Create a Framework for Student Success

Ronna Magy

ACADEMIC AND WORKPLACE

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

SCANS SKILLS, 21ST CENTURY SKILLS
§ Work in a team, Interact with others
§ Communicate, Collaborate, Cooperate
§ Cross-cultural understanding
§ Lead/plan/delegate
§ Create, Innovate
§ Take initiative and responsibility
§ Teach job duties to others
§ Listen and understand instructions
§ Read, comprehend and interpret documents
§ Read, comprehend, write about, analyze and cite information
§ Interpret information
§ Understand organizational systems
§ Fill out work documents
§ Take notes
§ Manage/monitor performance, goals and time
§ Self-evaluate
§ Critical thinking/Problem solving
§ Computing and ITC (Information and Communication) Literacy
§ Communication and Media Literacy
§ Career and Lifelong Learning
§ Self-Reliance

Partnership for 21st Century Skills-The 7Cs

1. Critical thinking and problem solving

2. Creativity and Innovation

3. Collaboration, teamwork and leadership

4. Cross-cultural understanding

5. Communication and media literacy

6. Computing and ICT Literacy

7. Career and learning self–reliance

~ Partnership for 21st Century Skills

The skills learners need in order to transition successfully to higher levels of education or employment should be integrated at every level of instruction, including ESL classes that are focused primarily on language instruction.

~Parrish and Johnson Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary and Work

Academic and Workplace Readiness Skills Students Need for Success

Soft Skills: Interpersonal and Communication Skills

• Listen well/understand instructions

• Communicate with others

• Manage time

• Monitor performance

• Read and comprehend work documents

• Interact with others

• Teach job duties to others

• Work in a team

• Solve problems/use critical thinking

• Take initiative and responsibility

• Lead/plan/delegate

• Adaptable, Flexible

~ SCANS Report; Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Preparing for Success: Mixer Activity

Take Inventory of

Your Academic and Workplace Readiness Skills and Strategies

Use the chart below.

1. Take a self-inventory. Put a check mark next to your skills. Think of an example.

2. Talk with others. Ask them to tell you about one of their skills and give an example.

3. Ask the person to write their name next to their skill.

“I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement
I can work in a team and get along with others. / I’m reliable and responsible. / I can find information on the Internet. / I can train others on new projects.
“I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement
I can read and interpret documents, charts and graphs. / I can talk about my skills and strengths. / If I don’t understand something, I can ask my teacher or a classmate for help. / I can take leadership in a group and initiate new ideas.
“I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement
I can multi-task.
(For example: answer the phone and take notes at the same time.) / I can communicate my ideas to others and show that I'm listening to their feedback. / I can solve problems and understand the consequences of my actions. / I can fill out forms completely and accurately.
“I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement / “I” Statement
I can organize and complete my assigned tasks. / I can use social networking appropriately. / I can set personal, social, and educational goals for myself. / I can follow directions and take notes to help me remember.

Student’s Name: ______

Record your weekly test scores

# correct / 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Week Number

Name______Date______

My Future Job

1. Name of Job
2. Job Description
3. Hourly Wage
4. Yearly Wage
5. Education Required
6. Training Required
7. Local Job
8. Why I want this job

This entire lesson can be found at http://calpro-online.org/VirtualWorkroom/default.asp

Making “I” Statements

Teaching Students to Identify and Articulate Transferable 21st Century Skills

Not only do instructors need to teach students to work in teams and communicate with each other, we need to help students understand the skills they are building and give them the language to explain it to others. As students develop an understanding of their own skills, they build the language to talk about themselves during job interviews and performance reviews.

Explicit Teaching: Tell students what they will be/are doing in class:

· This week you will be/are practicing working in teams.

· This week you will be/are practicing how to take notes.

Skills Brainstorm: After doing a cooperative activity, stop the class and ask, “What skills did you use in class today?” Ask leading questions such as, “Did you listen to your teammates?” From student comments and your own rephrasing, end up with statements on the board such as:

· Work in a group/team.

· Listen to others.

· Take notes.

· Summarize information.

Group Practice: Skills Statements Convene cooperative groups. Have group leaders repeat the question, “What skills did we use today?” Have students make statements such as:

· We worked in a group/team.

· We discussed our opinions.

· We summarized information.

· We listened to each other.

Group Practice “I" Statements: In groups, have students practice making “I” statements. Provide them with additional examples.

· I can work in a team and get along with my teammates.

· I can listen to others and give feedback.

· I can train others on new projects.

· I can organize my work.

“I" Statements: Teach students phrases they can use during job interviews or performance reviews. Encourage them to give specific examples:

· I work well in a team. In my ESL class I get along with people from many different countries.

· I follow instructions. I ask someone to repeat if I don't understand.

· I cooperate with others.

· I am a team leader.

