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Teaching Soft Skills in Any Classroom:

Tips and Ideas for Student Engagement

MERRI JOHNSON

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

REALITYWORKS

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Who we are

Realityworks, Inc., is an employee-owned company based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, that creates experiential learning tools for teaching in-demand skills.

We got our start over 20 years ago, when former NASA engineer Rick Jurmain created the first RealCare Baby infant simulator, then went on to found the company that is now Realityworks.

Today, our comprehensive learning solutions combine curriculum with hands-on learning tools, student activities and assessments – we strive to create tools that are easy to implement into programs and offer plenty of customer support

These solutions are used in middle, secondary and post-secondary schools to address a variety of Career & Technical Education pathways, including health & human services, health sciences, welding and trade skills, agriculture education and of course soft skills!

Our simulators are in more than 70 percent of U.S. school districts and programs and in more than 90 countries around the world. Baby is still around, but now you can look to us for tools like our Bovine Birthing and Ultrasound Simulator, our ECG Simulator, our virtual reality welding simulators and even hydroponics systems.

One common theme that comes up whenever we speak with educators is SOFT SKILLS.

Over the years, we’ve found that educators from each of those program types share a common concern – ensuring that their students have the soft skills they need to succeed.

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Introductions & Activities

What are soft skills, and why do they matter?

Tips for incorporating soft skills into CTE classrooms

Breakout Groups to discuss Challenges and Opportunities

Regroup & Debrief

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www.realityworks.com

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IF YOU DO WHAT YOU ALWAYS DID, YOU’LL �GET WHAT �YOU ALWAYS GOT!

www.realityworks.com

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Experiential Learning Technology

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START

STOP

KEEP�IT UP!

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What are Essential skills?

Enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with others
Considered the “bedside manner” of the workplace
Vital for ALL career paths!

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Why do soft skills matter?

61% of managers believe soft skills are the most important
44% of employers chose soft skills as the biggest gap in the US workforce
85% of job success comes from having well‐developed soft skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills

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www.realityworks.com

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Why do soft skills matter?

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www.realityworks.com

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What are your challenges to teaching soft skills?

< Presentation title here >

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The research says…

“..that by REGULARLY EXPOSING students to soft skills training sessions, we can SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE the soft skills of the students and in turn their employability.”

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John, Jessy. (2009). Study on the Nature of Impact of Soft Skills Training Program on the Soft Skills Development of Management Students.

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Ideas to teach

Essential skills in any CTE classroom

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Recruiters and hiring managers care the most about…

Source: https://zety.com/blog/employability-skills

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TIP: Begin each class with a handshake

Do it daily!
Ensure the encounter includes eye contact and a polite greeting
See it in action: �https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzAKjhaESY&list=UUn8MB_VIq4ZoK3mxZ-1cSig&index=2

A good handshake is a skill that can make a huge impression in any setting, particularly a business one – and you can help your students start to hone that skill right away by starting each day with a handshake – or these days, an elbow bump or virtual high five.

Teaching in-person? Begin by starting each day bumping elbows or offering an “air” high-five, while maintaining good eye contact and a smile, you’re accomplishing several things:

Teach students “best practices” of a polite greeting: eye contact, firm elbow bump and a smile
Give students REGULAR opportunities to practice a very basic soft skill
Also speaks to your relationship with your students – they see you taking the time to personally greet them every da

Teaching remotely? Encourage each student to take a turn high-fiving their webcam, ensuring that in the moments before or after they are also maintaining eye contact, smiling and offering a confident “good morning” or “good afternoon.” With each student, return the greeting individually.

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TIP: Assign group work �to foster teamwork

“I encourage teamwork in my classroom by having my students work together in groups to present valuable information to their fellow classmates. Sometimes information is received differently when it comes from your peers. This helps me understand their ability to work as a team and see who can be a team player.”

