Implementation 4 Cs in Classroom

Education for young learners aims to develop various potentials of children from an early
age as preparation for facing life in order to adapt to their environment. So that the
learning process must be adapted to the needs and abilities of children, and designed
through fun play and creative activities. Trilling and Fadel (2009) argue that 4C skills
namely critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration are the key to
unlocking lifelong learning and creative work. Building 4C skills for young learners is
not only for formal learning needs at school but also to be the initial foundation for
children in interacting with the surrounding environment. Young learners' brain
development is accumulated from basic skills obtained from learning experiences, social
interactions, experiences, and environmental influences. In the learning process,
developing 4C skills can be started by choosing the right learning model that can make
students actualize themselves.

4 C skills

In the 21st century, the skills needed in young learners are skills that can stimulate
students to be able to learn independently through games and the development of learning
technology. According to Larson and Miller (2011), students must have skills about what
students can do with their knowledge and how to apply that knowledge in contextual
situations.

1. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking in learning means seeing problems in new ways and connecting learning
across subjects and disciplines. Trilling and Fadel define critical thinking as the ability to
analyze, interpret, evaluate, summarize, and synthesize all information and then apply the
results to solve problems. Critical thinking can be developed through the educational
process. The ability to think critically can help a person in observing and finding solutions
to all the problems faced in his life. Therefore, critical thinking skills must be possessed
by every graduate at every level of education12, including early childhood education.
 2. Creative Thinking
Creative thinking means the ability to do something new to solve a problem. Creative
thinking skills can be fostered through a learning environment that can stimulate the
emergence of questions, patience, openness to fresh ideas, a high level of trust, and
learning from mistakes and failures. Creating a product without an example from the
teacher can also stimulate the creativity of students. With the ability to think creatively it
is hoped that students can survive all the conditions they face in real life.

3. Communication

Communication is an activity that cannot be separated from everyday human life. Good
communication skills can build a good relationship with other people. So, it is no
exaggeration to conclude that having good communication skills will lead a person to
success. In learning, good communication skills can be activated by paying attention to
the basics of communication such as correct speech, fluent reading, and clear writing. In
order to have good communication, students must also understand who he is talking to.
Recognizing the interlocutor affects ethics in communicating. For this reason, teachers
need to introduce students to various types of kinds of people with different backgrounds
and provide reinforcement about what a good attitude to communicate.

4. Collaboration

Collaboration is an important skill to teach participants students of all ages, including

young learners. High-quality collaboration can encourage students' thinking and create
more meaningful learning opportunities. In learning activities, collaboration can be done
through discussion, mutual exchange ideas, exchange different points of view, seek
clarification, and participate with higher levels of thinking such as managing, organizing,
critically analyze, solve problems, and create learning and understanding more in-depth.

Discussions
Building 4C skills in young learners are not only for formal learning needs in schools
school but also becomes the initial foundation for children in interacting with the
surroundings' environmental. Young learners' brain development is accumulated from
basic skills obtained from learning experiences, social interactions, experiences, and
environmental influences. In the process of learning activities, instilling 4C skills can be
started from the selection of appropriate learning models that can stimulate students to
actualize themselves.

1. Critical Thinking

Someone who has critical thinking skills tends to easier to solve problems. Critical
thinking skills involve ways open-minded, flexible, the need for sufficient information
and ability to respect others who have different views. In young learners, the habit of
critical thinking needs to be done consistently. For example, by stimulating children to
ask questions, and inviting them to seek information/answers to the questions they ask.
Children who are used to it facing situations that require his ability to think critically, will
slowly formed a person who is more sensitive to the problems he is facing. Child become
not easily give up and despair, trained in thinking clearly and rationally, easy to find
opportunities and solutions in solving problems.

Practicing critical thinking skills from an early age will certainly get good results much
better because it will continue to develop along with cognitive development.

