I think there are no instructors at our school that lack common sense. We all seem to work together and do what has to be done- we all work together as a team and work together to figure out certain things.

I hope this hasn't been addressed already, but this immediately came to mind for me while viewing the presentations!.. I absolutely agree in the value and importance of both soft and hard skills, but specific to soft/people skills and workplace behaviors there has to be some type of balance. Being "too kind" or "too understanding", "too helpful" can quickly lead into being taken advantage of if not careful! I can think of several examples in my career in which something went horrible wrong, including instructors who were late posting final grades as they had allowed students to submit assignments very late in an attempt to be empathetic to their needs. Does anyone have thoughts about balance? Thanks!

I currently teach in a clinical program that has incorporated the use of computers daily in the curriculum. We use computers for scheduling patients, treatment records and radiographs. We agree that our students must be computer literate to give them the best chance to succeed as a professional on the job.

In this forum, I learned a bit more in using soft skills amoung diverse students that I often teach. The importance of soft skills was reflected in the Harvard student. That was a surprise.

Ethics should be taught as a critical and integral component of computer skills. Comparing this with the option of teaching ethics separately leaves the door open for students to disconnect or not associate the importance of ethics in the learning they are currently engaged in unless it is injected into the curriculum. Presenting ethics as necessary and in fact re-iterating that ethics and business go hand in hand prepares the student for greater success in the work force. It also allows them to recognize unethical practices that they might encounter as well once they enter the workforce. Ethical practices are the cornerstone of any work practice and need to be presented as such as often as possible. This should help keep it prevalent in the student's mind and move him towards reflexively making ethical decisions and actions in the future.

I agree that writing is a skill that needs polished and nurtured throughout ones profession. I am challenged by the issue of plagiarizing on occasion and always find this disappointing and awkward to address. I appreciate the sequence of a writing assignment in regards to offering the student support.

Professionalism in the classroom or workplace demands knowledge of computers and soft, as well as hard professional skills; however, can technology be utilized more in the classroom in smaller devices, such as: cell phones, iPads, etc.? Since it is problematic to control these devices, is there any way we can incorporate their usage into the curriculums in order to create more savvy students, and, to offer them not only a venue for use, but also to present a boundary for when they would not be used in a classroom scenarios?

. My biggest problem that I can't get over is when things suddenly change in the work place. Like syllabi’s. I know things change, but I put my head all in for the plan I was going to do, and communicated it the day or two days before and then things change the day of without communicating it to me. It is just like saying we are going to a certain restaurant and then on the way it suddenly changes to a different restaurant. I bugs me and then I go into the classroom changing it up to the students looking like it was all me that changed it. I hate that feeling.

My notes from the course listed the top ten from a 1997 study. I think these are solid and stand the test of time. But 17 years later, with social media and other technological advances are these still the top ten or are there other more important soft skills? Here's the list from the course: - Attention to detail - Being drug free - Conflict resolution - Helping to enhance services - Dependability / Team Player - Effective workplace relationships - Integrity - Positive attitude - Understanding and respecting others - Common sense

I find that our new generation of students demonstrate very poor critical thinking, and that common sense is no longer common!! As a teacher, it's challenging to develop such a "critical skill" over such a short period of time. Parents are the first teachers of our future professionals. They are accountable for stimulating and developing the way their offspring think and create from a very young age. But, I love what I do, and with all the different methods discussed in this course, I try my best to teach them the importance of improving their "soft skills", such as critical thinking.

Students do not need have in depth tech skills of current tech devices: Ipads, laptops, but students should be able to put them all in drive. Just like a car. Most operators do not know whst mskes the automatic transmission work but they know how to get in drive and then it does all the functions..

I think teaching a person to read is of utmost improtance, not only reading but writing to all or most levels of comprehension is extremely important. From this starting point one can see the "light bulbs" popping on.

i am computer illiterate and i would like to know more about the computer. there should be teaching on the job, instead of not hiring someone with experience

I teach a Revit course and was thinking about having the students answer a few essay questions aimed at them demonstrating the value of Revit and BIM software in general in today's work place. Do you think this would be an effective assignment or would it be preferable to stick to assignments that require the students to demonstrate knowledge of how to use the design program?

When you are working on your softs skills with different students you have be aware that everyone is on a different level of comprehension and understanding.

In every class I teach, whether it be for the technical school or the university, I incorporate group presentations. If the class is big enough, the groups will be split into two, having two group leaders coordinate the presentation. I teach allied health professionals and nurses so I stress the importance of being able to work as a team. Before they split into their respective groups, they are given a very detailed rubrik. The final grade is broken down into the following: the team's evaluation of the individual group member, audience feedback from the other team, and the instructor's evaluation. I ask the individual team members write their evaluations anonymously, so they can really tell me how much or how little that group member participated in the project. The group leader is also evaluated by their team members. I fine this to be an excellent way to promote team cohesiveness, effective communication skills and presentation skills. It is often interesting to see the comments from the different group members. I currently assigned one of the classes which I have been having problems with in terms of professionalism and lack of cohesiveness. They are resisting, however, I trust in the long run, they will be forced to work together and finally get the point of the whole exercise. The outcome remains to be seen, but trust it will be a positive one. Any suggestions on how, I can get them to buy in on the group presentations without relying solely on the weight of the presentation on their final grades? I often have to answer questions like: "why do we have to do this?", "I work better alone", "why did you have to put me in that girl's group?". My generic answer; "it builds team spirit"

it is very important that we encourage our students to keep learning

Since they quit teaching cursive writing in the schools,most of our younger students can not even print legibly. Writing is something imperitive for our students, they must make notes on repair orders legibly,they must sign off repair orders and they should take notes when trying to diagnose complicated repairs. Not being able to print or write legibly is an insurmountable problem in a technical field. We now have to do basic english and math skills as a part of normal class work.We teach and grade them on their paper work as well as technical prowess. They must be able to generate a legible, gramatically correct repair order,to begin a technical task.This repair order must pass the Instructers requirements and if not they must do it over until it does.I am now getting students that have graduated from high school that are fuctionally illerate, they barely read, cannot use a ruler, and cannot read an analog wall or time clock, couple this with not being able to write or print and we are now faced with a much more demanding set of tasks

I would think that the fact of the label...TEACHER or INSTRUCTOR one would know the right thing to do. I mean afterall we are working with, relating to others...students...who look to us for guidance while learning. I think in my gut that all teachers should know that once they enter the EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT...all of the baggage is left on the curb...we can,however pick it up, once we leave. (smile)

So very relevant in today's society in the USA...I find that my students often arrive to class with various issues. The issues can be their car not running, misunderstanding in relationships or even babysitting care. I approach them with a little quote (Anticipate the Good... or something from a famous person...like Henry Ford who said...Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't...you're RIGHT. I stress to them that they CAN...to never give up or give in. After that...they usually settle in and do the work required. Often them approach me after class with a smile or words of thanks. I tell them that we ALL have "stuff" but we CAN manage it & be productive. It works...