I believe that every individual has his/her own survival skills. One develops those skills through life experiences. Wagner came up with seven skills that all students should develop. I have come up with seven that I think I have used in my life and acquired them through experience. These skills have served me well thus far, and I strive to gain new skills as I move forward. I did not grow up getting everything that I wanted nor did I receive a good education until I came to the United States. The seven survival skills that I hold as important are; be real-world ready, be knowledgeable, be driven (go getter), be willing to learn new skills, collaborate, demonstrate strong leadership skills, and be a professional (communicate, plan, develop, analyze, and share ideas and problem-solver).
Students not only need to be college-ready, but real-world ready. Being real-world ready means that an individual is not just ready for college or for the workforce, but ready to be independent, take responsibility for his/her actions, find ways to grow, and become a good citizen. Many students rely too much on parents for school tuition, wants and needs, such as a vehicle and an allowance. It seems that many parents in the United States tend to over-reward their kids for doing what they should be doing anyway. It is my understanding that parents in China or India do not spoil their kids as much as parents do here. Why? We know that the economy in these two countries is typically much lower than that of the United States. It follow then that the family income in these countries is less than that in the United States, (Mundi, 2013). We can prepare students for the real-world by connecting their background and experiences to the school curriculum. Connecting their city or town to a topic mentioned in social studies or math class.
Every students needs to be knowledgeable. An individual must be able and willing to gain new knowledge. The workforce continuously changes. For example, the field of education is going through a change with advent of Common Core. Teachers who have been teaching decades must be able to learn how to implement these new standards for the 21st century. Being knowledgeable means that an individual is able to compete, grow, and learn in their job. Dr. Michael Wesch emphasizes in his TEDxKC presentation that students need to be knowledge-able. (YouTube, 2010). If an individual is not knowledge-able, then such an individual is less likely to succeed in the real-world. The invention of new tools, the demands asked by employers, and the way we communicate have changed the way we learn. Students can be taught a skill by having them learn the skill and have them share it with the class. For example, for my 20% project I am learning how to make salsa verde and roja. I learned how to make it. Now, I have decided to extend my knowledge and learn how to make tamales. Once, I learned this skill, I shared with classmates.
I have always wanted to succeed in life. Once I reach a goal, I set a new one. This keeps me motivated to do better in life. I have been told that I am a “go-getter” and “ambitious”. People are correct. I strongly believe that one must be driven to succeed at whatever we choose to do as a career. An individual needs to be driven in whatever he/she chooses to do either in school or at work. One who is driven represents himself or herself as independent, willing to learn new skills, able to improve, and grow in the chosen field whereas one who is not driven is seen as uninterested and not willing to learn new skills, or at least not as quickly as one who is. One can teach students this skill by finding ways to motivate students. For example, students could be rewarded for exceptional work, such as going above and beyond a teacher’s expectations.
One who is not willing to learn new skills has less possibility of succeeding. Being able to learn new skills means that one has the possibility to grow professionally. Once we find a stable job, we tend to be lazy and stop trying to learn new skills, (Daily Blog, 2009). However, we should continue learning new skills to stay up-to-date on current tools available to use in and out the workforce. Students can gain this skill by exposing themselves to new learning material via technology; smartphones, tablets, and computers. Students can be assigned to create a podcast of themselves promoting an app to the class or convincing the class and teacher to implement it in one activity in the class.
Collaboration is a must skill that everyone should have. In the workforce, there’s always collaboration involved, not just in the workforce, but in our personal lives and at school. Having this skill is critical to one's job position. Being able to communicate effectively such as in writing, listening, or orally is crucial in businesses. “By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively. Successful communication is critical in business,” (Quint Careers, 2004). In addition, a survey administered by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College “finds that more than 60% of employers say applicants lack communication and interpersonal skills,” (Time). Students can learn this skill by working on group assignments where they have to communicate in and out of school. Also, students can send emails to the teacher every morning when they arrive to class or after school, and ask for feedback. However, having students collaborate in groups is the best technique to teach students collaboration.
