According to Andrew Rotherham and Daniel Willingham, the push to attain “21st century skills” diverts educators from pursuing more established goals. What’s essential, they argue, are capabilities that have been around at least since Socrates questioned market-goers in the Agora. “The skills students need in the 21st century are not new,” they proclaim.33 However, the performance of professional historians and talented Stanford undergraduates suggests that time-honored ways of evaluating information may not be enough to navigate a serpentine digital terrain. Critical thinking and reading
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