928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Learning Objectives Identify the assessment needs of foster youth; Recognize and interpret the learning levels of foster youth; Develop plans for teaching life skills to foster youth based on their identified learning levels; and Identify and explain practical resources you can use to teach “hard” and “soft” life skills. 2

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center 3

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Learning Life Skills How did you learn life skills growing up? What did you learn? Who taught you? How did they teach you? When did you know you had learned them? Is this how you teach your foster children life skills? –Why or why not? 4

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center What does the research say? “The evaluation calls into question the notion that classroom-based life skills training, in and of itself, is likely to have much impact on the well- being of foster youth in transition to adulthood.” Administration of Children and Families,

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Teaching Life Skills 6 AssessmentResults The Conversation Learning Plan InstructionApplication Monitoring

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Casey Life Skills Assessment: A Free Tool 7

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center “Hard” Skills vs. “Soft” Skills Hard Skills –Task-based and completed sequentially –E.g. banking, budgeting, doing laundry, cleaning, changing a light bulb Soft Skills –Based on personal and social strengths –E.g. positive communication, networking, conversations with adults, positive conflict resolution 8

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Understanding Individual Learning Styles Auditory Visual Kinesthetic/Tactile 9

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Learning Levels AwarenessKnowledge and UnderstandingKnows how to…Can or is able to… 10

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Knows How To… 11

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Can or is able to… 12

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Teaching Life Skills Answer the following questions based on your scenario: –What learning level is this youth on? Why? –What is this youth’s dominant learning style? Why? –Develop a plan to teach this youth the life skill discussed in the scenario 13

928: Teaching Life Skills to Foster Youth The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Life Skills Resources: Instruction and Application “Ready, Set, Fly! A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Life Skills” – Life Skills lesson plans for youth with disabilities - PA Youth in Transition Network