Taylor Swift and the 21st Century Capabilities
by Leighann Ness Wilson, Project Manager, Future Anything
Developing 21st Century skills in every classroom is at the very core of all of Future Anything’s work. As the newest member of the Future Anything team, Leighann has been leveraging her extensive research experience to take a deep dive into those capabilities, and to refine our capabilities framework, ensuing our programs are underpinned by the latest thinking on this critical topic. In this blog, she shares an insight to the initial stages of this fascinating project.
I’m sure you’ve been part of it. I hope you have. It’s a bit chaotic, usually noisy, but always memorable….
Students wondering “what if…?”
Asking “how might we…?”, and backing themselves to imagine,
Building on the ideas of others.
Thinking about all the possibilities.
Getting stuck but finding a way.
Sketching.
Prototyping.
Realising something doesn’t work and trying again.
Imagining…again.
Coming up with a plan.
Making things happen.
Sharing ideas and enthusiasm.
Feeling empowered.
There’s no doubt that learning experiences like this feel energising, but how do we go about describing, defining or maybe even measuring what’s happening?
What skills and capabilities are the learners developing and why does it make such an impact?
These are some of the questions I’ve been working to answer in my first project as part of the Future Anything team.
With a professional background in design, and speciality in design thinking, STEM, STEAM, and the Technologies curriculum, I know first-hand what these classrooms feel like. I’ve worked hard to champion the importance of 21st Century skills in initial teacher education (ITE) and for the past few years I’ve been writing a PhD thesis about the impact of design thinking on pre-service teachers.
So when given the opportunity by Future Anything to combine my research skills and my passion for creativity in education, I didn’t need to be asked twice!
Future Anything Capabilities Project 2024
As Project Manager of Future Anything’s Capabilities Project 2024, I’ve been contemplating the specific 21st Century capabilities being developed within our programs.
My challenge was to refine the Future Anything capabilities framework and ensure that our way forward remains research-informed, and research-led.
Phase 1
I began by delving into existing educational frameworks, looking at how agency-building capabilities were being defined and represented across a range of educational contexts. I immersed myself. Following threads, making notes and collating the research. I used thematic analysis to compare and look for patterns across the frameworks, a process that enabled me to map the similarities, differences and overlaps in the way capabilities such as creativity, critical thinking and communication were being described.
Phase 2
Phase two involved a focus on each distinct capability. This was the deep dive I’d been waiting for. I enjoyed the privilege of focusing on capabilities like curiosity and critical thinking for an extended period. I found key research and read paper after paper. I was driven to see how the capabilities showed up, and how they were being represented and measured in the literature. In total, I captured definitions, dependencies, associated concepts, and research highlights for capabilities including:
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Problem solving
- Innovation
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Adaptability
- Project management
Along the way there were regular check-ins with my brilliant new colleagues who have been extremely generous with their time, input and encouragement.
Of course, there’s no shortage of literature about 21st Century capabilities. I’ve worked hard to remain focused and ensure what I’m producing is synthesised and clear. I did this by carefully planning my approach and by developing visually consistent frameworks to share my findings. The result has been a series of summary papers aimed at supporting the broader Future Anything team as they go out and do our good work in schools, enacting, promoting and providing space for these critical capabilities to develop in our young people.
Next Steps in our Capabilities Research Project
With the research base established I’m currently using design thinking methods to reimagine and refine the framework and measurement tools that will enable our programs to continue to evolve.
I’ve been encouraged to push at the boundaries and have enjoyed the regular shift from divergent to convergent thinking. I’m looking forward to sharing some more updates with the Future Anything community so keep your eyes peeled for future blogs.
Easter Eggs
I’m guessing you’ll be wondering why I haven’t yet mentioned Taylor Swift. Well, hang tight because here it comes…
In writing this blog I’ve been reflecting on the places within the project where I have been enacting the key capabilities myself. Really living the brand!
And so, inspired by Miss Swift, I thought I’d include some capabilities ‘Easter eggs‘ into my first Blog for Future Anything, so you can enjoy your own deep dive!
About the author: Leighann Ness Wilson
Leighann Ness Wilson is an experienced educator, designer and researcher, motivated by opportunities to inspire creativity across the curriculum. Leighann is currently a PhD candidate at QUT with a thesis exploring the impact of design thinking on the capabilities and self-efficacy of Australian pre-service primary teachers.
At Future Anything, Leighann leverages her research expertise contributing to a range of strategic projects, as well as stepping back into the classroom to facilitate our engaging student workshops.
Future Anything’s Activate in-curriculum program and student workshops build confident communicators of all ages, by empowering young people to develop, and then persuasively pitch, innovative social enterprise solutions to the problems they care about.
Find out more about our programs here.
