Soft Skills: We Know Our Students Need Them, But How Do We Teach Them?

Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western

OUR FOCUS IS YOU!


Soft Skills: We Know

Our Students Need Them, But How Do We Teach Them?

Trish Bobst

National Curriculum Specialist

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Soft Skills & This Generation…

Gen Y learners (most of our students):

Are busy multi-taskers; media-oriented

Used to working on teams

Remain close to parents who raised them to think they are “stars” and “special”

Optimistic & confident; want to be rich and famous

Are achievement-oriented; need structure and feedback

Will negotiate anything

Lack diplomacy

Bring an “entertainment attitude” to school

Get bored quickly if it’s not FUN

Don’t think of computers & devices as “technology”


Why “Generation Y”…

• I've always wondered about this myself. Now I know........

- The Silent generation, people born before 1946.

- The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and1959.

- Generation X , people born between 1960 and 1979.

- Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995.

Why do we call the last one Generation Y? I did not know, but a caricaturist explains it eloquently ..Learn something new!


Generation Y

Censured


What are Soft Skills?

• Moss and Tilly termed these subjective requisites as “soft skills,” which are defined as skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than to formal or technical knowledge” (Moss and Tilly 2001, p. 44).


What are “Soft Skills” to you?

Oral and written communication

Teamwork/collaboration

Work ethic/self-motivation/dependability/honesty

Critical-thinking/questioning/problem-solving

Risk-taking

Flexibility/adaptability

Leadership/influencing

Ability to work under pressure

Creativity/innovation/resourceful

Organizational/time management

Attention to detail


What Industry Says…

• Technical skill ALONE does not make someone competitive in the job market

– In fact, computer literacy skills are assumed!

• Today’s workers demonstrate GAPS in:

– Communication skills

– Team/interpersonal skills

– Problem solving

– Quantitative reasoning

– Business process knowledge

– Project management


What Employers Say…

Attributes Most Desirable in New Employees…

Ability to work productively on a diverse team

Oral & written communication skill

Ability to think critically and analytically

Resourcefulness in solving problems

Ability to locate, organize & evaluate information from multiple sources

Creativity & innovative spirit

Ability to understand and communicate quantitatively

Sense of integrity and ethics

Understanding of global cultures and values


Employers also…

Expect colleges & universities to prepare students in these areas

63% say we are not doing our job

87% rate this preparedness as critical to the United States remaining competitive in the global economy


What Recent Graduates Say…

Provide balance between general knowledge and major-specific skills (72%)

Many end up in fields not closely related to major

They AGREE with Employers!

Critical to success are:

Teamwork skills

Critical-thinking skills

Oral & written communication skills

Yet majority don’t think college prepared them well (51%)


2003

#1 reason students chose to major in a particular subject


2003

They were interested in or passionate about that field

or subject.


2009

#1 reason students choose to major in a particular subject


2009

Career Opportunities

Job Potential


Maybe at one time this was true?


Recently…





Which would you hire?

What if she added another certification? Now would you hire her?






There are different approaches

• Teach soft skills as a piece of your core subject (integrated throughout)

• Teach soft skills as a separate component of your core subject

– Teach one unit of “soft skills”– Then teach a few units of core subject

• Teach soft skills as an equal “piece of the pie”– Capstone, Assessment, Senior Project, etc.


Soft Skills – What % of grade?

• 10% will affect a letter grade• If you keep it less than 20%, it won’t affect a

grade in a big way


Think about this…

• You could have great technical skills, but if you cannot communicate those skills, what good are they?

• Aren’t Soft Skills more like…

Life Skills?




Soft Skills At Work

• Concise problem-based video “field trips” show realistic workplace issues that require students to find a solution.

• Accompanying printed casebook provides a conceptual framework for solution development—students choose which tools to use instead of being shown and told what to do.

• Broken into five sections: Career Building, Cyber “You,” Teamwork, Technical and Writing skills, and Presentation Skills. Each section is accompanied by a video which is approximately 10 minutes long.

• All videos include closed captioning for students unable to access the audio element.


Soft Skills At Work

• Chapter 1: Career Preparation (Video: The Interview)

• Chapter 2: Your Online Persona (Video: Interview Follow-Up)

• Chapter 3: Written and Verbal Communication Skills(Video: Useful Software Skills)

• Chapter 4: Team Dynamics & Generational Differences (Video: Team Dynamics)

• Chapter 5: Effective Presentations (Video: The Big Presentation)


Soft Skills At Work

ISBN: 1-60334-014-9DEMO CD: 1-60334-016-5

http://www.course.com/softskills/View sample chapter

http://www.course.com/softskills/



• Give your students a 360 degree education and a career advantage

• Students become more marketable to employers

• Signature two-page spread format

• Robust Online companion siteHands-on activities, scenarios, projects, problems, games, read, listen and quizzes

Soft Skills for a Digital Workplace


Reproducible Binder…

• Written Communication

• Verbal Communication

• Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Teamwork

• Professionalism

Includes 30-pack student access codes (additional codes can be purchased, as needed)


What is the content of these products?

