The last several weeks, my posts have been all about getting rid of subjective grading practices, biased grading practices, and any kind of soft skills or executive functioning skills in our grade books. You can read more about my thoughts on this here.
But just because we aren’t incorporating executive functioning/ soft skills into our grades doesn’t mean we cannot teach them to our students!
Executive functioning and soft skills can mean different things to different people, but most often, these skills are included:
- Collaboration
- Ownership
- Problem solving
- Self advocacy
- Punctuality
- Respect for self and others
- Responding to adversity/ conflict
- Time management
- Perseverance
- Creative thinking
And Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, posits that the most important skill for 21st century students is self- regulation – students need to know:
- How to set a goal
- Identify where they’re at
- Make a plan to reach it
- Access resources
- Respond to feedback
- Self- assess, reflect
- Continue to refine and improve
The most important soft skills I want students to develop are meeting deadlines and advocating for themselves. I will be teaching sophomores this year, which means they’re in that weird phase of not being focused on what they’ll do after high school yet, but they’re not goofy freshmen anymore either. I want them to be comfortable with making mistakes and seeking the right resources to help themselves.
But how do we teach, practice, and hold students accountable to mastering these kinds of skills without holding them accountable through a grade in the gradebook?
Here’s how I do it, in 4 steps.
1. Teach expectations
Even if it seems like an expectation is obvious, sometimes it isn’t. We are better able to hold students accountable to what we expect if we have taught them explicitly. However you do this, your expectations should be simple, clear, and positively stated ( i.e. the behavior you WANT, rather than the behavior students should avoid). Keeping things simple will make it easier for you to teach ( and re-teach) and for students to remember. Students should also experience the expectations in different ways – i.e. verbally, written on the board, on a syllabus, and posted on your class website. The first step to teach soft skills is all about layering!
2. Re-teach expectations
For every new situation, every Monday, every time they begin a project, it is necessary to remind students of my expectations. Even with my seniors, I re-taught expectations for group work or how to format assignments or how they should ask questions every time students were in that situation. I don’t often do a full re-teach ( unless most students are not meeting the expectation), usually just a quick reminder will do. It may seem silly to tell students over and over what the expectations for different situations are, but then I think about times when I am at the airport, and all I can hear from TSA agents over and over is “take any liquids and electronics out of your bag and place them on the conveyor belt” and yet, invariably, there are travelers who miss this message. If grown adults need reminders to follow expectations, I think we should extend that grace to our students.
3. Reinforce positive behaviors in the moment
When I notice students meeting my expectations, I reward them – but not with grades or extra points. It might be candy, or a post- it note with a message on it, or just a genuine expression of appreciation. This does two things: It builds a relationship with that student AND encourages other students to meet the expectation as well. You don’t have to do this for every student with every skill all the time, but you should do it often enough that it’s not weird when you do do it, and that students will recognize and understand the expectations and skills that you’re reinforcing.
You do have to be careful with this – you want to avoid bribing students or making it so they do things with the expectation of a reward. This will not help develop self- regulation because students are extrinsically motivated. The reward should be genuine, spontaneous, and in the moment for students. Sometimes, you might reward every student who, say, turns in an assignment on time. Other times, you might recognize one or two students who were in their seats working on the bellwork when the bell rang. The point is that it should be varied so that students don’t EXPECT a reward, but a noticeable moment that encourages similar behavior in the future.
4. Enforce boundaries and holding firm to consequences
When developing or implementing a consequence for students who do not meet your expectations, the first step should always be a check- in with the student. Ask questions to get to the root of the issue ( i.e. what held you back from meeting this deadline?) and then respond without judgement.
Then you might ask, “How was your learning affected when…?”
And then put the solution back on the student: “What ideas do you have to change this outcome?”
If they struggle to respond, I always say, “Would you like to hear what others have tried?” This response usually surprises students, who are expecting you to tell them what to do. Instead, you are empowering them to reflect on their own behavior and choose something that will work for them.
Of course, this isn’t a cure- all for every behavior and you may need to engage with parents, counselors, etc. to best support the student.
Next week, I am going to share 10 ways that you can support soft skills in the classroom. See you then!