- Ashley Edmonds, Family & Consumer Sciences Teacher, Jack Britt High School, NC

Teamwork skills include the mix of interactive, interpersonal, problem-solving and communication skills needed by a group of people working on a common task, towards a common goal.

�In a conversation with NC FCS teacher Ashley Edmonds recently, she shared the benefits of teamwork in her FCS classroom. Any assignment that involves collaboration will help your students hone their ability to work in teams.

Teaching in-person? Assign in-class time to research a topic and present as a group. Require that each student spend an equal amount of time presenting a different portion of the information.

Teaching online? Students can still be responsible for scheduling their Zoom meetings, during which they can work together to conduct research or create a group PPT presentation.

Emphasize the value of teamwork by debriefing! Recommended questions include:

How did you feel during the activity?

What challenges did you face?

What did your team have to do or believe to be successful?

What positives can you take away from the activity?

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TEAM

Survival

Activity

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TIP: Cultivate empathy

“With every lesson concept, reminders on the importance of empathy should be built in. Use case studies and simulation to prepare them to handle uncomfortable topics. Personally, I also like to include exam questions on selecting the best empathetic response or professional behavior for the situation. We need to help our students build that human-to-human connection.”

Kasey Carlson,

MSN, MEd, Nursing Curriculum Technology Manager

Free guide: Classroom Ideas to Help Students Develop Empathy Toward Older Adults

Download: https://www.realityworks.com/geriatric-training-tools/

www.realityworks.com

Empathy is the ability to identify with another person by sharing in their perspective and feelings. This soft skill is commonly valued in the helping professions, like counseling and social work, but can bring great value to teams in all professions by helping develop camaraderie and trust.

This is why WI nursing instructor Kasey Carlson recommends cultivating empathy at every opportunity, whether it’s through a reading, a simulation, group discussion or another activity.

Teaching in-person? Assign a reading and have students pair up to discuss their feelings on the topic. They can present their thoughts to the class to foster a larger group discussion, or summarize their discussion in a written report.

Teaching online? Students could complete a video assignment, then pair up using video conferencing tools to discuss their feelings on the topic. They can present their thoughts to the class via a recorded video, a Zoom presentation or a writing assignment submitted via an LMS system.

FREE GUIDE – We created a free guide featuring ideas for getting students thinking about the challenges older individuals face on a daily basis. Download yours for free by visiting our website: https://www.realityworks.com/geriatric-training-tools/

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TIP: Add relevancy with �real-world examples

“My high school students may have jobs at Pizza Hut, Raising Canes, McDonald’s, etc., but soft skills are still needed in those jobs. As I teach students about their future professions, we discuss how soft skills are used in their current jobs. For instance, teamwork and communication are needed to keep food safe as one person cooks burgers to the correct temperature, and another prepares and serves it the proper way.”

- Jennifer Hebert, culinary teacher, Beau Chene High School, LA

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TIP: Incorporate scenario-based learning

Classic scenarios: Job interviews, dealing with customer complaints, handling disruptive clients, marketing new products
New ideas: Incorporate technology, debate, bring in others
Free guide: Using Scenario-Based Learning To Explore Careers
Download here: https://www.realityworks.com/sample-scenario-cards/

Scenario-based learning experiences like role-playing Role play is great for many reasons – it builds confidence, promotes self-esteem, and of course, it’s a great method of student-driven, active learning, which we know today’s students crave.

Classic scenarios include role-playing job interviews, dealing with customer complaints, handling disruptive clients, marketing new products

New ideas we’ve learned from educators include:

Proposing a “21st Century dilemma:” Do you answer a text in the middle of a staff meting? Check Facebook at work? Answer the phone during work hours

Debate: You finish your assigned task at work. Do you go home early or do you find other tasks to accomplish? (Motivation)

Debate: You’re presented with several tasks, all of which need to be accomplished by the end of the day. How do you prioritize when working from home? What would you do differently if you were working from home?

Be creative. Instead of going off a predetermined dialogue, give your students prompts and allow them to be creative.

