Jacqueline,
Team building skills is always a good way to improve communication and in turn helps with the soft skills. Thank you for pointing that out.
Philip Campbell
I feel teaching student "Conflict Resolution" is the most difficult softskill, because of the "It is all about me world" in which they live. It seems complicated for the students to place another before themselves.
Mr. Cothron
I think the most difficult soft skill to teach to students is common sense. I feel that common sense is something a person develops all throughout their life. It should be part of everyday events. Making appropriate judgments and practical decisions may not come so easily for some people, and that is when it is most difficult to simply teach. The same might actually go for any of the other soft skills as well, since we likely encounter any of these in our everyday lives. So I guess one can believe that the important soft skills are all equally difficult to teach, more or less.
I feel that teaching soft skills is very difficult. Unlike hard skills where knowledge is more easily assessed,teaching someone soft skills requires more attention and patience from the instructor. It is teaching by example if you will. Some of our students have grown up in a society that lacks some basic soft skills and it takes much patience, time, and understanding to change those learned behaviors in such a short amount of time. I feel the hardest to teach are time management and conflict resolution. A lot of my students feel if they have an excuse to be late, then its acceptable. As far as conflict resolution goes, so many of them are quick to react or give up, instead of taking the time to think things through.
In my opinion, attention to detail has been the most difficult soft skill to teach. Being a keyboarding instructor, I receive lesson assignments such as formatting business letters where the students fail to proofread or even use spell check. When they complete the assignment, most simply just print the letter. Another example is transferring answers from a study guide or exam to a scantron. They may have the answer(s) marked correctly on the paper exam, but circled the incorrect response on the scantron. In many cases, these examples of not paying attention to detail has sometimes made a difference in a final letter grade for the course.
Students need to learn to understand and respect others, have a positive attitude, and maintain a sense of integrity. Teaching them to listen to each other without attempting to thing about a rebuttal is often difficult. Teaching them not to just hear but listen and be respectful of others beliefs, comments, and opinions can be a challenge at times.
Benny,
It is the most difficult. Why do we think this is. We know people are intelligent, but it takes them some time to "get it". Maybe it is is something in how we present the information and not them?
Philip Campbell
The need for good soft skills is obvious in many fields, but not as obvious for fields such as lab technology. Most lab techs work behind the scenes, away from the hustle and bustle where patients and visitors are typically found. We must still keep in mind who our ultimate customers are, and remain compassionate in their care.
I agree that good work ethic is waning in our society. I think this is part of the larger problem of students' general lack of respect for others, and perhaps lack of self-respect as well.
The most difficult soft skill to teach is respect for oneself and others. Perhaps it is best taught by example.
Within my current environment, the most challenging skill to teach students is definitely professionalism/soft skills. The majority of my students have ROUGH backgrounds and challenging personal lives at the current time. Therefore, it is a BIG learning curve to mold professionalism and proper soft skills. It is a challenging learning cycle and sometimes VERY frustrating; however, VERY rewarding at the end of their program to compare the student who began your program and who is graduating. Consistency is key!!
Betty,
Yes, students need to have those characteristics that make them good students. By role modeling and showing them how to do that, as you explain, they will have continued success.
Philip Campbell
Sherry,
The human factor is still evident even though there is no human interaction. Great point.
Philip Campbell
Sherry,
So how do we emphasize good work ethic? We use examples of students who had challenges while attending school. Maybe some student can associate with them and work harder to be successful.
Philip Campbell
Sherry,
I agree, examples will lead to modeling and will lead to copying.
Philip Campbell
As an instructor, the most difficult soft skill to teach my students is how to effectively work with their peers. During classroom discussions or group projects, some students often dismiss their peer’s perspective on a subject matter if their perspective is not in favor of theirs.
When someone feels their idea is being critiqued, the individual will immediately insist on working by themselves.
I have been teaching in the vocational school setting for over ten years. Over the years one constant has been teaching students how to communicate and understand that attitude is something they can control. Teaching them to be accertive and how to handle disagreements by discussing them rather than reacting to situations. I use role playing and critical thinking senerios.
I often have this conversation with students, can you teach a person soft skills? Can I teach you to have a positive attitude or to be dependable, as this is what the outside world is looking for when hiring! There should be a course in college for this exact topic, however, I am not 100% it can be taught when it is mostly learned as your are growing up.
Gina ,
What do your students say to those questions? It would be interesting to see if they take the hint?
Philip Campbell
I beleive that somethings have to start from the ground roots of the family. Teaching students how to work with others can be a challenge if it's something that wasn't instilled in childhood. The students today don't have to communicate like my era had too.. Empathy has to be explained and even when explained in depth some students still don't get the reason why.
