International Center Resource Kit

Personal Skill Development in Grades 6 – 12:

Enhancing Learning for 21st Century

Success

International Center’s Four Learning Criteria

1. Core Academic Learning

2. Stretch Learning

3. Student Engagement

New Training Kit:

4. Personal Skill Development

Measures of personal, social, service, and leadership skills

Demonstrations of positive behaviors and attitudes.

Resource Kit: Table of Contents

1: Necessary Personal Skills in a Changing World

2: Character-Centered Learning Chapter

3: Soft Skills for Success in School and in the Workplace

4: Communication Skills for the Workplace

5: Group Communication Skills

 6: Self-Management Skills for Success in Life and Work

 7: Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills

8: Training Students in Leadership Skills

9: Skills for Civic and Financial Literacy

Appendix A & B –Descriptions of Successful Programs & Handouts

Sample Data Indicators of Personal Skill Development

Participation in service learning

Students holding leadership positions in clubs or sports

Assessment of time management, ability to plan and organize work

Leadership and/or follower-ship

Respect for diversity

Conflict resolution--Reduction in number of student incidences

of conflict

Work as a member of a team

Global Workplace Environment

Workers must demonstrate:

strong communication skills

flexibility

organizational skills

respect

positive attitude.

U. S. Department of Labor

Necessary Personal Qualities: Responsibility Self-esteem Sociability Self-management Integrity

Interpersonal Skills Participates as a Member of the Team Teaches Others Serves Clients / Customers Exercises Leadership Negotiates Comfortable with Cultural Diversity

Think About These Skills:

Who teaches young people these skills?

How do the students in your school demonstrate these important personal skills?

How can we incorporate these skills into the curriculum?

Don’t You Wish the Clerk at the Store Had These Skills? Teamwork and collaboration Self-motivation and initiative Work ethic including dependability Critical thinking and creativity Flexibility and adaptability Leadership and Interpersonal skills Organization skills Problem-solving skills Multicultural skills Time management skills

550 Employers in Virginia Say:

Math, reading, writing, and speaking should be paired with

decision making and problem solving.

Workers should take the job seriously, have a positive attitude,

and demonstrate responsibility, reliability, and flexibility.

The primary responsibility lies in the education system, K-12.

Three-fourths believe schools should prepare future workers with both the basic skills and the applied personal skills they need for success.

300 Research Studies Say:

When students learn to communicate effectively,

respect others, accept responsibility, resolve

problems, analyze, evaluate, and work on teams,

their academic achievement improves.

Plus 10 percentile points and more on standard achievement tests.

Improved attendance Better classroom behaviors Far fewer discipline referrals

Where to Start? Character Education Guiding Principles

Intrapersonal Domain

Responsibility Contemplation Initiative Perseverance Optimism Courage

Interpersonal Domain

Respect Compassion Adaptability Honesty Trustworthiness Loyalty

Character Education Partnership

Partner with community groups, parents, administrators, local leaders, and others.

Must be deliberate and intentional

Must be incorporated into all aspects of school life

Must be stressed in students’ and adults’ interpersonal relationships

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Schools should move from traditional learning in school to out of school experiences.

Apply course content to real-world problems and practice working together in groups

Place students in a situation where they must interact as if they are employees of a company.

Writing for the Workplace

Perform at the high level of proficiency demanded in the workplace.

Professionalism in writing means:

Businesses cannot send materials to customers with mistakes in sentence construction, grammar or spelling.

Students as Managers

Give students managerial roles to:

experience the workplace through the eyes of employers.

practice leadership and organizational skills.

analyze a situation, determine solutions to a problem, assist others, and view the big picture.

Project-Based Learning:Solve Community Problems

Lack of student parking at the school

Recycling program for the area

Need for an animal shelter in the area

Assistance for the elderly: yard clean-up, errands.

Recreational facilities for youth, senior citizens

Tutoring programs for younger students

Affordable day care center for young families.

Student health clinics; youth employment centers

Literacy programs for adults, immigrants

Need for an EMT unit in town

Connections to Curriculum: Language Arts ExampleBeowulf– Legendary Dragon-Slayer, kills Grendel who

has terrorized the community

Groups of students: what community problems are causing conflict? Where do we need dragon-slayers?

Read newspapers, attend City Council, County Commission, or Department of Transportation open meetings

Interview elected officials or community leaders

Beowulf Lesson Plan

In groups Brainstorm the problem, cite the opinions of all

entities involved, determine what solution will satisfy all parties.

Write an action plan that presents their solution and includes a timeline, approximate costs, sources of funding, and other detail.

Present the plan to an appropriate audience.

Example: Social Studies

Dust Bowl Period in American History

Gather data on the cost of supporting a family of four for one month in their area of the state.

