Wagner's Question 1: Educated Adults 2

In The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner asks:

In light of the fundamental changes that have taken place in our society in the last twenty-five years, what does it mean to be an educated adult in the twenty-first century?

My generic list of the most basic skills follows.

Educated people are those who:

• Are actively using and developing their natural talents and gifts in ways that contribute to the greater good.


• Have developed—through schooling, reading, observing, experiencing, and doing—a mental framework of knowledge that allows them to ask good questions and continue learning in one or more domains.


• Can read, observe, and listen critically. When they approach a text (whether reading a book, viewing an artwork, watching a play, whatever form), they can see applications and generate ideas.


• Can find, apply, and produce solutions to complex problems in one or more fields using the most appropriate tools.


• Can see and communicate structure and connection among concepts and ideas.