Developing 21st Century Skills through EFL

Abstract

The requirements of a 21st century classroom greatly differ from those of the 20th century. The result of globalization and technological modernization is that the world has become “flatter”, which means that the “Three Rs” (reading, writing, arithmetic) alone are not sufficient for a 21st century learner. The job market nowadays is mainly focused on the ability of a student to think critically and act creatively, as well as collaborate with people of different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this innovative course is to integrate the “Four C” skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity) with teaching English to young learners, so as to help them to be successful in the future and to have competitive skills and knowledge for social success and long-term wellbeing. The two principle teaching and learning approaches for the course are Communicative Language Teaching and Project-Based Learning. The deliverables of the course include a completed course with lesson plans and teaching materials, as well as reflections on the pilot of the course and a course syllabus. The course was implemented with second grade students at afterschool English language program at a private school in Armenia. It lasted 21 weeks and as the course evaluation results showed was a complete success.