Some of the activities that demonstrate critical thinking skills in young learners are:

• Ask questions about what, why, and how about an object and incident
• Provide a simple explanation or reason for an opinion or action that done
• Make detailed observations using various senses
• Record observations in the form of audio recordings, audio-visuals or video
recordings.
• Plan experimental activities or observations to obtain information
• Formulate conclusions based on observations
• Accept opinions or observations that are different from other friends

2. Creative Thinking
Creativity or creative thinking skills means the ability to create something new.
Something new does not always work, but seeing and considering something like
information or data in a way the new one can also be called creative thinking. Children
who can think creatively will have the ability to devise new ways of accomplishing tasks,
problems, or challenges.

Creative children will always have a fresh perspective, which sometimes doesn't think of
by others. This leads them to innovate in exploring new ideas. Basically, innovation skills
are skills that involve the ability to think creatively and solve problems. Both the ability
to think creatively and problem-solving skills can be trained. It is useful to help them in
facing future challenges. Because creative individuals tend to able to survive in all
conditions and situations.

Implementing creative thinking skills can be done by encouraging children to create work.
Child is given freedom in choosing what works they will make, the tools and materials
that will use as well as the process of making the work itself. The teacher doesn't need to
set an example so that children's creativity can develop according to their respective
imaginations. But before this is done, the teacher must often initiate them through video
references, or real-world experiences about a product or work to broaden their knowledge.
Because the wider knowledge children, the wider their imagination in creating a
work/product.

3. Communication

Communication skill means the ability to share information. Having ability or

communication skills will make it easier for someone to convey ideas, questions or
information accurately, clearly and easily understood by other people.

Practicing communication skills in young learners can be done by designing learning that
can stimulate them to convey ideas or ideas related to learning in the classroom. Even
though it seems trivial, well communicating is something that not everyone can do in
public. Therefore, stimulating children to get used to expressing their ideas is important

both in writing and orally, in a group conversation or in presentations in front of the class.
In addition, conveying material through stories can also be an alternative in learning to
train children's communication skills. Storytelling can increase their vocabulary.
Sometimes in the middle of telling a story, the teacher needs to ask again about events
small things in the story, or encourage children to guess possible events what will happen
in the story. It serves to train their memory and concentration. Both the teacher and one
of their friends who told the story can have a positive impact on improving children's
communication skills

To increase ability, technically communication activities that can be carried out by young
learners are:

• If a child tries to explain something but the teacher or his friend cannot understand
it, then the teacher can ask him to show what is meant by using media.
• Communication models that can be carried out by children can be done by writing,
• talking and demonstrating something.
• Write letters to share information with other family members.
• Make a graph or map to explain something.
• Draw or paint the object being observed.

4. Collaboration

Collaboration means cooperation that is built in a group to do or produce something. In

learning, this activity is often done. For example, in giving assignments the teacher
divides students into several groups to discuss and complete tasks. Activities like this are
very important to stimulate collaboration skills among children. Collaboration skills can
encourage children to respect and trust each other. This task usually also requires a
division of tasks for each individual in a group so, the child will also have a sense of
personal responsibility in realizing and completing the task together. Sometimes young
learners tend to be egocentric, but introducing collaboration skills for young children is
not a mistake. Practicing collaboration skills in early childhood will actually bring
benefits to social-emotional development.

Some of the activities that demonstrate collaboration skills in young learners are:
 • Collaborate with a group of friends in completing tasks
• Help a friend who is in trouble
• Listen or pay attention to a friend who is talking
• Express opinion with polite sentences
• Refute the opinion of friends with a good attitude
• Share responsibilities harmoniously
• Appreciate friends who successfully complete the task correctly.

4C Skills-Based Learning

In an effort to build young learners' skills needed in the 21st century, the teachers need to
choose the right learning model or strategy according to their needs learning needs and
objectives. Some examples of students-centred learning models that are considered able
to improve 4C skills include:

1. Project Based Learning

Project-based learning means involving students in an activity to solve problems or other

meaningful tasks, provide opportunities for students to work autonomously, construct
their own learning, and ultimately produce real products that are valuable and realistic.
Thomas (2000) stated that Project Based Learning is learning that in the form of giving
assignments based on challenging questions or problems, involving students in design,
problem solving, decision making, or investigative activities in a certain time duration
and culminate in a realistic product or presentation.