Role-Play: Have students role-play job interviews and performance reviews, one student the employer, the other, an employee. The employer asks, “What can you tell me about yourself?” “What skills do you have?” The employee responds, “I work well in a team....

I can listen and take notes...I learned these skills in my ESL classes at school."

Reflect: Repeat these reflective activities on a regular basis so students become comfortable identifying and naming their transferable 21st Century skills.

PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITY

Group Instructions

· Read or discuss the problem, or talk about a picture.

· Re-state the problem. The problem is______.

· Read the possible solutions, or group members suggest other solutions.

· Each student gives an opinion about how to solve the problem.

I think he/she should______.

· Come to one group decision.

· Discuss the consequences of the group decision.

If she /he does______, then______.

· Report your group decision to the class.

Group Roles

1. Group Leader: reads the problem

2. Restates the problem

3. Reads possible solutions to the group

4. Recorder/Reporter: summarizes the group’s solution and gives reasons why

Useful Phrases

· I think he/she should do______because______.

· The problem is ______, so I think that______.

· What will happen if she does ______?

· If she/he does ______, then______.

1. Jim’s Problem*

The lock on Jim’s front door never worked well. Now the lock is broken. Anita calls the building manager. The building manager says it isn’t his responsibility to fix the lock. He says, “You break it. You fix it.” Jim knows it is the building manager’s responsibility to fix the lock. What can Jim do?

Possible Solutions:

a. Pay a locksmith to fix the lock.

b. Pay a locksmith and take the money out of her rent.

c. Talk to other renters in her building.

d. Call the city housing office and ask for help.

e. Other

2. A Housekeeper’s Problem

A woman works as a housekeeper. Her job is to clean hotel rooms after the guests check out. She makes the beds, vacuums, and cleans the bathrooms. Last night she used a new cleanser in the toilets and bathtubs. After she used the cleanser, she got a rash. Her hands and arms were red and sore. What should she do?

Possible Solutions:

a. Talk to her coworkers and see if they have the same problem.

b. Quit and look for a different job.

c. Not say anything and hope the rash goes away.

d. Discuss the problem with her coworkers and supervisor.

*Adapted from Diaz, B., Magy, R., Salas-Isnardi, F. (2010) Future: English for Results, Book 2. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

References

Austin, J., Mellow, G., Rosin, M., Seltzer, M. (2012) Portable Stackable Credentials: A New Model

for Industry-Specific Pathways. McGraw-Hill Research Foundation. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.jff.org/publications/portable-stackable-credentials-new-education-model-industry-specific-career-pathways

Benest, F. (2011). Aligning Adult Education with the Global Economy. Plenary Address at COABE Conference, San Francisco, California.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2012. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Chisman, F. (2009). Expanding Horizons pacesetters in adult education for work. Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/Expanding.pdf

Common Core State Standards. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.corestandards.org/

Council of Chief State School Officers (2012). Common Core State Standards Communications Toolkit

Retrieved August 2014 from programs.ccsso.org/link/CCSSO_Standards_Toolkit.pdf

Diaz, B., Magy, R., Salas-Isnardi, F. (2010). Future: English for Results. New York: Pearson Ed, Inc.

Dobbs, R. et. al., McKinsey Global Institute. (2012) The world at work: Jobs, pay and skills for 3.5 billion people. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/labor_markets/the_world_at_work

Dweck, Carol (2006). Mind Set: The New Psychology of Success. Random House, Inc. New York, NY.

Little, L. and Greenberg, I. (1991). Problem Solving: Critical Thinking and Communication Skills. Longman. New York, New York.

Magy, R., Price, D. (2010). California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project. Integrated and contextualized workforce skills in the ESL classroom. http://www.calpro-online.org

McClendon, Dr. Lennox, Jones, D. and Rosin, M. (2011). The Return on Investment From Adult Education And Training. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.mcgraw-hillresearchfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/the-return-on-investment-from-adult-education-and-training.pdf

National Center on Education and the Economy, Workforce Development Strategies Group. (2009) Background and supporting evidence for adult education for work. Retrieved August 2014 from Jobs for the Future website: http://www.jff.org/publications/background-and-supporting-evidence-adult-education-work

Parrish, B., Johnson, K. (2010). Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary Education and Work: Developing Academic Readiness Skills from the Beginning. Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pdfs/TransitionsFinalWeb.pdf

Partnership for 21st Skills (P21). Retrieved August 2014 from http://www.p21.org

Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skill (SCANS). Retrieved August 2014 from http://wdr.doleta.gov/opr/fulltext/document.cfm?docn=6140

U.S. Department of Education. (2012). College Completion Tool Kit. Retrieved August 2014 from

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/college_completion_tool_kit.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Remediation Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere. Retrieved October 2012 from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/CCA-Remediation-final.pdf

Campbell Adult and Community Education Creating a Framework for Student Success

August 2014 Ronna Magy