Bring in others. Invite teachers, administrators or even community members to participate

FREE GUIDE – We created a free guide of ideas for using scenario-based learning to encourage career exploration and promote skill development. Visit our website to download your own copy for free!

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TIP: Practice professionalism daily

Suggested requirements:

Arrive on time
Come prepared
Use proper spelling and punctuation
Dress for success

The key is consistency
Set clear expectations
Lead by example

I was in a MN welding teacher’s classroom, and the instructor, who had come from industry, ran his classroom like a business…students clocked in and out when they came, they had committees making a product, others were selling/marketing it, others were managing the books, etc.

Well, a great place to start developing those skills is in the classroom – especially if they are not experiencing those requirements anywhere else. By demanding professionalism, you’re setting your students up to succeed in the workplace

That said, the key here is consistency.

Every day, make sure your students know they’re expected to:

Arrive on time
Come prepared
Use proper spelling and punctuation
Dress for success

Now, we know you might not be able to do every one of these items every day. The idea is to mimic an office environment, and get your students used to those professional habits.

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TIP: Implement networking activities

Time the interactions
Use pre-planned questions or cue cards
Debrief afterwards:

How much did you learn?
Did it feel like a conversation?
What made it easier or more difficult?

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TIP: Use small talk conversation cards

Use anytime
Remember the 3 P’s: Polite, positive, professional
Implement regularly

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TIP: Make intentional assignment tweaks

New research tells us that the ability of a company to adapt has been called the new competitive advantage – and the same is true of individuals. These days, demand is growing for employees who can adapt to an ever-changing workplace, who is open to new ideas, and who doesn’t panic when things don't go according to plan.

�How can you encourage this trait in your students? Intentional assignment tweaks is one way. I was recently interviewing some digital communications students at our local tech college, and they were telling me how quickly they had to adapt pre-planned social media posts when their professor intentionally changed the theme of the week at the last possible minute. She did this on purpose – she wanted them to have the opportunity to practice that adaptability and adjust to change – and it stuck with them. They had to scramble to create and schedule content and adjust their calendars accordingly… and the experience stuck with them. Intentional assignment tweaks, changes half-way through, can help your students learn how to be flexible and adapt to change, two important soft skills.

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TIP: Make time for reflection

Before something important (or are expected to do something)
During something important
After something important

Reflection engages critical faculties and allows information to become meaningful knowledge, and it helps build an in-demand soft skill: Critical Thinking.

When can you encourage reflection? The fun thing about reflection is that it’s something people have to learn and practice… the more you do it, the stronger your students’ critical thinking skills will be!

Try to incorporate reflection opportunities, like journaling:

Before something important - students could run through what they already know about a topic just before you begin discussing it in class
Do it during a long-term project or task to give them an opportunity to assess their own understanding and reflect
Assessment after a learning experience – asking students what did they learn, what stumped them, whether alone or as a group activity – can give them (and you) feedback on the experience and again, encourage them to make connections.

In today’s world, your students are constantly moving, from screen to screen and activity to activity. Giving them time to reflect will not only help them develop critical thinking skills, but create valuable habits that can help them succeed in the workforce.

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TIP: Informal and formal oral speaking opportunities

Formal: Individual or group presentations to the class
Informal: One-on-one requests for help, supplies or assistance

We’re facing an increasingly connected world, thanks to technology and digital media. But that also means today’s students will be increasingly communicative – they’ll need to strong speaking and listening skills to succeed in the 21st Century workplace. You already know that formal oral speaking opportunities, like individual or group presentations, promote the development of a number of skills, including communication and self-confidence. But don’t forget about informal oral speaking opportunities. These present themselves all the time – when students ask you for help, or ask to borrow a pen from their neighbor, or when they ask a peer for help – and by making sure your students are interacting with each other and you while maintaining good eye contact, using a friendly tone, speaking confidently, etc., - maybe even initiating a impromptu discussion after witnessing a positive or negative exchange in your classroom – can help the hone their communication skills.

