soft skills using them daily
At the start of each class, my students introduce themselves and greet eachother as they are in the work place.
This helps the quiet student the opportunity to make small talk that they will be doing daily in the doctors office, this is one of the most important skills required of a medical assistant.
They are who will be putting the patients at ease
This is a great idea. I believe this will also help students who are introverts to come out of their comfort zones and be more talkative. It may also be a way to increase classroom participation.
Sonny,
Yes, you can. This is one of the advantages of smaller classes. You get to know and share with the students at a much greater level than with large classes. Also, great setting for discussions that normally would not be able to be conducted due to time limitations.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is an excellent practice each day. However, in a smaller classes, you can even add their personal information as well.
Thank you for this advice. 90% of my studemts are medical assistants to be.
LeeAnn,
This is a very good way to help students to learn how to work with others beyond just one person that they know. You are helping them to develop their interpersonal skills which is a part of their soft skill career development and essential for their success in the work world.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Mary,
This is such a comfortable and enjoyable way to start a new class. I do a similar opening because I want the students to get settled in and feeling a part of the class. After our introductions and ice breakers they are ready to listen about what we are going to do in future class sessions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Once I get to know my students' names, I pay attention to who they choose to pair up with in the lab. Occasionally I will pair them up with someone new to offer opportunities to get to know their classmates outside their immediate circle. I find that this encourages them to utilize their interpersonal skills with each other, just as they would with patients and new coworkers. Although hesitant at first, I've received positive feedback with this technique and love using it to keep class assigmnments with the same partners from getting routine, stagnet or boring.
I start the first day of class with a game to learn the students names and something about themselves. Then I test myself by going around the room several times repeating the names to make sure I have them correct. Students love it when I am right about their name and tease me when I make a mistake.
Joanne,
The technical skills are important for students to learn but as important are the "soft" or people skills when it comes to dealing with people, in this case patients. Developing skills in these areas will help them with their career growth and will result in them having a higher level of work satisfaction since they will know how to interact with others comfortably.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
