Soft Skills Needs??
Do you find the soft skills training needs of traditional and non-traditional students to be different, and if so how do you manage their different needs in a mixed class?
I think non-traditional students really need to understand the "what's in it for me?" concept. I make frequent attempts to explain to my students that soft skills can absolutely make a difference between whether or not they get hired, promoted, etc. Otherwise there can be a tendency for students to question why they are spending their hard-earned money on classes that are not of a highly technical nature.
I teach in the culinary field & find that there is most often a mix of young, inexperienced students along with seasoned kitchen vets in school to get their formal education. Soft skills are often lacking in the younger group so I agree with the comment above about pairing inexperienced people with some of the more seasoned students. The more experienced student has life experiences to bring to the table that can help the less experienced student relate & learn.
I think this is so important to the student that goes through career focused learning. I will keep them employeed more than a grade in a traditional class. The non-traditional do have a jump on the traditional students in this respect for about 80% of them. It is not always the case though.
We hear that regularly from the employers that hire our graduates. A successful graduate is one that not only has the skills to do the job but also the interpersonal savvy that will make them shine.
While traditional and non-traditional students are different in background and learning style, the importance of soft skills is universal. The lack of commuication skills is the number one area that professionals outside the classroom tell us that career college students lack. We require each student to conduct mock interview drills, and practice as part of their hands on training.
Hi Catherine- Coaching our students to work well in teams gives them a skill they will find very valuable in their careers. Great work!
I too, teach in the design field. I have also found that by putting students into groups as they work on a design project, they are forced to communicate well with eachother, plus they develop a work ethic.
This works even better when we have an actual client come into class, and they have to present their design solutions.
That's actually counter intuitive Kelly - usually we think of pairing students that are alike. I think you may be on to something- they can learn from each other because they are different - great idea!
The soft skills needed by different students definitely varies. However, I have also had older, or non-traditional students who need a great deal of development as well. I find that incorporating "real world" scenarios helps both groups. Also, I like to pair students with different backgrounds and needs, and they can often help each other.
Hi Karen. Congratulations on completing the maxKnowledge class! Although you moved through the course quickly you posted some very excellent comments in the forum. Thanks for your great ideas!
I teach at a design school and I find that most of my students ,young and old , traditional and non traditional need to develop "Soft Skills". To encourage and develop them I always reinforce the concept that our classroom is like working in a "Design Team" in the industry. I use situatons that occur in class as a chance to show how to be professional and how to develop communication skills so that they can learn how to explain /communicate their design concepts when they are working in the industry. I always tell my students that our class is a safe place for them to practice those skills.
Yes Andy, I often find that the younger students have not developed soft skills as much as the adults in the class. We offer what we call "Power Seminars" on soft skills for our traditional students but they are not required. I make a point of praising students in the classroom when they demonstrate good use of soft skills like communication or etiquette. Running a role-play using adult students who have mastered softskills is also useful.