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Wrong Way / Right Way Skits

Divide into small groups
Choose one skill
Define the skill
Identify personal examples or online examples
Model the skill ‘wrong’ and ‘right’

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TIP: Practice giving and receiving feedback

Set expectations
Use a feedback rubric
Keep it anonymous
Moderate and review feedback from students

According to a 2017 analysis by the Wall Street Journal, U.S. colleges are falling short when it comes to teaching students critical thinking skills like assessing evidence, interpreting data and making cohesive arguments.

Peer review and peer-to-peer feedback can be an effective way to help students develop those skills – plus, it increases student engagement and helps them see the relevancy of what they’re doing, who important concepts for today’s 21^st century students.

To do this in your classroom, consider the tips on your screen:

Set expectations – it’s about helping, not judging

Use a feedback rubric fine-tune the process and encourage specific suggestions.

Keep it anonymous so students to encourage comfort and anonymity.

Moderate feedback to ensure it remains fair and helpful. Start with a small, short assignment, like the introduction to an essay or an assessment worksheet.

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Employability and leadership skills programs

Programs include teacher guides, student workbooks, slide presentations and scenario cards

These are our original soft skills programs, designed to offer out-of-the-box solutions to teaching key employability skills like communication, teamwork and time management as well as leadership skills like trust, coaching and mentoring and conflict resolution.

Each program includes lessons specific to individual soft skills.

Each lesson also gives students the chance to apply each of these skills 2-4 times per lesson

For instance, the first skill listed is communication. In these lessons, we get into verbal communication, non-verbal communication and even written communication where students learn tow rite a business letter

In the time management lesson, participants begin by learning how to prioritize tasks and identify and overcome barriers to time management. Then they’re given the chance to dig into their own personal schedules and determine how they’re truly spending their time, and identify the changes they can make in order better manage their own time.

There’s truly a breadth of content in both of these programs!

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Online Employability �and Leadership soft skills programs

Web-based options
Designed for any classroom
Real-world scenarios and activities
Self-paced and interactive
Variety of license lengths and terms
Free trials available

Learn more: https://www.realityworks.com/soft-skills-implementation/

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Soft skills activity cards

Written by industry professionals
Themed around specific careers
Key questions are included
Free samples: https://www.realityworks.com/�sample-scenario-cards/

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Experiential Learning Technology

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Your best friend is getting married on Saturday, but you are scheduled to milk cows. When you ask the boss for the day off, he tells you that you must find a replacement for yourself. If you can’t get anyone to work for you, then he will unfortunately need you to come in for a few hours to help with the AM milking.

https://www.123rf.com/photo_60495964_wedding-of-cows.html

NEGOTIATION

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SCENARIO CARDS�Refresher on Implementation Ideas:

As an breaker
Work in pairs (Pair & Share)
Divide class into two or three groups and take various points of view
Act it out
As an Assessment Tool
OTHER IMPLEMENTATION IDEAS???

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When Teaching Essential Skills in your Classes, what are some of your:

Successes?

Challenges?

Implementation Ideas?

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START

STOP

KEEP�IT UP!

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Points of view to consider:
Natalie and Greg
Nurses

Answer the following key questions:

What skills do Natalie and Greg have that lead to good time management?

What are the benefits of good time management?

Do you feel you are good at managing time? Why or why not?

Can someone learn to manage time? Why or why not?

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Now what?

Pick 1 tip to try!
Download a free infographic:�https://www.realityworks.com/resources/realityworks-interactive-posters/
Download a free guide: Free Guide: 5 Ideas for Incorporating Soft Skills Into any Classroom: https://www.realityworks.com/soft-skills-implementation/

QUESTIONS? CONTACT ME AT:

1.800.830.1416 EXT. 1171 MERRI.JOHNSON@REALITYWORKS.COM