#95: Linking Biesta’s Purpose of Education to 21CC
- Wen Xin Ng
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
Biesta’s domains of purpose of education complements the 21st Century Comptencies by reminding us why we educate in the first place—not just for knowledge acquisition, but for becoming.
I used to think of 21CC as separate from the core curriculum—something students just pick up along the way somehow, or learn through their CCAs and other experiences outside the classroom.
Now, I've come to see them as integral to good teaching and learning across all subjects. It's not about adding something extra, but about recognising how these competencies can be intentionally and meaningfully developed through our current teaching practice.
Intentionality doesn’t mean telling students, “Hey, we’re going to learn critical, adaptive and inventive thinking today.” Rather, it’s about being intentional in how we design lessons, scaffold tasks, and create space for students to develop and demonstrate these competencies in authentic ways. It’s in the kinds of questions we ask, the learning experiences we structure, and the culture we cultivate in our classrooms.
Good teaching isn’t just about covering content—it’s about shaping how students relate to what they learn, how they express themselves, and who they are becoming in the process.
Each subject also lends itself well to certain aspects of 21CC. If every teacher were to make explicit the competencies most relevant to the subjects they teach, students would experience these competencies not as abstract ideals, but as lived, embedded practices, making their overall learning more holistic and well-rounded.
1. Critical and Inventive Thinking → Subjectification
"Who am I becoming as I learn?"
Biesta’s idea of subjectification is about nurturing learners to become agents of their own lives, not passive recipients of knowledge.
Similarly, critical and inventive thinking isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about thinking independently, questioning assumptions and exploring perspectives. Encouraging students to ask better questions, evaluate what matters, and form their own judgments aligns deeply with subjectification.
This calls for lesson design that challenges students to interpret, critique, reflect, and imagine, not just absorb content.
💡 “Are we designing learning experiences that invite students to take a stand, reflect on their values, or imagine alternative futures?”
2. Civic Literacy, Global Awareness and Cross-Cultural Skills → Socialisation
"How do I relate to others and the world?"
Socialisation is about introducing students to the values, traditions, cultures and practices of the world.
Civic literacy and global awareness align with this: helping students understand and navigate the social, political and cultural structures around them.
Biesta reminds us this shouldn’t be uncritical or passive—students must be invited to locate themselves within these systems and ask: “Is this the kind of society I want to be part of?”
💡 “Are we opening up the world to our students—and inviting them to reflect on their place and responsibility in it?”
3. Communication, Collaboration and Information Skills → Qualification
"What capabilities and tools do I need to participate meaningfully?"
Qualification is about equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to function in society.
These competencies align with real-world, cross-disciplinary literacies: working with others, communicating ideas, accessing and evaluating information.
As educators, our task is to curate and structure meaningful learning tasks that develop these capabilities—not in isolation, but through authentic, situated practices in our subjects.
💡 “Are we designing learning that prepares students to engage effectively and ethically in the real world?”
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