Welcome to the Critical Skills Blog, home to over a thousand human-generated articles—never AI—on topics that matter to continuous education. To find articles of interest, use the “Search” tab. Please feel free to comment, and please subscribe. All content on this site is free.
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About Facing College – Preparation, Selection, Major, and Focus While In College
I have delivered high school graduation addresses from time to time, and give advice to students going to college. I’ll share this advice and welcome your comments. Perhaps many will not agree my advice– how to prepare for college, what college to select, what to choose as a major, or… More⇢
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Use the “Doom Loop Language!”
Reblogged from The Doom Loop Blog. Useful shorthand for visualizing a career situation. More⇢
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Building Collaborative Partnerships: A Unique Skill Set (by Craig Holloman)
Craig Holloman offers a more in depth description of and need for the “interpersonal skill.” I recommend his blog to others. More⇢
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Standardized Testing – Texas Started It . . . Looks Like They’re Starting to End It!
Standardized testing does not measure “critical skills.” What they do measure is questionable, and the effects of high stakes testing do not seem to bring the sort of desired results as predicted when such testing practices were implemented. Using such tests to measure school performance started in Texas and it… More⇢
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Logic Can Work Backwards – Sometimes . . . Richard Feynman Could Do It!
The traditional path for logical deduction is to progress from hypotheses (premises) to conclusions . . . or, as they say, “P” implies “Q.” It can work the other way, sometimes, but it’s risky business. The late great physicist, Richard Feynman, had the ability to think backwards and often did.… More⇢
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Standardized Testing Has a Darker Side – “By Hook or By Crook”
When standardized test results are used to measure performance NOT of children being tested but of schools and individuals who run the schools, bad things can happen. In Atlanta, it looks like “it happened.” In Kate Brumback’s article, “Former Atlanta Schools Chief Indicted In Cheating Scandal” in the Huffington Post,… More⇢
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Hiring Mistakes – Is the “Best” Candidate the One Who Is “Good At” Most of the Hiring Criteria??
A mistake headhunters and hiring managers often make is that they think the candidate who is “Good At” most of the hiring criteria is the “Best” candidate. Not so fast! Put in “Doom Loop” terms, a candidate who might be high up on the “Doom Loop” (upper Q2 and perhaps… More⇢
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What Skills Are Essential In The 21st Century?
The “Critical Skills” were derived from research conducted in the 1990’s, but are timeless in their relevance to the sorts of skills and competencies needed in the twenty first century. You may be interested in a blog that focuses entirely on the teaching of such skills as well as assessment… More⇢
Meet Your Host – Charles Cranston Jett
Charles Cranston Jett is an author, civic educator, and Professional Certified Coach based in Chicago. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1964) and Harvard Business School, he served during the Cold War aboard the nuclear submarine USS Ray (SSN 653), where his tactical innovations helped inspire Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan character. He developed the Field Studies methodology to teach “Critical Skills” and was endorsed by the Department of Labor in 1994. He is the author of six books, including Super Nuke!, hosts three podcasts, and writes across his Critical Skills Blog and Civic Sage platforms on history, leadership, and the health of the American republic. He and his wife, Dr. Nancy Church, co-host the Chicago Salons at Water Tower Residences.
