Sara Dilday's Page

In synthesizing the information from the various resources for this week, found myself coming back to a couple of over-riding ideas that encompass the content shared.  All of the resources expressed the importance of establishing relevance for the content being taught.  In addition to relevance, the resources had a common theme regarding the importance of, what IDEO referred to as “soft skills”.

It is difficult to make ALL of the content that we are expected to teach completely relevant, but it certainly is possible to make the learning process of all material relevant.  In IDEO’s Ten Tips, they suggested that by letting students experience the concepts rather than relying only on explanation, a teacher can make content relevant. That is a process that creates relevance by creating an environment where students are seekers of knowledge rather than sitting and getting; that is an experience that establishes relevance regardless of the specific content.  Dr. Tony Wagner talked about what we need to do to motivate this generation to achieve.  He specifically talked about how inside schools it is a sit and get experience although our students come to us from a background of utilizing the internet to explore, build relationships and express themselves.  We must do better at providing our students with relevant experiences that they value because they can relate to them.  We must start working in new ways to reach the students that are showing up in our classrooms.

Next I would like to address the idea of “soft skills”.  IDEO referred to these as the skills of creativity, collaboration, communication, empathy and adaptability.  Dr. Tony Wagner also spoke about these very skills and how they are a necessity for those working in the 21^st century.  In order to be successful, one must possess the ability to communication effectively in a variety of ways, think outside the box, collaborate with and respect people regardless of their background or beliefs and be adaptable to change.  Perhaps these skills have been referred to as “soft skills” because they are the interpersonal skills that are difficult to measure.  Although these are difficult to measure, these are the very skills needed to build relationships and relationships are the foundation of teaching and learning. 

In closing, I will comment on something that Dr. Tony Wagner mentioned.  He talked about the importance of holding ourselves accountable for what matters most.  Our student’s long term success is what matters most.