Research salaries and costs of housing, groceries, child care, transportation, utilities, insurance, clothing

Dust Bowl

Design a 6-panel informational brochure outlining these costs for young families moving into the area.

Deliver the brochures to appropriate agencies in the community.

Prepare a panel presentation on the data and their findings.

Integration: Health and Art Classes

Research the use of art as therapy for Alzheimer’s, post traumatic stress disorder, mental illness, and other diseases.

Groups develop a plan for implementing art therapy for patients in conjunction with the school’s art department.

Write a proposal that includes the feasibility of the program, an outline of activities, a timeline, costs and materials, etc.

Science– Group Project

Unit on protecting the environment: Small groups research a specific environmental

problem affecting the local region.

Develop a solution.

Design a marketing plan to enlist the public to

participate. (TV script, pamphlet, flyer, radio ads,

opinion editorials.)

Groups perform or present one element of their plan.

Mathematics

Unit on Measurement: Groups research prices in the area to rent or

purchase different types of dwellings (homes,

condos, apartments.

Calculate the price per square foot.

Prepare a cost comparison sheet on different options

for housing in the area.

Write a newspaper article on the topic. Include

interviews with realtors, builders, buyers, renters.

Professional Writing Examples

Create a city-wide program and write an action plan for... Design a brochure Design a performance review form• Prepare a persuasive oral presentation with visuals• Write a corporate philosophy Write an employee handbook section with guidelines on... Design and conduct a survey Prepare a multimedia presentation Write an observation report Write customer service guidelines Conduct interviews of community leaders and write a... Write a feature article for the local paper Design a newsletter Design a calendar using art work that represents... Design an employee or student handbook Plan a community-wide clean-up day

How to Integrate Personal Skills?Choose a concept you teach:

Ask: How is this concept applied outside the

classroom?

What personal skills do you want to embed?

How will you re-design the lesson? What

activities, outcomes?

What products will students develop? How

will they present them?

The Bottom LineResearch on Group Projects:

Student achievement and attitude toward the subject improves when they work together in heterogeneous groups.

Greater acceptance of peers = fewer discipline referrals

Students practice and learn skills:

goal setting planning their time effective follow-through completing tasks efficiently.

(Slavin, 1995)

Employers Expect Leadership

Schools should involve more students in activities that expect them to lead as chairs of committees.

Schools need to develop materials to give students opportunities to practice leadership skills.

Students need more activities and experiences in group achievement and productivity.

(Carter and Spotanski).

Ways to Train Students in Leadership

Involve Students in:

Service Learning

Civic Literacy Projects

Financial Literacy Projects

Benefits of Service Learning

Increased personal and social responsibility.

Self-awareness and self-esteem

Fewer behavioral problems

More trusting and reliable attitudes; greater empathy

Higher grades on state tests of basic skills

Improved grade point averages

Better school attendance rates

NAEP 2006 Test in Civics

Tests students’ knowledge:

Civic life, politics, and government

Foundations of the American political system

The constitutional government– democracy’s purposes,

values, and principles

The relationship of the U.S. to other nations

Roles of citizens in American democracy

The Nation’s Civics Report Card

Results of NAEP 2006 Test in Civics

8th Grade 70 percent Basic 22 percent Proficient 2 percent Advanced

12th Grade

66 percent Basic 27 percent Proficient 5 percent Advanced

The National Conference of State Legislatures: 2003 Survey

Students who have participated in civic education are 2-3 times more likely:

-to vote

-to contact their leaders

-to be concerned about issues

-to follow the workings of the government.

Planning Civic Literacy Training

--Determine when and how long students will

study civics

--Cannot be a one-shot effort

--Should start in elementary school and be

progressive.

--Should be integrated into the whole-school

curriculum.

Financial Literacy:Five Financial Tasks of Youth

Select and train for a career

Maintain a good credit record

Develop a personal financial plan

Consider insurance protection

Start savings and investment programs

Eastern Michigan University

Importance of Financial Literacy

Visa’s Poll of Parents:

Personal money management is second only

to writing as their children become adults.

Five Standards in Financial Literacy

1. Financial Responsibility and Decision Making

2. Income and Careers

3. Credit and Debt

4. Risk Management and Insurance

5. Saving and Investing

Free or Low-Cost Financial Literacy Programs

1. Family Economics and Financial Education

2. National Endowment for Financial Education High

School Financial Planning Program

3. Hands-On Banking -- (Wells Fargo)

4. EconEdLink -- (Verizon)

5. Practical Money Skills for Life -- (Visa)

6. Financial Fitness for Life --(Bank of America)

It’s Up to All of Us

Who teaches young people these skills?

How do the students in your school demonstrate these important personal skills?

How can we incorporate these skills into the curriculum?