SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Socio-emotional - Teamwork, self-control, leadership, and grit.

Cognitive - Problem-solving, reasoning, creativity, critical thinking, adaptability, etc.

Digital - To understand and create information securely.

Technical - The mastery of technology.

THE PROCESS OF LEARNING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT HAS FOUR STAGES-

  1. Unconscious incompetence.
  2. Conscious incompetence.
  3. Conscious competence.
  4. Unconscious competence.

THE SKILLS

At Tom's, we have researched, compiled, and identified certain skills that were brought up the most in an attempt to determine which skills our students will need to be successful in their future. A few major skill sets:

  1. Adaptive thinking: In the digital age, things are changing at exponential rates. By the time students learn the newest software or program, a better version is out, and they need to continuously adapt to changing conditions as well as be able to learn new things quickly and efficiently.
  2. Communication skills: There continues to be an emphasis on the ability to communicate. In the digital age, however, we have access to a wide variety of new ways to communicate from video conferences to social media. Communication holds the key to success.
  3. Collaboration skills: Most classrooms foster a culture of competition and independence rather than one of teamwork and collaboration. Students would need to quickly adapt to a culture of collaboration. They will need to collaborate with others within and outside the organization, often using a number of new technologies.
  4. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills: There is a decreased emphasis on students following directions and an increased emphasis on employers thinking critically and solving problems. In a rapidly changing world, employers need employees who can solve problems, provide ideas, and help improve the organization.
  5. Personal management: This includes the ability for each of us to independently plan, organize, create, and execute rather than wait for someone to do this for them.
  6. Inquiry skills: The large majority of academic assessments ask students for answers. Rarely do we assess students on how well they can ask questions. The ability to ask great questions, however, is a critical skill that is desperately needed in a culture which requires constant innovations.
  7. Technology skills: Almost every business and employee will need to be skilled at using technology. In the digital age, technology is everywhere, schools, however, have been slow to adopt to this change. Rarely are students required or taught to learn technology efficiently. This needs to be emphasized.
  8. Creativity and innovation: This skill is mentioned often. Toms believe that it correlates with the ability to ask good questions and the ability to problem solve. Employers will be looking to employees more and more for creative and innovative solutions to issues that exist.
  9. Soft skills: Schools rarely spend time teaching students soft skills, including skills such as time management skills, organization skills, the ability to look someone in the eye when talking to them, or using a firm handshake. I have heard a number of times, by different business leaders, that these skills seem to be disappearing.
  10. Empathy and perspective: Although this skill has always been important, it seems to be another one that is slowly disappearing. The ability for our students to put themselves in someone else's shoes, to understand their feelings, and to help solve their problems.

THE ACTION

Although it is important for our students to learn a core set of knowledge, we are not helping them develop these 10 skills by simply requiring them to regurgitate facts in an attempt to earn grades for a course. We need to have students apply what they are learning by engaging them in projects.

We need to engage them in higher-order thinking skills in order for them to develop the skills that will be critical to their future success, Toms provides a great illustration of the different levels of thinking. As educators, we need to stop depending on the lower-level skills, such as memorization and recall, and help students develop higher-order thinking skills such as applying, analyzing, evaluation, and creating. Then, and only then, will we be helping students to develop these skills. Most educators would agree with this analysis.

In order to help students develop these skills, what type of projects and assignments can we engage them in?

WHAT IS SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Skill development is the process of improving specific skills to be more efficient and effective when you perform a task. In the workplace, you'll find three main types of skill development:

  1. Upskilling: Improving your skill in your current role.
  2. Cross-skilling: Learning new skills for your current role.
  3. Re-skilling: Learning new skills so you can move to a new position.

HUMAN SKILLS:

You use human skills at work to interact with others and solve problems independently. Some may come naturally to you and some may require development. Some common human skills include:

  1. Communication.
  2. Time management.
  3. Adaptability.
  4. Creativity.
  5. Critical thinking.
  6. Teamwork.
  7. Technical skills.

ABOUT SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Skill development encompasses several vital attributes, including identifying one's skill gaps and enabling one to develop those skills to achieve their goal. In other words, it refers to a systematic and sustained effort towards improving one's ability to perform job-related activities.

IMPORTANCE OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Both skills support a person to perform successfully at work and advance in most jobs. Skill development programs reflect positively on both employers and employees.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION:

  1. Verbal.
  2. Nonverbal.
  3. Visual.
  4. Written.

THE 7 MAIN COMMUNICATION STYLES ARE:

  1. Assertive.
  2. Aggressive.
  3. Passive Aggressive.
  4. Submissive.
  5. Manipulative.
  6. Direct.
  7. Indirect.

WHAT ARE THE FIVE C'S OF COMMUNICATION:

  1. Clarify.
  2. Conciseness.
  3. Consistency.
  4. Connection.
  5. Confidence.

WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING:

Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which you question, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and make a judgment about what you read, hear, say, or write. The term critical thinking comes from the Greek word kritikos meaning "able to judge or discern". Good critical thinking is about making reliable judgments based on reliable information. It means being able to clarify your thinking so that you can break down a problem or a piece of information, interpret it, and use that interpretation to arrive at an informed decision or judgment. People who apply critical thinking consistently are said to have a critical thinking mindset, but no one is born this way. These are attributes which are learned and improved through practice and application. In an academic context, critical thinking is most commonly associated with arguments.

A FOUR-STEP METHOD FOR OVERCOMING CHALLENGES:

  1. Accept and go.
  2. Observe and decide.
  3. Face fears act.
  4. Practice gratitude.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Learning how to deal with challenges takes time, persistence, and a positive attitude. No matter your life situation, the hard times will happen, but with the right mindset and practice, you will be able to overcome them every time and grow in the process.

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