advocating for a training, placement and life skills (TPalS)

program based on the 21st century skills framework

Charity EmbleyM. Ed Curriculum & Instruction

Texas Tech University

The growing influence of TECHNOLOGY is creating

NEW LITERACIES requiring 21st century skills (DANNER-KUHN,

2011)

A closer look at a program aiding the successful transition of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) students into higher education or other settings

Author’s note• I currently work as the Computer skills training instructor for Goodwill

Industries of Northwest Texas. I am using our current TPALS initiative as a model to advocate how we can incorporate 21st century skills with technology literacy, especially with students who are in the Autism Spectrum. I met with the ASD students from the Burkhart Transition Academy last April 25th during our inauguration of the Elms Learning Center. These individuals are post-secondary students who are being trained at the Burkhart Center Transition Academy in order to prepare them in the transition process to higher education or any work setting. My colleagues and I gave them a tour of our facility. Our partnership with Burkhart is to facilitate an internship program for these students so they can learn how to function in a normal work setting. Goodwill Industries employed a lot of individuals with intellectual, developmental and cognitive disabilities. We also have an in-house job coach that worked with these individuals. It is my hope that other organizations will be encouraged to understand this approach and perhaps hire individuals who have disabilities.

• Also, I would like to add that I did a recent case study called: “A Closer Look at the Challenges Facing Adults with Disabilities.” I did my observations during the month of February 2014 and I have closely monitored how the job coach has been instrumental in creating a secure and successful working environment for these individuals. The students from Burkhart are young adults who can learn a lot from the expertise of the Job Coach.

Outline

• Terminologies used in this study

• What are 21st century skills?

• Program advocacy: The case between Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas and Texas Tech University Burkhart Center Transition Academy

• Job Coaching for ASD Students within the 21st Century Skills Framework

• Recommendations for a program advocacy based on the 21st century skills framework.

• What does technology require students to do?

Terminologies used in this study

The following terms were used in this presentation and will be defined for clarity.

Terminologies

• Advocacy – It is the support needed for a particular cause.

• Placement – It is the task of putting or arranging a job for someone.

• 21st century skills – These are learning and cross-curricular, as well as collaborative skills, that students need in the 21st century.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – It is a developmental disability that poses challenges in social interaction, communication and behavior.

• Life Skills – It is a training program geared towards the training of necessary everyday life skills like budgeting, stress management and the like.

• Employment Development – It is a training program designed for individuals needing career enhancement, specifically in the areas of job preparation, how to keep a job and interviewing skills.

21st Century Skills

Definition

• Learning to collaborate with others and connect through technology are essential skills in a knowledge-based economy ("What are 21st-century," 2014)

• Includes Basic Literacy, Scientific & Numerical Literacy, Visual Literacy, Cross-Disciplinary Skills, and Environmental Literacy ("21st century skills," 2014).

•  

21st Century Skills Framework

• According to the Assessment & Teaching of 21st Century Skills, there are 4 broad categories ("What are 21st-century," 2014):

• Ways of thinking. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning

• Ways of working. Communication and collaboration

• Tools for working. Information and communications technology (ICT) and information literacy

• Skills for living in the world. Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility

Best practice approach: A program advocacy

Sample partnership program

About the program

• Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas recently inaugurated the Elms Learning Center located at 714 34th Street, Lubbock TX

• The learning center includes a GED (General Education Development)/ABE (Adult Basic Education) classroom, Veterans Support Center, Computer Skills Training, and Life Skills and Employment Development Training

• Burkhart Transition Academy students will visit the Elms Learning Center for internship or training in Life Skills and Employment Development (resume development, mock interviews, how to keep a job and the like) classes. Optional training can also include Computer Skills and Life Enhancement Computer Training. These classes will be further explained in the following slides.

New motto

Photo courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas Inc [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-Industries-of-Northwest-Texas/117192998328853]

Photo courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas Inc [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-Industries-of-Northwest-Texas/117192998328853]

coaching and literacy training for asd students

within the 21st century skills framework

What is a job coach

• Job coaches are individuals who assist other individuals with disabilities in carrying out their job duties.

• They usually come up with specific strategies or plans to train employees with disabilities.

• Accordingly, job coaches worked with individuals who have varying conditions like autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD), learning disabilities, psychiatric issues and other cognitive impairments (Tucker, 2013).

Why work with a job coach

• According to the Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, people with disabilities are exposed to a lot of social inequalities in their life span. This will impact their transitions from adolescence to adulthood (Slevin et al, 2011).

• Contrary to common belief, people with disabilities are able to work, even part time.

• They may have functional limitations but have diverse set of skills.

• Support for employment, called supported employment, really requires job coaches to provide training on social skills (Reynolds & Dombeck, 2014).

• Another important aspect to job coaching is to target people’s interests and abilities based on the job requirements.

• This is due to the fact that successful employment requires social skills.

Recommendations for a program advocacy based on the 21st

century skills framework

Asd students will:

• Visit Goodwill Industries once a week as part of an internship initiative and work at the processing area.

• Work at the processing area of Goodwill Industries is located at the Elms Learning Center. This is where donated clothes are sorted prior to being sent to the stores, as well as clothes not sold at the stores are sorted again to be sold at the pound store ($1/pound).

• Work with a Job Coach who will supervise and direct work flow.