A leader with strong leaderships skills can lead a mediocre company to success, whereas one with no leadership skills can lead a successful company to failure. In the classroom, I can make sure that students develop these skills by assigning them roles when they work in groups. Each time they work groups, students can rotate their roles. The teacher can monitor the students in each of these rolls and provide feedback. Another possible activity would be to have students take the lead on a task of their interests such as have them plan a school or class event.
Professionalism is a skill that I believe is acquired through personal experiences and a drive to do well. I learned the dos and don'ts of being professional at all times during my years in school and at my previous jobs. I have experienced individuals who have a college education, but they display a lack professional skills such as being able to not properly replying to emails, gossiping, arriving late to work, and not being a problem solver. Professionalism is a must-have, and individuals who lack it may lose their jobs. To teach students this skill, I plan to have students create scenarios of how a professional solves an issue, acts, does, and communicates with others.
After reading the Global Achievement Gap by Dr. Wagner, I made changes to my lessons; teaching methods, student activities, and curriculum. I plan on discovering the curriculum rather than the curriculum discovering us. I have asked students for their topics of interests in Life Science and Mathematics. My students work three days a week and they attend a one-hour class after work. On the other two days of the week, they attend school. One day after work, I had a math lesson planned for finding the area of objects. When the students arrived, they were talking about the long drive they had to take to work, and traffic. As a result, I decided to do a project-based learning mini lesson. I divided students into groups. Each group had a task to do; find the distance from school to work and find or estimate the width of the road. I used their findings to introduce how to find the areas of objects. Within this lesson, students were able to recall units of measurement from miles to yard to feet to inches and they mastered how to find the area of an object. I had related the lesson to their life, and I knew that the students mastered the content when they voluntarily began to search for objects in the class to find the area.
References
(2013). China vs. India - demographics comparison - Mundi. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/china.india/demographics.
(2013). China vs. United States - Country Comparison - Mundi. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/china.united-states.
(2010). TEDxKC - Michael Wesch - From Knowledgeable to ... Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8.
(2009). Always Be Learning New Skills - Daily Blog Tips. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.dailyblogtips.com/always-be-learning-new-skills/.
(2004). Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.quintcareers.com/job_skills_values.html.
(2013). The Real Reason New College Grads Can't Get Hired ... Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://business.time.com/2013/11/10/the-real-reason-new-college-grads-cant-get-hired/.
Students not only need to be college-ready, but real-world ready. Being real-world ready means that an individual is not just ready for college or for the workforce, but ready to be independent, take responsibility for his/her actions, find ways to grow, and become a good citizen. Many students rely too much on parents for school tuition, wants and needs, such as a vehicle and an allowance. It seems that many parents in the United States tend to over-reward their kids for doing what they should be doing anyway. It is my understanding that parents in China or India do not spoil their kids as much as parents do here. Why? We know that the economy in these two countries is typically much lower than that of the United States. It follow then that the family income in these countries is less than that in the United States, (Mundi, 2013). We can prepare students for the real-world by connecting their background and experiences to the school curriculum. Connecting their city or town to a topic mentioned in social studies or math class.
Every students needs to be knowledgeable. An individual must be able and willing to gain new knowledge. The workforce continuously changes. For example, the field of education is going through a change with advent of Common Core. Teachers who have been teaching decades must be able to learn how to implement these new standards for the 21st century. Being knowledgeable means that an individual is able to compete, grow, and learn in their job. Dr. Michael Wesch emphasizes in his TEDxKC presentation that students need to be knowledge-able. (YouTube, 2010). If an individual is not knowledge-able, then such an individual is less likely to succeed in the real-world. The invention of new tools, the demands asked by employers, and the way we communicate have changed the way we learn. Students can be taught a skill by having them learn the skill and have them share it with the class. For example, for my 20% project I am learning how to make salsa verde and roja. I learned how to make it. Now, I have decided to extend my knowledge and learn how to make tamales. Once, I learned this skill, I shared with classmates.
