Speak up and Listen

In the volatile, global environment of the 21st century, being able to communicate successfully is the key to employment, to citizenship, and to a quality life. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills--a coalition of American businesses with an international focus, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education--recently released "A Resource and Policy Guide" entitled "21st Century Skills, Education and Competitiveness". In this Guide, the Partnership argued that "advanced 21st century skills... are the indispensible currency for participation, achievement and competitiveness in the global economy." The Guide lists six fundamental 21st century skills, including these three: (1) Thinking critically and making judgments; (2) Solving complex, multidisciplinary, open-ended problems; and (3) Communicating and collaborating. Teachers are left with the question of whether it is possible to teach competent and respectful interaction. The first step in answering the challenge is to understand how the 21st Century skills described in this report are related. In this report, the authors examine two types of instructional conversation. The first type of conversation is "Socratic", teacher-centered discussion, and the second is the more "maieutic", student-centered discussion. Both types challenge students to practice their speaking and listening skills; both teach critical thinking about the curriculum. (Contains 3 footnotes.)