LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

His research, drawn from analyses of the skills required by colleges and careers, as well as the skills that students leave high schools possessing, led to his development of a framework for necessary 21st century learning. Among his findings are that the skills required for college and skilled careers are no longer distinct; success in either college or a skilled career requires the same competencies. Conley (2014) defines four categories of these skills, which table I.1 summarizes.

      A simple analysis of these skills reveals the following: only one of the categories, Know, relates to academic knowledge. The other three categories define self-regulatory skills, metacognitive skills, and executive skills; in other words, the behavioral skills that were defined earlier in this introduction. This review of Conley’s (2014) categories of college and career readiness leads to an undeniable conclusion: success in life is about more than academic knowledge. Behaviors matter, both in college and in the workplace.

TABLE I.1: FOUR CATEGORIES OF COLLEGE- AND CAREER-READINESS SKILLS

Skill Category	Definition
1. Think	Beyond retaining and applying, students process, manipulate, assemble, reassemble, examine, question, look for patterns, organize, and present.Students develop and employ strategies for problem solving when encountering a challenge. Strategies include:• Problem formulation• Research• Interpretation• Communication• Precision and accuracy
2. Know	Students possess foundational knowledge in core academic subjects and an understanding of:• Connections and structures between and within subjects• The necessity for, and implications of, effort and a growth mindset• The organization of content• Identification of key ideas• The inherent value of learning
3. Act	Students employ skills and techniques to enable them to exercise agency and ownership as they successfully manage their learning.Students gain expertise through the regular and integrated application and practice of key learning skills and techniques. Agency rests on the following:• Goal setting• Persistence• Self-awareness• Motivation• Self-advocacy• Progress monitoring• Self-efficacyStudents develop habits that allow them to succeed in demanding situations:• Time management• Study skills• Test taking and note taking• Memorization• Strategic reading• Collaborative learning• Technological proficiencies
4. Go	Students preparing for a career or additional education develop skills to navigate potential challenges, including:• Contextual—Motivations and options for educational programs after high school• Procedural—The logistics of admissions and application processes• Financial—The costs of further education and financial aid options• Cultural—Differences between cultural norms in school and the workplace or postsecondary settings• Interpersonal—Advocating for oneself in complex situations

      Source: Adapted from Conley, 2014.

      The Economist Group and Google’s (Tabary, 2015) survey of business executives to assess the skills workers most need in 21st century workplaces reinforces this reality. The ten skills they identify most are:

      1. Problem solving (50 percent)

      2. Team working (35 percent)

      3. Communication (32 percent)

      4. Critical thinking (27 percent)

      5. Creativity (21 percent)

      6. Leadership (18 percent)

      7. Literacy (17 percent)

      8. Digital literacy (16 percent)

      9. Foreign language ability (15 percent)

      10. Emotional intelligence (12 percent)

      These skills are critical in all content areas and across all grades. They are not, however, sufficiently present within academic curricula.

      Finally, research from the Hamilton Project and the Brookings Institution analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, with cognitive skills measured by the Armed Forces Qualification Test and noncognitive skills measured by the Rotter Locus of Control scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, and Deming’s (2015) social skills index. These multiple measures were compiled to measure attitudes about work and reward, self-esteem, and general social skills. The research drew the following seven conclusions.

      1. The U.S. economy is demanding more noncognitive skills.

      2. There are strong labor-market payoffs to both cognitive and noncognitive skills.

      3. The labor market is increasingly rewarding noncognitive skills.

      4. Those in the bottom quartile of noncognitive skills are only about one-third as likely to complete a postsecondary degree as are those in the top quartile.

      5. Noncognitive skill development interventions improve student achievement and reduce behavior-related problems.

      6. Preschool interventions emphasizing cognitive and noncognitive skill development have long-term economic benefits for participants.

      7. A teacher’s ability to improve noncognitive skills has more effect on graduation rates than does his or her ability to raise test scores.

      The conclusions of this research are clear: noncognitive skills matter during and after a student’s schooling, and behavioral skills are as important as academic skills. Research confirms that behavioral skills are the product of the interaction between students and educational contexts, rather than being predetermined characteristics of individual students (Deci, 1992; Ericsson & Pool, 2016; Farrington et al., 2012; Hattie, Biggs, & Purdie, 1996; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Stipek, 1988; Wang, Haertel, & Wahlberg, 1994; Yair, 2000).

      Student behavior is neither innate nor fixed. We as educators can influence student behaviors—and we must. Many of the preceding studies aim to identify skills students need to develop now for use in the future. Because society and systems are continually evolving, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the schools of the future will look like. In many ways, we’re in the process of retrofitting our schools, enhancing established structures with new principles and practices. As we continually question better ways of doing things, implement those ideas, and reflect on evidence of student success, more students will leave high schools ready for college and a skilled career. Schools will continue down a path of more innovation, inquiry, and integration of concepts, ideas, and processes. They will continue to find new ways of blending academic learning, behavioral skill development, and authentic student engagement into a rich and meaningful experience. Education holds the greatest promise to positively impact students’ futures, and we as educators must be inspired to fulfill this promise. It is my hope that Behavior: The Forgotten Curriculum; An RTI Approach for Nurturing Essential Life Skills will support schools’ continuous improvements.

In This Book

      Behavior: The Forgotten Curriculum; An RTI Approach for Nurturing Essential Life Skills provides practical assistance, ideas, and resources for K–12 educators, administrators, teacher teams, and educational leaders as they strive to help students develop behavioral skills and self-regulation, with the ultimate goal of achieving better student outcomes. It provides administrators and teacher teams with both background and practical knowledge about how to design and implement comprehensive, RTI-based behavioral supports within their schools. Teachers who read this book on their own will gain insights into the most recent research in the area of behavioral skills and the best practices that they can use in their classrooms. Throughout the book, you’ll also learn from educators—some researchers, some practitioners—who are pioneering behavioral RTI across North America and making the ideas presented within this book come to life.

      This book is a doing book, chock-full of templates and tools for staff. There is a great need for behavioral supports for students, and an equally great need to build the capacities of staff to support student needs. As educators, we are simply less well-equipped and prepared to support students’ behavioral needs and to help students develop mastery of critical behavioral skills than we are to support their academic needs. If best student outcomes

Скачать книгу