Meaningful Learning Opportunities Use Transferable Skills

by Velvet Silva

As educators, we strive to give our pupils an environment where they feel confident and comfortable expressing themselves. We understand the importance of interpersonal skills, in and out of the classroom: In order to be successful, students must have good command of verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as the ability to analyze and problem-solve. These “soft skills” are easily transferable to the workplace or other systems.

Engaging in collaborative activities and completing group projects gives students an opportunity to improve those skills. A multidisciplinary thematic unit that is aligned with the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRSAE) allows students to improve and use transferable skills as they acquire knowledge. What a great way to make numerous academic content connections and strengthen “soft skills.” (Do your students struggle with these skills? Read about Executive Function and some classroom strategies.)

For example, consider a multidisciplinary unit about the environment in which students:

• Close-read a few complex nonfiction texts on biodiversity and how it affects human health.
• Analyze statistical data on organic agriculture and engage in collaborative discourse. (For ideas on fostering discourse, choose "classroom discussion" on Facing History's "Teaching Strategies" page.)

After some further inquiry and reflection, students are prepared for teamwork, which may look like this:

• Students are grouped: Green Agriculturists, Traditional Agriculturists, and Restaurant Managers/Owners.
• Restaurant Managers/Owners brainstorm appropriate questions to ask both groups of Agriculturists and create a checklist to help them understand product quality and quantity, federal grade standards, internal (chemical, physical, and microbial) factors, and costs.
• The Agriculturists research their product(s) and verbally report their findings.
• The Restaurant Managers/Owners decide which group to purchase their products from, based on their own research and the information provided by the Agriculturists.

Of course, this is just me brainstorming ideas. I’m sure you have many of your own.

How awesome is it that when we provide rich, meaningful learning opportunities in a safe space, our students make connections and constructively converse about their ideas? They problem-solve and manage their time. They work together to accomplish a common objective. Each member is valued and is responsible for contributing to the group’s success. Completion of their final project and product demonstrates their ability to meet the CCRSAE and shows that they are capable of employing those valuable, transferable skills.

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Velvet Silva is an adult basic education instructor at SER-Jobs for Progress in Fall River, Mass. She enjoys assisting students in achieving their personal, academic, and occupational goals.

How have you engaged adult ed. students in using transferable skills in the classroom?

What successes and challenges have you encountered?

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