The Nine Core Skills

The Skills

The nine core skills that, according to research, should be fostered through the educational process to enable citizens to fulfill their civic roles and take an active, informed, and responsible part in public life. These skills encompass cognitive abilities for gathering and analyzing information and making critical judgments; social skills for managing disagreement and respectful discourse in a pluralistic society; and motivational dispositions rooted in a sense of mission, commitment, and the belief in one’s ability to effect change. Detailed below are the nine specific skills for each domain.

Cognitive Skills

The ability to form positions on social and political issues by gathering information (including from media and digital environments), evaluating its credibility, critically analyzing arguments and evidence, and making informed, reasoned, and evidence-based judgments.

Civic media literacy is the ability to critically consume, analyze, and evaluate social, political, and current-events information from traditional media outlets and social networks, while discerning the context, credibility, and quality of the messages. It encompasses identifying and guarding against fake news and harmful discourse, as well as creating and disseminating fair and respectful media content. This skill emphasizes the informed use of media to promote civic participation, raise awareness, and foster social and political collaboration within digital environments.

Critical thinking is the ability to examine information, opinions, and ideas in an informed and analytical manner, evaluate their reliability, identify fallacies, biases, and propaganda, and form independent positions. It encompasses distinguishing between facts and opinions, examining claims and reasoning, making informed choices among alternatives, reaching reasoned decisions, and defending arguments with relevant evidence and data – while remaining mindful of how personal perspectives and values influence one's judgment.

Information literacy is the ability to locate, organize, evaluate, and use information critically, effectively, and responsibly, both in learning environments and in everyday life. It encompasses navigating diverse sources, understanding their distinctions, and assessing their credibility. It further involves using information and communication technologies (ICT) to integrate and process data into meaningful knowledge and present it in a manner tailored to the purpose, audience, and context. Through these processes, independent thinking is cultivated, enabling the informed use of information to advance diverse goals.

Social Skills

The ability to manage disagreement as a natural and essential element of a pluralistic society, while expressing positions, listening, and engaging in respectful dialogue even in the face of disagreement, remaining mindful of personal biases.

Collaboration is the ability to sustain fair and constructive interactions among individuals and groups in a democratic society – even across differing identities – to work together toward shared goals for the common good. It encompasses building positive relationships, contributing to collective efforts, creating agreements, communicating and sharing relevant information, and providing mutual support, even in the face of disagreement or difference, while upholding democratic principles of action.

Attentive communication is the ability to conduct dialogue rooted in empathetic listening, respect for diversity, and a search for common ground, even in situations of disagreement. It encompasses the use of respectful language, active and meaningful listening to diverse opinions and identities, and the capacity to understand the other’s worldview, feelings, and needs. This skill facilitates respectful, positive dialogue that deepens mutual understanding and fosters productive democratic discourse.

Social awareness is the ability to understand social situations and the behaviors of others with sensitivity and openness, while respecting diverse perspectives and recognizing the influence of norms, stereotypes, and prejudice. It encompasses empathy and the capacity for “putting oneself in another’s shoes,” particularly minority groups; awareness of one’s own values and cultural constructs; the ability to decode verbal and nonverbal messages; and the avoidance of generalizations, discrimination, and intolerance, along with a readiness for critical self-reflection when encountering diverse viewpoints.

Conflict resolution is the ability to address disagreements in a substantive and constructive manner through attentive, respectful, and collaborative dialogue, aimed at reaching optimal, compromise-based solutions. This skill includes identifying conflict-prone situations, clearly articulating needs and interests, listening to diverse perspectives, and practicing tolerance for cultural differences. It is rooted in maintaining positive discourse, avoiding harmful reactions, and a readiness to engage in creative negotiation to achieve fair agreements.

Motivations

The dispositions that motivate individuals to be alert to injustice, to feel a sense of mission and commitment to take action to rectify it, and to possess confidence in their capacity to promote change and influence social and civic goals within their immediate and/or broader environments.

Political agency and efficacy refer to the ability to set goals, initiate action, and lead processes of change within the civic-political sphere. Efficacy reflects the belief in one’s personal capacity to understand and operate within the public and political arenas, while agency is the practical realization of initiative and influence. This skill encompasses confidence in forming informed positions; belief in the power of civic action to influence policy; the planning and implementation of effective actions; and the ability to act collectively to achieve shared goals.

A sense of social and moral responsibility is a commitment to act in a value-driven and informed manner in situations where one has influence, rooted in loyalty to the values of liberty, equality, and human dignity. It involves analyzing situations and drawing lessons, taking responsibility for one’s actions and their consequences, and a readiness to act when values are undermined. Social responsibility also manifests as a concern for individuals, the community, and the broader society, as well as a contribution toward creating a just environment that reflects democratic values.