A New Model to Target the "4 Cs" of Learning

 The “Four Cs” are established goals for learning in today’s world. 

• Creativity

• Critical Thinking

• Collaboration 

• Communication

Schools around the world strive to foster these traits in students.

Companies seek out individuals who can excel at these skills to lead their teams. 

Despite the often cited disconnect between the world of business and academia, the Four Cs represent one area where there is solid agreement.  Organizations such as the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and Common Sense Education rightly tout these as a gold standard for what learning can be.

Unfortunately, given the recent massive shift to online learning, the current model of watching videos (or listening to lectures), followed up with a quiz provides ample evidence of where our current online learning models are falling short. 

Online learning falls short

The Huddle Up platform represents a very different type of online learning experience. A platform that specifically targets the Four Cs by providing a more authentic, interactive, connected learning experience. We provide an experience with more

• Creativity: When the purpose of the platform is focused on each learner sharing a unique solution (instead of merely finding the “right” answer), we open up each learner’s creativity to use information and skills to creatively solve problems.

• Collaboration: Unlike current online platforms where users are isolated and might only have a relationship with the instructor, Huddle Up flattens the learning environment so that we are all learning from one another. Each learner reviews the solutions of others (and learns in the process) and gives feedback to others (helping improve the solutions of others). It’s a mutually beneficial model of collaboration where there is purpose and sharing and communicating.

• Communication: Knowing the right answer isn’t enough. We need to communicate our solution in a way that others (not just the instructor) will find demonstrates quality. As we do this, we unlock interactive feedback, further strengthening communication and developing a greater sense of shared understanding of the problem itself and the solutions which exist to solve it.

• Critical Thinking: When the goal of learning goes beyond comprehension exercises like quizzes and essays, we foster deep critical thinking skills so needed in today’s world. We allow each learner to create solutions, analyze and evaluate the solutions of others, share feedback, reflect upon the feedback of others, and consider what improvements are needed. These are the thinking skills we need to foster.

Huddle Up is a custom-build learning platform meant to develop these characteristics. We know that companies and schools have valued the idea of developing lifelong learners focused on the Four Cs. With Huddle Up, we have a platform that goes far beyond the video-and-quiz model to foster these skills in an authentic, customized environment. It's what motivates us to share Huddle Up with like-minded partners, to change the way individuals and organizations learn.

In our subsequent posts, we’ll go into further detail to highlight each one of the Four Cs - and see examples of how Huddle Up’s learning model is uniquely structured to help deliver this change.