Full article can be found at: http://lubbockonline.com/business/2014-03-29/new-life-goodwill-transforms-donations-local-jobs#.U2bcUa1dVBm

Ways of thinking. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving,

decision-making and learning

Based on the “ways of thinking” framework:”

•A job coach will provide training in solving practical problems.

•Sample problems/issues range from learning how to take public transportation, or how to use money.

Billy Joe works at the processing area. He has an intellectual disability. Not in picture is another individual who has ASD. Both individuals work with a Job Coach to help them critically make decisions when it comes to sorting shoes and clothes based on deciphering what is “new” or “looking bad.” The job coach is fundamental is helping these individuals learn how to work, how to stay focus on the job, how to think in terms of what “quality” means, and even how to tie shoes using zip ties. Photo courtesy of Lubbock Avalanche Journal and full story can be found here: http://lubbockonline.com/business/2014-03-29/new-life-goodwill-transforms-donations-local-jobs#.U2bcUa1dVBm

Ways of working. Communication and

collaboration

Based on the “ways of working” framework:”

• A job coach is instrumental in developing workplace behavior.

• People with disabilities are taught how to get along with co-workers.

• A job coach will even teach basic skills like using the public toilet and table manners while eating. This is important because they need to realize that their behavior will affect other people and might even lead to conflict. Some people might not be aware or be tolerant of their disability.

• Since coaching is akin to helping clarify goals and facilitate positive change (Dana, 2011), individuals with disabilities require on-going coaching in organizational and communication skills.

• It is safe to assume that most job coaches need to establish relationships with people they work with in order to model positive behavior.

• Another specific aspect of job coaching is that individuals have the tendency to be off task. The job coach delegate tasks and will train them as to when they can leave their workstation.

Tools for working. Information and communications technology

(ICT) and information literacy

Based on the “tools for working” framework:”

• ASD students will work with the Computer instructor for training in office applications.

• Curriculum development is not just based solely on learning applications like MS Word, MS Excel or MS PowerPoint but exercises/activities will be geared towards how to work with a partner in creating a budget, or a flyer, a storybook, and even presenting in front of an audience using the applicable tools.

• Make instruction student-led, with the instructor as a facilitator.

• Develop scenarios to challenge students to develop solutions using any of the office application tools. For instance, in Excel, ASD students may work individually (for extreme cases) or with groups to come up with a yearly college budget. Students will utilize the internet for researching funding and grants, including daily living expenses.

Irma is a student I worked with who has been vocal about having a learning a disability. Photo courtesy of Lubbock Avalanche Journal and full story can be found here: http://lubbockonline.com/business/2014-03-29/new-life-goodwill-transforms-donations-local-jobs#.U2bcUa1dVBm

Skills for living in the world. 

Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social

responsibility

Based on the “skills for the living world” framework:”

• ASD students will attend Life Skills (LS) and Employment Development (ED) Training Classes. These classes include how to develop a resume using a word processing program, budgeting, stress management, anger management, how to resolve conflict, work motivation, dressing for success, work interviews, mock interview sessions and the like.

• ASD students will also attend a Life Enhancement Computer training that has a focus on how to use the Internet effectively. The topics covered are evaluating a website, blogging essentials, email etiquettes and social networking etiquettes.

What does technology require students to do?

Integrate and Utilize

This is not what we want, right?

Technology requires…

• Traditional reading and writing must be merged with 21st century skills.

• Students to think critically because of the massive amount of information that is available online.

• Get involved in deeper reading due to social networking and web-based tools.

In an article entitled “Technology help makes language click for students,” the author presupposed that kids need to be taught when to stop clicking and start thinking more carefully (Simpson, 2011). It is not so much that they are just learning the technology, but they are taught how to think. As previously stated, and according to the Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, people with disabilities are exposed to a lot of social inequalities in their life. Whatever challenges they face, inequalities will have an impact on their transitions from adolescence to adulthood (Slevin et al, 2011). People with disabilities are able to work, even part time, and can function normally in a work setting with the assistance of a job coach. By following the 21st century skills framework, ASD students can successfully transition from adolescent to adulthood, whether they choose to pursue higher education or directly join the workforce.

Conclusion

References

•  What are 21st-century skills?. (2014). Retrieved from http://atc21s.org/index.php/about/what-are-21st-century-skills/

•  21st century skills definitions. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.imls.gov/about/21st_century_skills_list.aspx

• Douglas, R. S. (2014, March 29). A new life: Goodwill transforms donations into local jobs. Retrieved from http://lubbockonline.com/business/2014-03-29/new-life-goodwill-transforms-donations-local-jobs

•  Slevin, E., Taggart, L., McConkey, R., Cousins, W., Truesdale-Kennedy, M., & Dowling, S. (2011). Supporting people with intellectual disabilities who challenge or who are ageing: a rapid view of evidence . Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/1124999/Supporting_People_with_Intellectual_Disabilities_who_Challenge_or_who_are_Ageing

• Tucker, D. (2013, June 18). Accommodation and compliance series: Job coaching in the workplace. Retrieved from https://askjan.org/topics/jobcoaching.htm

Reynolds, T., & Dombeck, M. (2014). Intellectual disabilities - supported employment and integrated work sites. Retrieved from http://communitycounselingservices.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=10371&cn=208

• Dana, R. (2011). coaching adults with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder. Retrieved from http://www.ldworldwide.org/individuals-with-ld/just-for-adults/275

• Simpson, K. (2011, April 16). Technology helps make language click for students. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17860900

• Burkhart transition academy. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.educ.ttu.edu/research/burkhart-center/transition