Arc Skills has developed a gamified programme to teach comprehensive set of 21st century skills in Indian schools, and it is showing its first, extremely positive, results. Every one of the 900 children taught across 15 Indian schools mostly in North India and Maharashtra– including MET Rishikul School – has developed new competencies through the programme, teachers assessing students have reported.

The SOAR Skills 21 programme utilises engaging team activities, interactive quizzes, technology and gamification to immerse students in an alternate world of superheroes and supervillains to teach skills such as self-management, communication, collaboration and problem solving. 

“The Skills 21 programme implemented in our school is enjoyed by our students who are excited about the game based, hands on activities it incorporates,” said Dr Arundhati Hoskeri, Director and Management Representative, MET Rishikul School. “The preteen hiccups, like boys and girls not freely coming together and working as a team, is also ironed out. Now all the students are able to focus on the given task and work efficiently.” 

The SOAR Skills 21programme begins with training teachers to deliver it in schools. Students engage in their own time with weekly online modules including reading and quizzes that familiarise them with the 21 competencies of Skills 21. In class, as a team, students must strategise to progress and win a game based around fictional heroes and villains without teacher guidance or intervention. Meanwhile, the teacher observes their use of the 21 competencies they’ve learnt, awarding individual students with game points and badges when seen. The teacher will then lead the class in reflecting on the activity and how children can improve. 

The programme grows skills unique to each child, with children on average developing 8-12 skills each. By having teachers reward skills based only on demonstrable use in class, it helps students understand what skills come naturally to their character and how to develop strengths and weaknesses.

Over 4,500 students have been taught across nine countries, with plans to expand the programme into more jurisdictions. Operating in the US, Argentina, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, UAE, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as India, it’s the first-time gamification has been used to teach a single standardised programme to build soft skills essential for the modern job market across a wide range of cultures, economies and curricula.