According to Bell (2010) this learning model is based on the investigation. Students are
given questions that will be solved through the research under teacher supervision, and
the findings will be described using a presentation. According to him, in this learning,
students are required to learn independently communicative and collaborative as the
recommended 21st-century learning model. In implementing the Project-Based Learning,
students are also involved in activities for solving problems and other meaningful tasks,
providing opportunities for students to work autonomously, construct their own learning,
and ultimately produce a real product that is valuable, and realistic.

The steps of the project-based learning are:

a. Determination of basic questions Through this stage, the teacher can determine the
direction and purpose of the learning outcomes or projects that must be carried out
by students.
b. Develop a project plan. This stage aims to make easier project completion.
c. Schedule. This must be done so that all the plans that have been prepared can be
implemented properly and on target.
d. Monitoring is carried out by the teacher to monitor the project work process by
students.
e. Testing the results aims to determine the quality of the product or the work that has
been done completed by students.
f. Evaluation is carried out to obtain an assessment of the feasibility or unworthiness of
the product or work that has been completed by students.

The application of Project-Based Learning in young learners can be implemented simply.

For example, the teacher gives materials such as plasticine or drawing tools, and then
assigns children in groups to make miniatures or pictures (if using stationery) of the
animals or things in their environment. Teachers only need to provide books or pictures
of animals or things that can be accessed by children without interfering with their work.
Such conditions can stimulate children to explore their own ideas.

2. Problem Based Learning

Problem Based Learning is a learning model that is based on a particular issue or problem
to guide children to do learning activities that can develop a variety of their thinking skills
and abilities. According to Hosnan(2014), Problem Based Learning is a learning model
that uses real-life problems as something that must be learned by students to train and
improve critical thinking skills, problem-solving and gaining knowledge.

In Problem Based Learning model, teachers are not allowed to provide as much
information as possible. Students are required to obtain their own knowledge through
problem-solving. So they obtain knowledge not only declarative knowledge but more
procedural knowledge.

Some of the steps for the implementation of Problem Based Learning are

a. Student orientation on problems.

b. Organizing students for learning.
c. Guiding the group's individual experience.
d. Develop and present the work.
e. Analyze and evaluate the problem-solving process

In applying the Problem Based Learning model to young learners, the teacher must pay
attention to the level of ability and development as well as the characteristics of the
children involved in learning. Learning must be carried out contextually according to
what children know and can do. For example, in this learning model, the teacher can ask
some simple questions such as “what animals do you have in your house?" "What animal
food do you raise?", if the child starts to be quiet the teacher must give them time to think
about their answers.

The teacher can divide the children into groups so that they can interact with each other
and exchange opinions about questions that have been given to the teacher. It allows
children to discover facts they have thought of before, such as the types of pet food, and
how to treat it. Children are free to ask the owners or caretakers of the animals they visit.
After that, encourage the child to share their contextual experiences in digging and
discovering information about animals. The learning series is a problem-solving process
which is considered able to improve the 4C skills and scientific attitude of young learners.

Conclusion

Implementing 4C skills in the learning process is expected to be a provision for young

learners in living their daily lives so that they are competitively able to adapt to the
environment. The challenges that students will face in the future will be increasingly
complex. Instilling and developing new skills from an early age becomes a necessity so
that later students are able to play a major role in dealing with collective problems faced
by the community. Indirectly, 4C skills, are skills in solving simple problems in everyday
life.

Train 4C skills through education and learning for young learners can be started by
choosing the right model and or method that can support children to be active in learning.
Among several learning models that can be implemented to improve 4C skills are the
Project-Based Learning model and Problem Based Learning models. Both are considered
to be able to stimulate students to active, creative, communicative and collaborative in
learning.
 References

Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our
Times. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 49.

Hosnan (2014). Pendekatan Saintifik dan Kontekstual Dalam Pembelajaran Abad 21,
Bogor : Ghalia Indonesia, 295
John W. Thomas (2000). A Review of Research on Project-Based Learning, California:
The Autodesk Foundation, 1
Stephanie Bell (2010). Project Based Learning for The 21st Century Skills For The
Future‖, The Clearing House, 83, 39