FUTURE SCENARIOS IN GENERAL DESIGN EDUCATION AND 21ST CENTURY COMPETENCIES

The latter part of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century has seen societies changing in a more rapid speed, and what is seen as important competencies have changed. There is an increasing demand in general education to ensure that the pupils and students acquire what is coined 21st century competencies or soft skills. Education can in many instances be recognised as working with the appropriation of theory, skills and facts where tests, questions and problems deal with right or wrong answers. Soft skills however, place the focus not in the theory, but work with developing human capabilities. These cannot be tested in right or wrong answers, but are seen as abilities, attitudes and values in addressing more complex problems that does not have a set answer. This paper considers whether creating and working with future scenarios as part of a general design education can contribute to the development of 21st century skills and competencies. Decision makers, educators and official reports from the OECD, the European Commission and national governments points out which competencies are seen as important skills for the school of the future. This paper explores whether the types of learning outcomes identified in the study can contribute to the development of the 21st century competencies as described in examples of discourse.