The Hunt for 21st Century Learning

By John Kershaw, President of C21 Canada and the former Deputy Minister of Education for New Brunswick.

There is an intriguing scene in the movie ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ where the lead agent on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden decries the lack of action  by writing the number of days passing by on her manager’s office window. As we enter the 2013-2014 school year that specific scene reminds me of the pace of Canada’s efforts to offer Canadian learners a modern education experience relevant to their 21st century requirements.

Well, take note. On October 8, 2013 the OECD will be writing on Canada’s window. On that date the OECD will release the results of their international survey on “adult competencies.” The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies will provide an unprecedented glimpse into whether the participating countries and their respective learning systems are equipping their citizens with the competencies and skills they need for success in the 21st Century.

Allow me to offer two insights into what this inaugural international survey may mean for Canada.

First, it is safe to predict that the OECD findings will focus on literacy, but Canadians should not be surprised if the OECD’s definition of literacy differs greatly from the historical “ability to read”. In the knowledge era “literacy” means the ability to access, filter, digest, critically analyze, and create new knowledge from the information gleaned. The ability to be creative, innovative, collaborative and a critical thinker will likely also be referenced in this context. Furthermore, the OECD will include the capacity to use technology in this process.  C21 Canada is an education and business partnership advocating for Canada to modernize its learning systems to in part address this new literacy reality, and we are pleased to be witnessing pockets of  progress. However, the PIAAC results are anticipated to underscore the need for Canada to act more urgently on this front.

Second, the PIAAC findings will land in the midst of the growing debate on skills in this country. C21 Canada welcomes the focus on skills development because in today’s innovation driven world  highly skilled people are the new economic and social drivers.
As the “skills gap” gains public and political attention, virtually every economic and education organization is shifting their focus on the issue. The PIAAC findings will offer comprehensive data to augment the national discourse on this important topic.  What Canada needs however is a “coordinated” effort. We need federal and provincial agencies responsible for education and skills development to take the reins and coordinate Canada’s response. Most importantly, we need to look beyond the current “gap debate” and identify strategies and solutions for positioning Canadians and Canada for success in the future.

Perhaps most importantly we must understand that what happens in public education ultimately translates into “adult competencies” and “adult competencies” translates into “Canada’s human capital” and “Canada’s human capital” means our nation’s ability to fuel economic and social progress. Canada’s future success therefore is hugely dependent on connecting the dots and modernizing our public learning systems to the realities of the knowledge and digital age.

This fall, the Minister of Education for Alberta takes over the reins of the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC). Alberta is arguably Canada’s foremost leader in transforming its education system to a 21st Century model of learning, and we hope the Honourable Jeff Johnson will infuse CMEC with the same spirit of leadership on this front. For example, infusing 21st century learning principles into CMEC’s Learn Canada 2020 strategy would be a significant show of national leadership.

As the OECD “writes on Canada’s window”, C21 Canada for one will be writing on Minister Johnson’s window and offering him support as he guides CMEC’s efforts toward modernizing Canada’s education systems and designing a pan-Canadian skills agenda for the 21st Century.