1. Communication Skills

Exchanging thoughts, messages and information effectively through interaction

• Give and receive meaningful feedback

• Use intercultural understanding to interpret communication

• Use a variety of speaking techniques to communicate with a variety of audiences

• Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and audiences

• Use a variety of media to communicate with a range of audiences

• Interpret and use effectively modes of non-verbal communication

• Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers

• Participate in, and contribute to, digital social media networks

• Collaborate with peers and experts using a variety of digital environments and media

• Share ideas with multiple audiences using a variety of digital environments and media

Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information

• Read critically and for comprehension

• Read a variety of sources for information and for pleasure

• Make inferences and draw conclusions

• Use and interpret a range of discipline-specific terms and symbols

• Write for different purposes

• Understand and use mathematical notation

• Paraphrase accurately and concisely

• Preview and skim texts to build understanding

• Take effective notes in class

• Make effective summary notes for studying

• Use a variety of organizers for academic writing tasks

• Find information for disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiries, using a variety of media

• Organize and depict information logically

• Structure information in summaries, essays and reports

2. Collaboration Skills

Working effectively with others

• Use social media networks appropriately to build and develop relationships

• Practice empathy

• Delegate and share responsibility for decision-making

• Help others to succeed

• Take responsibility for one’s own actions

• Manage and resolve conflict, and work collaboratively in teams

• Build consensus

• Make fair and equitable decisions

• Listen actively to other perspectives and ideas

• Negotiate effectively

• Encourage others to contribute

• Exercise leadership and take on a variety of roles within groups

• Give and receive meaningful feedback

• Advocate for one’s own rights and needs

3. Organization Skills

Managing time and tasks effectively

• Plan short- and long-term assignments; meet deadlines

• Create plans to prepare for summative assessments (examinations and performances)

• Keep and use a weekly planner for assignments

• Set goals that are challenging and realistic

• Plan strategies and take action to achieve personal and academic goals

• Bring necessary equipment and supplies to class

• Keep an organized and logical system of information files/notebooks

• Use appropriate strategies for organizing complex information

• Understand and use sensory learning preferences (learning styles)

• Select and use technology effectively and productively

4. Affective Skills

Managing state of mind

• Mindfulness

– Practice focus and concentration

– Practice strategies to develop mental focus

– Practice strategies to overcome distractions

– Practice being aware of body–mind connections

• Perseverance

– Demonstrate persistence and perseverance

– Practice delaying gratification

• Emotional management

– Practice strategies to overcome impulsiveness and anger

– Practice strategies to prevent and eliminate bullying

– Practice strategies to reduce stress and anxiety

• Self-motivation

– Practice analyzing and attributing causes for failure

– Practice managing self-talk

– Practice positive thinking

• Resilience

– Practice “bouncing back” after adversity, mistakes and failures

– Practice “failing well”

– Practice dealing with disappointment and unmet expectations

– Practice dealing with change

5. Reflection Skills

(Re)considering the process of learning; choosing and using ATL skills

• Develop new skills, techniques and strategies for effective learning

• Identify strengths and weaknesses of personal learning strategies (self-assessment)

• Demonstrate flexibility in the selection and use of learning strategies

• Try new ATL skills and evaluate their effectiveness

• Consider content

– What did I learn about today?

– What don’t I yet understand?

– What questions do I have now?

• Consider ATL skills development

– What can I already do?

– How can I share my skills to help peers who need more practice?

– What will I work on next?

• Consider personal learning strategies

– What can I do to become a more efficient and effective learner?

– How can I become more flexible in my choice of learning strategies?

– What factors are important for helping me learn well?

• Focus on the process of creating by imitating the work of others

6. Information Literacy Skills

Finding, interpreting, judging and creating information

• Collect, record and verify data

• Access information to be informed and inform others

• Make connections between various sources of information

• Understand the benefits and limitations of personal sensory learning preferences when accessing, processing and recalling information

• Use memory techniques to develop long-term memory

• Present information in a variety of formats and platforms

• Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed decisions

• Process data and report results

• Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on their appropriateness to specific tasks

• Understand and use technology systems

• Use critical-literacy skills to analyze and interpret media communications

• Understand and implement intellectual property rights

• Create references and citations, use footnotes/endnotes and construct a bibliography according to recognized conventions

• Identify primary and secondary sources

7. Media Literacy Skills

Interacting with media to use and create ideas and information

• Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media (including digital social media and online networks)

• Demonstrate awareness of media interpretations of events and ideas (including digital social media)

• Make informed choices about personal viewing experiences

• Understand the impact of media representations and modes of presentation

• Seek a range of perspectives from multiple and varied sources

• Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

• Compare, contrast and draw connections among (multi)media resources

8. Critical Thinking Skills

Analyzing and evaluating issues and ideas

• Practice observing carefully in order to recognize problems

• Gather and organize relevant information to formulate an argument

• Recognize unstated assumptions and bias

• Interpret data

• Evaluate evidence and arguments

• Recognize and evaluate propositions

• Draw reasonable conclusions and generalizations

• Test generalizations and conclusions

• Revise understanding based on new information and evidence

• Evaluate and manage risk

• Formulate factual, topical, conceptual and debatable questions

• Consider ideas from multiple perspectives

• Develop contrary or opposing arguments

• Analyze complex concepts and projects into their constituent parts and synthesize them to create new understanding

• Propose and evaluate a variety of solutions

• Identify obstacles and challenges

• Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues

• Identify trends and forecast possibilities

• Troubleshoot systems and applications

9. Creative Thinking Skills

Generating novel ideas and considering new perspectives

• Use brainstorming and visual diagrams to generate new ideas and inquiries

• Consider multiple alternatives, including those that might be unlikely or impossible

• Create novel solutions to authentic problems

• Make unexpected or unusual connections between objects and/or ideas

• Design improvements to existing machines, media and technologies

• Design new machines, media and technologies

• Make guesses, ask “what if” questions and generate testable hypotheses

• Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes

• Create original works and ideas; use existing works and ideas in new ways

• Practice flexible thinking—develop multiple opposing, contradictory and complementary arguments

• Practice visible thinking strategies and techniques

• Generate metaphors and analogies

10. Transfer Skills

Using skills and knowledge in multiple contexts

• Use effective learning strategies in subject groups and disciplines

• Apply skills and knowledge in unfamiliar situations

• Inquire in different contexts to gain a different perspective

• Compare conceptual understanding across multiple subject groups and disciplines

• Make connections between subject groups and disciplines

• Combine knowledge, understanding and skills to create products or solutions

• Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

• Change the context of an inquiry to gain different perspectives