Idea: Measurable Skills
How do you rate 21st century skills? MBO teachers Debby Peter and Jac Rijnen devised a digital learning environment that gives students control.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
“The labor market is changing so fast that programs can hardly keep up with it,” says Jac Rijnen, lecturer in the society and health program at Summa College in Eindhoven. His colleague Debby Peter: “There is therefore a great need to teach students skills that will enable them to adapt to those changes.”
The need to teach students skills that enable them to adapt to these changes is therefore very great
During their master's degree in learning and innovation, they decided to research these 21st century skills, such as creative thinking, collaboration and problem solving. In practice, schools appear to use different definitions and pay only limited attention to them. Rijnen: “It is important that we all speak the same language, so that it is clear what students should be able to do and what they should meet.”
Together with a group of teachers and students, they therefore compiled a set of eleven skills, which in terms of title corresponds to that of curriculum developer SLO. Each skill has four indicators, each of which has a start, middle and end level. “We asked students from study programs at all levels about how they would describe a skill. On that basis, general definitions have been created that every student can understand,” says Debby Peter. “The nice thing about this is that these definitions fit every study program and every level. Anyone who wants to transfer to another study can therefore take what they have already achieved with them.”
Innovation Award
With their concept to make 21st century skills measurable and visible, they won the Education Innovation Award in 2017. They were then able to develop the '21education' learning environment with an innovation budget. All skills are listed in the online dashboard, along with the assignments to be performed per indicator. The student can quickly and easily see what he has done and how he is doing. In the learning environment, every study program can link the skills to existing assignments. “By involving the labor market in this process, the assignments become meaningful for students,” says Rijnen. “That increases intrinsic motivation, especially because they can determine their own learning path.”
By involving the labor market in this process, the assignments become meaningful to students
This is done as follows: together with the teacher, the student first checks which knowledge, skills and competences he has already acquired and to what extent. Starting at a higher level is therefore also possible. He then decides in consultation which knowledge and skills he wants to acquire and how he wants to do this. The end result can be a mind map, photo collage, presentation or thesis, depending on the student's preference. He hands in the work to a fellow student who will critical friend assesses, also peer feedback called. On the basis of this, the student adjusts his work, after which he submits it to the teacher. Jac Rijnen: “Because students give each other feedback, a powerful learning environment is created. They learn to work together better and learn from each other. Some students develop as experts in certain skills. The teacher is much more given the role of coach who advises and intervenes if necessary.”
rethink
Three study programs and more than three hundred students within the Summa College are now working with it. “Students are very enthusiastic about it”, notes Debby Peter. “Teachers often need a little more time, but as soon as they can let go of traditional teaching, great results are achieved. For example, a number of students are already accelerating.”
As soon as teachers can let go of traditional teaching, great results will come
The resistance of lecturers often lies in the question of where their subject is and how you measure quality, Rijnen notes. “It is a matter of rethinking and that takes time. It is great that the inspection is positive and believes that our concept offers sufficient guidance to guarantee quality."
Coach
Both teachers still teach a few days a week, and they also guide teams in working with 21st century skills. “This is super fun to do, because many teachers quickly become enthusiastic,” says Debby Peter. “Our system is a good tool, but it can also be done without. The most important thing is that people become aware of how important these skills are.”
They are now busy translating their concept to other sectors. Debby: “We also give workshops in primary education. Young students can move very well, so it is more a matter of awareness than teaching them something. If we can keep this going, we will eager students get.”
