What Students of Today Need

The World Economic Forum brings together the best economic minds in the world each year. In their Future of Jobs Report, the Forum recognized the ten most essential skills needed for students of today to be successful and promotes these crucial skills from 2020 to beyond. 
These are the ten most essential skills for students today:

  1. Complex Problem Solving
  2. Critical Thinking
  3. Creativity
  4. People Management
  5. Coordination and Collaboration
  6. Emotional Intelligence
  7. Judgement and Decision Making
  8. Service Orientation
  9. Negotiation
  10. Cognitive Flexibility

The world is changing faster than ever before. It is difficult for traditional schools to adapt their curriculum to the changing times.

How can schools guarantee that students can learn the unique skills they need today? Schools can provide opportunities with real experiences to practice and develop these skills. Real experiences need to be guided and supported so that lessons can be learned and understanding can be fostered. Schools aim to give the best possible opportunities for students to obtain as much value from their education as possible.

The brain is like any other muscle in the body. It must be trained and strengthened. Lessons need to begin at an early age and repeated in different exercises many times. There are lessons that cannot be learned from a book, or in a neat 40-minute session.

Students who will be successful in 2020 and beyond need to train these skills many times. Parents and schools must work together to give children opportunities to develop the skills that will prepare your children for success in life beyond school. Talk to your school about how they can partner with your family in order to accomplish these goals.

Author Info

Greg Smith
Head of School
Shekou International School
Greg has dedicated his life to educating young people. After teaching roles in his native Australia across all of the primary and secondary school grade levels, Greg moved into school administration as a principal, school advisor and superintendent. Over the past ten years, he assumed leadership roles in Beijing, where he was an Elementary Principal and K-12 Curriculum Director, and then in Laos, where he was the Director of the Vientiane International School.Embracing technology as a great accelerator of learning and productivity, Greg has spent the past two years building a school services company harnessing the power of on-line teacher support and recruitment for international schools. Greg views SIS as a great match for his own passion for innovation in education because of the school’s commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and learning.

This year SIS celebrates 30 years of providing expatriate students with the highest standard of education within a truly international experience. Greg is excited to be a part of the celebrations and to continue to lead SIS to provide students with a rigorous education in a caring and nurturing community.

For more information about

Shekou International School, please visit:

www.sis-shekou.org