Sorry to say but I feel that the general education system currently in public education is horrible these days. Students these days can't spell correctly, nor can they write clearly. The language used is horrible. Take students back to basics....READING - WRITING - ARITHMATIC (AKA: MATH. Now they are at college level and they have no good skills to keep them afloat.
I am learning the hard way. I have been teaching 2 years in an ASN (nursing program) and I have been taking basic writing skills for granted. I assign papers and am given back assignments that are poorly written.. ie. use of first person, use of slang, use of multiple tenses, no knowledge of APA or MLA, the list goes on. What is a good quick assessment that I can use to determine their writing level?
Yes I agree that general education skills are very important because they are greatly used among businesses and cooperations.
Hi Sue- Wow - exactly!! We try to bring in employers to talk with our students about those "soft skills" that they are looking for. It gets the point across! Susan
It is not enough to simply teach a student a skill to succeed in their chosen career. The student must be able to compose a business letter or email and must be able to read and comprehend any directions he/she encounters within their employment. I still observe students who "text-talk" in their correspondence with instructors,etc. It is a great disservice to the student to finish a program without the skills of reading, written communication and math.
Hi melissa- thanks for your post to the forum. Unfortunately this is a problem we face too often. The only recourse that i have found is to include written assignments correlated with the skill material that they are learning. It's a lot more work for us but as you point out, we cannot set them up to fail! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Amber - thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, having that advance info about our students is so valuable. It is so important to have the additional support for those who may need it. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I teach students that are going out to work in healthcare. Unfortunately, many of them can communicate orally, but have a lot of difficulty with basic writing skills. They will not be successful in the medical field if they are unable to document! Because we do not provide an entrance exam, we have much remedial work to do before they can move forward to externship. If students slip through the cracks because we are not doing proper assessments, we are setting them up for failure.
This assessment of GE skills, allows me to know the baseline my students come into the program with, and help me to know who may need support in other areas outside my specific cirriculum.
I agree 100% Stan. Most people think the repair order is just a piece of paper with instructions on it. I always stress to my students that a repair order is a legal document and can be used in court to prove a case. What you write stands up and can prove you have done you're job 100% correct.
Hi Felix- Excellent work! Knowing the general education skills of your students gives you important information about the capabilities of your students. Best wishes! Susan
Before hand, I perform an assessment test to see a what level each student is at. This allows me to mold my teaching techniques to every particular class. Assessing the student is made by testing their skills in different ways. The key is prepare an assessment that will provide a close reflection of the student's learning capabilities.
It is important to understand that the student is acquiring the skill and without general understanding of reading and written communications that isn't possible.
This is important because the skills they bring in to the classroom will determine their success
This information is not something that would be available to me but, a good instructor would at some point and time be made aware through general assessment. If a student struggles with general educational skills I make it a point to speak with them alone and express the importance of these skills and assist them by introducing them to all of the available resources the school offer.
It isimportant to instructors so that we konw how to deliver information. If a student has learning limits or deficiencies, it is important to try to help build those deficiencies so that the student will have a better chance of learning the material or required skill.
BY KNOWING THE LEVEL THEY ARE AT YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY TEACH NEW MATERIAL
Hi Rita- Thanks for your post to the forum. Absolutely - employers always tell us the same thing! We have the employers that hire our students come in to speak to them occasionally and they always emphasize the need for the soft skills. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Clay - you are giving your students excellent practice that will certainly help them in their careers! Susan
Before critiques, I have student write a brief explanation of their project and then orally present it to the class along with the finished printed project. It's good professional practice to be able to verbally defend your work. Writing about it is often a helpful way to organize thoughts.
