What Are 21st-Century Skills?

Learning to collaborate with others and connect through technology are essential skills in a knowledge-based economy.

• Ways of thinking. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning 
• Ways of working. Communication and collaboration 
• Tools for working.Information and communications technology (ICT) and information literacy 
• Skills for living in the world.Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility

What is assessment for learning?

Assessment for learning is best described as a process by which assessment information is used by teachers to adjust their teaching strategies, and by students to adjust their learning strategies.
Assessment, teaching and learning are inextricably linked, as each informs the others.
Assessment is a powerful process that can either optimise or inhibit learning, depending on how it’s applied.

For teachers
Assessment for learning helps teachers gather information to:

• Plan and modify teaching and learning programmes for individual students, groups of students and the class as a whole 
• Pinpoint students’ strengths so that both teachers and students can build on them 
• Identify students’ learning needs in a clear and constructive way so they can be addressed 
• Involve parents, families and whānau in their children's learning.

For students

• Assessment for learning provides students with information and guidance so they can plan and manage the next steps in their learning.
• Assessment for learning uses information to lead from what has been learned to what needs to be learned next.

Role of Digital Technologies For Assessment

Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in all types of assessment.
Technologies can be used to support teachers in the administration and management of assessment data by:

• using spreadsheets to easily record data
• creating links between different types of assessment data, for example where teachers can easily compare year-on-year progress in results, and
• providing ways for teachers to share their assessments with colleagues and parents.

Capturing assessment data can also be enriched through the use of digital technologies.

For example:

• Video and still cameras can be used to capture the process of learning as well as any products that are made during that process,
• Learners can represent their ideas and understanding in a variety of ways, which supports teachers identifying their learning,
• Rapid collection of assessment data can lead to quick formative teaching approaches,
• Evidence of learning can be captured from inside and outside of the classroom, helping learners present a wider range of learning