{"id":251,"date":"2017-08-09T09:32:22","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T17:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/?p=251"},"modified":"2017-08-09T09:34:21","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T17:34:21","slug":"its-about-skill-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/blog\/2017\/08\/09\/its-about-skill-development\/","title":{"rendered":"IT\u2019S ABOUT SKILL DEVELOPMENT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUGUST 2017 BLOG<\/p>\n

IT\u2019S ABOUT SKILL DEVELOPMENT!<\/strong><\/p>\n

A \u201cskills\u201d quote:<\/p>\n

\u201cExpressing care for another is not an innate ability present more naturally in some people than others, but rather a skill <\/strong>that can be taught and nurtured through a supportive educational environment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

-Scotty McLennan, Dean for Religious Life, Stanford University (bold is mine)<\/p>\n

A \u201cskills\u201d memory:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201dI loved playing baseball. Our city had open try-outs for minor league teams. On day four, one of the coaches said to me, \u2018Son, we can\u2019t have players on this team without skills<\/strong> in every area.\u2019 I had \u2018grit\u2019 but couldn\u2019t hit. I also had \u2018perseverance\u2019 so I became a teacher, a principal, a dean.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

(The question of how skillfully is open to debate.)<\/p>\n

At our Character Matters Conference (June 2017), sitting with a few teachers over our delicious box lunches, we started talking about \u201c21st<\/sup> Century Skills\u201d and the \u201cnew\u201d character education movement \u2013 the focus on the social-emotional needs of students. I expressed the opinion that I thought the programmatic\/instructional emphasis was on the emotional side of the SEL (follow the money) with some, but not too much, attention helping students develop their \u201csocial skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I noted in my 2013 blog , \u201cThe Skills Game\u201d recent employee surveys showed that employers are looking for certain qualities in employees such as listening and communication skills<\/em>, adaptability, creative thinking skills<\/em>, problem-solving skills<\/em>, goal setting skills,<\/em> and competence in reading, writing, and computation skills<\/em>. It has been reported that 85% of those who lose jobs do so because of inadequate social skills.<\/em><\/p>\n

It seems to me that social skill development should be an essential part of schools\u2019 character education initiatives (with character strengths and emotional skills as the other two).<\/p>\n

A survey conducted through Pew Research Center\u2019s <\/em>American Trends Panel<\/a>, asked the question: <\/em>What are the best skills for kids to have these days?<\/em><\/p>\n

The responses:<\/p>\n

90% – Communication<\/p>\n

86% – Reading<\/p>\n

79% – Math<\/p>\n

77% – Teamwork<\/p>\n

75% -Writing<\/p>\n

74% – Logic<\/p>\n

58% -Science<\/p>\n

25% – Athletics<\/p>\n

24% – Music<\/p>\n

23% -Art<\/p>\n

Social skills include habits and attributes that some call \u201cHabits of the Heart.\u201d This includes providing instruction and practice in helping students to be respectful, be responsible, be honest, be trustworthy, be caring, be courageous, be courtesy, be compassionate, and be fair.<\/p>\n

These learned skills are coupled with \u201cHabits of the Mind\u201d – being a critical thinker, appreciating the importance of knowledge and learning, learning how to learn, practicing self-discipline, making ethical decisions, learning to problem solve, controlling anger and emotions, resisting peer pressure, and thinking before acting.<\/p>\n

The third skill set is often labeled, \u201cHabits of the Hands,\u201d which includes knowing and practicing the Golden Rule, being of service to others, and becoming an active, participating citizen.<\/p>\n

In my research for this blog, I found a program developed by Stephen Elliott (Vanderbilt Peabody education and psychology researcher) and co-authored with Frank Gresham, of the newly published The Social Skills Improvement System Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS-CIP)<\/u>.<\/p>\n

They identified the top 10 skills that students need to succeed based on surveys of over 8,000 teachers and over 20 years of research in classrooms across the country. The skills are:<\/p>\n