Soft Skills
There appears to be an epidemic of students with little to none soft skills. I spend five to ten minutes in each class period going over the soft skills involved in each lesson. The hardest soft skill to get students to use is proper grammar when speaking or writing. How do you break the habit of slang and colloquialism?
Hi Leigh, We have the employers who hire our graduates come in to talk to our beginning students and emphasize that they want to see those skills in the grads that they hire. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Yes, I agree I feel that soft skills are greatly missing in my students! I teach Critical Thinking, Oral Communications, & Introductory Writing. Students do NOT believe these skills a necessary or needed! They act as if I’m from another planet when I insist that they to speak & write in complete sentences. My student’s do not want to speak , dress, or communicate in a professional manor; nor do they believe they need any skills beyond the technical ones necessary to perform their job. Any suggestions on how to jar them into reality???
Consistenty and role modeling seem to work the best for my students. Asking a student to repeat , using the skills modeled or recently acquired to correct what they've mistakingly stated in the correct manner in a Foundations English course or communication course. Pointing out in a non threatening manner that possibly what they've stated is unclear or could need more details and clarification is also a suggestion and asking the student if what they have stated is employable typically works with the street lingo.
I agree soft skills are lacking
Hi Blanche- Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree completely - our students learn not only what we teach but also what we model - how we speak and behave. It is so very important! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Being a role model to the students can have a great impact in interacting with them.There is respect and better communication that's developed and most of them will adapt to those ways and apply them inside and outside the classroom.
I feel if they cant write, they cant speak, so I implement more writing assignments and test questions that require more lengthy, thurough answers.
Hi Elisha - Thanks for your post to the forum. You are doing a great job of getting your students ready for the workplace! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I totally agree with you Carrie. I have students that use "text" language in papers! Luckily, I teach in a medical assistant program, and I can always bring infractions back to the workplace. For instance if a student is not wearing proper attire, I say, "Would your boss at work allow you to wear that in the clinic"? Or if they are late for class or miss it completely, I am sure to remind them that lateness, and absenteeism will not be looked at favorable by their manager, and will affect raises, and whether they can even keep their job at all.
Hi Gina- Your school is certainly not alone in this problem. The course that you describe sounds like it will be a great help. It is also necessary to teach soft skills across the curriculum - in other words, insisting on proper langauge and manners in every class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I teach at a Massage Therapy school and we have been hearing more and more from employers that our students have no soft skills.
We are trying to improve this by incorporating different activities like mock interviews during a class that we offer which is called Think, Build, Learn Success.
The more they practice and learn how to use soft skills, the better they will become in using these skills in their daily lives and during their interviews with employers.
Most important for instructors is to model the appropriate behavior. Set the example of acceptable behavior in the field. When students use slang or inappropriate behavior, I discretely bring it to their attention for improvement.
Hi Gilbert- Thanks for your post to the forum. Involving Career Staff is a great idea since they represent "employment" - the goal of all our students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
We share the same concern at our campus. I agree that instructor modeling and having students practice soft skills in the classroom will help. You can also involve your Career Service staff and have them give Soft Skills sessions and explain how this will help them suceed in their careers.
Hi Claudia- Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree completely-employers constantly tell us that they want to hire grads that have good communication skills. We cannot emphasize that enough! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Don't you think "soft skills' are evaluated more harshly out in the professional workplace? They are just an expectation (certainly, a valid one)that employers have of the employee; that these skills be already developed and refined in that employee. All the more reason for their being an integral part of the "hard" education process ?
Hi Sharlen- Thanks for your post to the forum. What an amazing assignment that you have described! Your students will learn invaluable lessons from those interviews! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have an interview assignment where the students must interview someone in their profession about “soft skills†which include communication, working with a diverse population and also written communication. They come up with about ten questions in class and we work in groups to evaluate the questions and how to conduct an interview. Along with this, they have a written component on the questions they asked and a reflection of what they learned. They also have to present it to the class with a power point presentation or some other media. In their presentation, they have to not only reflect on the project but how they will apply what they have learned to their profession.
Sharlen Krause
HI Cathie- Wow- what a great idea! Most students resist getting help with their writing, but making it a part of their grade eliminates that! Although your students may complain about it now, they will thank you for that push later. Best wishes for continued success in your gteaching career. Susan
