections between wider skills and skills associated with innovation.
In general, it was found that the frameworks currently available do not reach the level of psychological sophistication required. Nevertheless, the authors conclude that many of these frameworks for wider skills are at least searching in the right place for skills for innovation: in the mental and emotional habits of mind that underpin innovation, and in the cultural practices of schools and colleges that invite and strengthen those habits.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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