Teaching soft skills is a difficult task for any high school teacher. What do you need to teach and how to do it? This article puts together the best strategies and activities to teach your students soft skills in an engaging way. You’ll learn how to help them develop their soft skills, such as leadership, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, conflict management, problem-solving, teamwork, work ethic, flexibility.
Many personality traits are considered soft skills, and your students can develop them through interaction and experience.
However, these skills often overlap- which is why teaching them through interdisciplinary projects is efficient. So, what is the best way you can teach these essential life lessons in a classroom?
- Long-term Group Assignment
Teachers can use group projects as a way to build team spirit among students. The students would require to develop a system, appoint roles and, no doubt, face challenges in communication and have the opportunity to practice problem-solving while finishing the project.
- Argumentative Presentation
Argumentative essays and presentations are an integral part of higher education. Students need to know how to defend themselves from differing viewpoints, and they should learn how to challenge opinions and defend their viewpoints. This activity will work on essential skills, such as active listening, critical thinking, public speaking by presenting arguments confidently and challenging others’ opinions through thought-provoking debate.
- TED-Ed Talks Videos
Ted-Ed talks are the perfect way to keep up with trending topics and have an engaging classroom discussion. You can assign a TED talk video for homework, then ask your students about their opinions on it during class.
- Authority Over One’s Homework
Allow your students to assign themselves homework from time to time. It can help foster autonomous learning, which is an essential skill. Of course, you’ll want them to explain why they chose that particular assignment and reflect on whether it was appropriate for the lesson in question too.
- Pair Discussion
It is vital to promote empathy and listening skills among students. Group your students in pairs and let them discuss various topics related to the subject or lesson. After one student speaks for their turn, they can summarize the ideas and opinions expressed by the other person before continuing on themselves again.
- Progress Check
For self-evaluation, the students should keep a journal to chart their progress in high school. This will help them understand themselves and witness their own development.
Some cases could also require giving individualized attention after school hours or coaching time with parents on handling difficult situations at home.
Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, this guide can aid you in teaching these essential skills to your high-schoolers. Because they are so easy to implement in your classroom, these lessons have been proven effective by teachers across the country!
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- Along with leading the team, Millard also works alongside different Fortune500 companies as their management Consultant/Financial Analyst, which shows his passion in helping other businesses grow.
