Students need collaborative skills for future

Automation and computers are able to do more and more of what was once thought of as "human" work - which means more competition for jobs.

Our students need traditional academic strengths, but they also need skills that will set them apart from others and from computers.

Research and business leaders already have identified critical thinking, empathy, creativity and collaboration as the top needs in the future, and Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 is building classrooms that will develop these skills.

The vision for the Future of Instruction and Technology states, "The (District 200) environment enables learners to access, synthesize and share knowledge while collaborating and creating anytime, anywhere. Experiences are designed to foster critical thinking, parallel real world situations and meet individual needs of learners as they develop mastery of students and skills."

For students to be able to access and share information, they must be taught how to determine the credibility and relevance of many sources.

For students to learn collaboration, they must be taught how to manage their own emotions, resolve conflict and participate in respectful debate. These types of learning experiences are occurring daily in our elementary, middle and high schools.

Students must be able to access their school work outside of our school buildings. For this reason, we have refurbished old laptops to distribute to families in need of a device. We also successfully obtained grant funds to help with the cost of internet for some families in need.

Because many of our classrooms use online, digital resources, it is essential all students have this capability - even outside of school.

We also are working toward more real-world applications. Examples include new engineering activities for elementary students as well as entrepreneur classes at the middle and high school levels.

It is about finding balance in our classrooms. Learning needs to be personalized to match student interest and ability, but also needs to include shared experiences so that students learn collaboration and empathy.

Teaching students how to use technology is important, but equally so is balancing face-to-face interactions and conflict resolution. Our classrooms must simultaneously pass down important academic skills and history of the world while still preparing students to meet the needs of an evolving future that will require continual learning, persistence and ability to adapt to new changes.

• Jeff Schuler is superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200. His column appears monthly in Neighbor during the school year.