I have always wanted to succeed in life. Once I reach a goal, I set a new one. This keeps me motivated to do better in life. I have been told that I am a “go-getter” and “ambitious”. People are correct. I strongly believe that one must be driven to succeed at whatever we choose to do as a career. An individual needs to be driven in whatever he/she chooses to do either in school or at work. One who is driven represents himself or herself as independent, willing to learn new skills, able to improve, and grow in the chosen field whereas one who is not driven is seen as uninterested and not willing to learn new skills, or at least not as quickly as one who is. One can teach students this skill by finding ways to motivate students. For example, students could be rewarded for exceptional work, such as going above and beyond a teacher’s expectations.
One who is not willing to learn new skills has less possibility of succeeding. Being able to learn new skills means that one has the possibility to grow professionally. Once we find a stable job, we tend to be lazy and stop trying to learn new skills, (Daily Blog, 2009). However, we should continue learning new skills to stay up-to-date on current tools available to use in and out the workforce. Students can gain this skill by exposing themselves to new learning material via technology; smartphones, tablets, and computers. Students can be assigned to create a podcast of themselves promoting an app to the class or convincing the class and teacher to implement it in one activity in the class.
Collaboration is a must skill that everyone should have. In the workforce, there’s always collaboration involved, not just in the workforce, but in our personal lives and at school. Having this skill is critical to one's job position. Being able to communicate effectively such as in writing, listening, or orally is crucial in businesses. “By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively. Successful communication is critical in business,” (Quint Careers, 2004). In addition, a survey administered by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College “finds that more than 60% of employers say applicants lack communication and interpersonal skills,” (Time). Students can learn this skill by working on group assignments where they have to communicate in and out of school. Also, students can send emails to the teacher every morning when they arrive to class or after school, and ask for feedback. However, having students collaborate in groups is the best technique to teach students collaboration.
A leader with strong leaderships skills can lead a mediocre company to success, whereas one with no leadership skills can lead a successful company to failure. In the classroom, I can make sure that students develop these skills by assigning them roles when they work in groups. Each time they work groups, students can rotate their roles. The teacher can monitor the students in each of these rolls and provide feedback. Another possible activity would be to have students take the lead on a task of their interests such as have them plan a school or class event.
Professionalism is a skill that I believe is acquired through personal experiences and a drive to do well. I learned the dos and don'ts of being professional at all times during my years in school and at my previous jobs. I have experienced individuals who have a college education, but they display a lack professional skills such as being able to not properly replying to emails, gossiping, arriving late to work, and not being a problem solver. Professionalism is a must-have, and individuals who lack it may lose their jobs. To teach students this skill, I plan to have students create scenarios of how a professional solves an issue, acts, does, and communicates with others.
After reading the Global Achievement Gap by Dr. Wagner, I made changes to my lessons; teaching methods, student activities, and curriculum. I plan on discovering the curriculum rather than the curriculum discovering us. I have asked students for their topics of interests in Life Science and Mathematics. My students work three days a week and they attend a one-hour class after work. On the other two days of the week, they attend school. One day after work, I had a math lesson planned for finding the area of objects. When the students arrived, they were talking about the long drive they had to take to work, and traffic. As a result, I decided to do a project-based learning mini lesson. I divided students into groups. Each group had a task to do; find the distance from school to work and find or estimate the width of the road. I used their findings to introduce how to find the areas of objects. Within this lesson, students were able to recall units of measurement from miles to yard to feet to inches and they mastered how to find the area of an object. I had related the lesson to their life, and I knew that the students mastered the content when they voluntarily began to search for objects in the class to find the area.
References
(2013). China vs. India - demographics comparison - Mundi. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/china.india/demographics.
(2013). China vs. United States - Country Comparison - Mundi. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/china.united-states.
(2010). TEDxKC - Michael Wesch - From Knowledgeable to ... Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8.
(2009). Always Be Learning New Skills - Daily Blog Tips. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.dailyblogtips.com/always-be-learning-new-skills/.
(2004). Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.quintcareers.com/job_skills_values.html.
(2013). The Real Reason New College Grads Can't Get Hired ... Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://business.time.com/2013/11/10/the-real-reason-new-college-grads-cant-get-hired/.