Soft Skills for a Tough World Grace Cheng, Wellesley College Rod Skinner, Milton Academy Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions Thursday, June 22, 2017

Soft Skills: Research and Evidence

Two Types of Skills Rear Wheel Skills Technical knowledge and experience (the “What you can do”), usually measurable and quantifiable Grades Scores Titles Awards Activities Accomplishments Front Wheel Skills Ability to steer and navigate (the “How are you going to accomplish things”), intangible qualities and behaviors Initiative Communication skills Leadership Willingness to be led Collaborative skills Personality Personal Energy Respect from others Why anyone would want to be in the same class/club/dorm room as you

SCANS report Secretary of Labor’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills: Taking responsibility Making effective decisions Persevering Working well in teams Communicating effectively Having empathy Knowing how to learn

Stunning Statistics 25% of workers are in occupations that didn’t exist decades ago >65% of today’s high school students will be employed in jobs that don’t yet exist today!

Examples from the Counseling Side

Putting the Pieces Together Developing Interesting and Successful Individuals Starting in Lower School There are many different pieces that need to be considered when talking about children and technologies.

So how do we allow each of us to be our own best individual? No Magic Formula! There is NO magic formula of what every child needs to learn or what activities s/he needs to do to be considered successful Otherwise we would all be clones of each other So how do we allow each of us to be our own best individual?

Pieces Leading to Success Personality Passion Joy Achievement Today we are going to quickly look at the following:

PERSONALITY Evident in Interacting with Others Having a Voice and Courage to Speak Independence Self-Awareness Creativity Leadership Good Judgment and Character There are many different pieces that need to be considered when talking about children and technologies.

PASSION Developing a Talent, Skill or Motivation Initiative Independence Commitment Curiosity Developing a Love of Learning There are many different pieces that need to be considered when talking about children and technologies.

JOY Happiness Pride Self-Confidence Developing Strong Relationships with Others Respect Socialization with Peers Love of Learning There are many different pieces that need to be considered when talking about children and technologies.

ACHIEVEMENT Academic Honesty Integrity Love of Learning Curiosity Creativity Courage to Take Risks Unafraid to be Wrong Self- Reflective There are many different pieces that need to be considered when talking about children and technologies.

Successful High School Grads Demonstrate values of honesty, respect, responsibility and kindness Possess personality, passion and joy Can speak articulately and reflect thoughtfully Can make independent decisions, take risks and accept choices and consequences Are academically prepared for college 14

How do we get there?

Questions and Discussion