In today's dynamic world, the demand for 21st-century skills (21CS) is higher than ever before, especially for STEM graduates. Recognizing this need, the BE-21-SKILLED project has emerged as a pillar of innovative educational techniques to foster crucial skills among students. Through a combination of self-directed and classroom-based tools, the project aims to cultivate several skills among teachers and students from the STEM field. In this article, we will explore some of the skills targeted by the project such as self-management, purposefulness, perseverance, emotional intelligence and empathy and how each tool contributes to their development.
--Self-Management:
Self-management is an essential skill that enables individuals to effectively control their time, emotions, and actions. It is crucial for personal growth and productivity. To foster self-management, the BE-21-SKILLED Project offers a self-directed tool: Journaling. Journaling provides students with a means to reflect on their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. By regularly writing in a journal, students can gain a better understanding of themselves and their goals, ultimately leading to improved self-management.
--Purposefulness:
Having a clear sense of purpose is vital for students to stay motivated and focused on their long-term objectives. It is the quality of having a sense of direction and a strong motivation to achieve a specific outcome.1 The self-directed tool, Journaling, plays a significant role in developing purposefulness as well. By encouraging students to explore their passions, values, and ambitions through journaling, they can gain clarity about their purpose and make more informed decisions about their academic and career paths.
--Perseverance:
Perseverance is the human ability to storage energy by long term, to achieve the goal, to overcome the difficulties of varying magnitude2 (Griban et al 2020, as cited in Līce, et al, 2023). To cultivate this skill, the BE-21-SKILLED Project once again utilizes the self-directed tool: Journaling. Through journaling, students can document their progress, track their achievements, and reflect on past challenges they overcame. This practice reinforces their determination and instills a growth mindset that encourages them to persevere through difficulties.
To reinforce the acquisition of the previous skills, a classroom-based tool was also designed: SMART Goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This tool equips teachers and students with a structured approach to goal setting. By setting clear and well-defined objectives, students can effectively manage their time, prioritize tasks, and monitor their progress, enhancing their self-management, purposefulness, and perseverance.
--Emotional Intelligence and Empathy:
Emotional intelligence and empathy are critical for building strong relationships and effective communication. To enable STEM students to acquire this skill, role playing was designed as a classroom-based tool. Role playing enables students to step into the shoes of others and explore different perspectives. Through role-playing scenarios that involve emotional interactions, students can develop their emotional intelligence and empathy, making them more empathetic and understanding individuals.
The combination of self-directed and classroom-based tools provides a comprehensive learning experience that equips students with essential skills for personal and professional success. Through journaling, SMART Goals, and role playing, students are empowered to take charge of their growth, set meaningful goals, overcome challenges, and connect empathetically with others. The toolkit provided by the BE-21-SKILLED Project allows STEM teachers and students to unlock their full potential and acquire the soft skills that are most needed in today's world. For more information and access to the tools once ready, visit https://be21skilled.eu/.