• Written Communication– Email and Memos– Secrets of Clear Writing– Developing Reports and Proposals– Writing For Employment– Writing Professional Letters



• Verbal Communication– Basics of Communication– Working With Customers– Developing Professional Telephone Skills– Improving Informal Communication– Making Formal Presentations



• Problem Solving and Decision Making– Identifying and Defining the Problem– Solving the Problem– Thinking Critically– Group Decision Making and Problem Solving– Decision and Support Tools


• Team Work and Team Building– Working in Groups and Teams– Team Roles and Processes– Team Building and Development– Being a Team Leader– Having Successful Meetings



• Professionalism– Presenting Yourself Professionally– Developing a Professional Work Ethic– Developing Your Interpersonal Skills– Understanding Office Protocols and Politics– Planning and Managing Your Career





Learning


Online companion



GAMES



Be The Critic

• Corresponding to the end of unit exercises, “Be The Critic” requires a student to review a report, document, etc. and assess it’s strengths and weaknesses through objective-based questions.


Be the CriticBe the Critic - Graded


Critical Thinking Questions

• Pulled from the end of unit materials, Critical Thinking Questions contain 5 questions which students will answer an their instructor will grade using a grading rubric.


Critical Thinking – Instructor View


Putting Your Soft Skills to Work

• The goal of this activity is to have students upload a document (a resume for instance or in this case an email to a manager) for peer review and critique.


• The student will read the assignment, build the document/assignment and upload it where it will be visible (on the right side of this image) for all students and instructors to critique via ratings and rubrics.

“Putting Your Soft Skills To Work” Interface


Soft Skills Survivor - Graded

A movie will play in the left panel, pausing at set points in a scenario. Students will be prompted with a question based on the presented scenario. If they get the question wrong, they are prompted to watch the video clip again and they cannot move onto the next video segment until the get the question correct.


ExamView - Test Generator


Status of Career Cluster Implementation

• States are implementing career clusters in their curriculum in order to receive Perkins Funding.

• The Dept of Educations 16 Career Clusters recommends a sequence of courses for each cluster.

• Status of Career Clusters Implementation Across the Nation

• http://www.careerclusters.org/resources/institutes/cci2005/ImplementationAcrosstheNation.pdf


16 Career Clusters

Looking for a workbook where students complete and tear out the forms to hand in? Softcover: 978-0-538-44957-1 Looking for a technology solution, where your students use a computer to complete the forms?Hardcover with iMPACT CD 978-0-538-44971-7 iMPACT CD – Forms -students can complete activities online and print or email to teacher; live internet links; games

iMPACT Demo CD 9780538449977


Quick Skills


9780538449243 Site License 9780538449328 Individual License

• Quick Skills iMPACT CD is an electronic tool built from 5 of the best-selling Quick Skills titles.

• It includes updated versions of Customer Service, Decision Making and Problem Solving, Speaking and Presenting, Teamwork, and What Your Employer Expects.

Quick Skills iMPACT Interactive Text CD


Quick Skills iMPACT Interactive Text CD (Quick Skills)

• The Customer Service section provides foundations for effectively working with others. Covering areas such as forming good relationships, soothing unhappy customers and using the telephone as a customer service tool.

• The Decision Making and Problem Solving section covers topics such as thinking outside the box, team decision making and creating positive change in the workplace, Decision Making and Problem Solving will build upon the user's basic knowledge allowing them to feel more confident in this area.

• The Speaking and Presenting section provides foundations for improving presentations. Covering such topics as knowing your audience, overcoming stage fright and creating visual aids.

• The Teamwork section covers such topics as the nature of teamwork, techniques for effective listening and speaking and developing trust among your teammates.

• The What Your Employer Expects section provides solid information on what employers are looking for from their employees. Topics covered include accepting responsibility, being a team player and providing service to both the internal and external customer.


Quick Skills iMPACT Interactive Text CD

• 9780538449359 DEMO CD• Quick Skills iMPACT Interactive Text CD Package • 9780538449328 (0538449322)• The CD package provides a convenient

electronic format that is easy to use. It includes forms that can be completed electronically and emailed to the instructor or printed. Students also have access to Powerpoint slides and flash files.


http://www.cengage.com/school/coursecare/


http://www.cengage.com/focus/

http://www.cengage.com/focus/


Trish [email protected]

Author: Jeff ButterfieldSoft Skills for a Digital Workplace

Author: Beverly AmerSoft Skills at Work: Technology for Career Success

mailto:[email protected]

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Soft Skills: We Know Our Students Need Them, But How Do We Teach Them?