Essential Skills

When I began teaching last year, one of the first things I noticed about my students was the lack of some skills that I consider to be essential to success in their academic and personal lives.  The first skill I noticed was critical thinking skills.  Students only want to answer questions that have an answer they can memorize.  I have students that will leave questions blank that require them to apply the information they have learned to real-life situations.  I feel this is an ability students must possess in order for their education to be meaningful and useful to them. 

I also believe that students should have good written communication skills.  I believe they should be able to read material and understand what it says and be able to express their ideas and learning in writing.  There are so many situations that students will face in which they will have to express themselves through writing.  Other people’s impressions of my students at some point in their lives may be based solely on their ability to write well.  Some of these situations could include college admissions essays, scholarship essays, written assignments in large college classes, and letters to potential employers.  My students’ written communication skills could make the difference in them getting accepted to college, receiving a scholarship, or getting a high-paying job.

Lastly, I want my students to know where and how to find the information they need.  I understand that much of the details of the information that I teach my students throughout the school year may be forgotten before the next school year and I can be okay with that as long as my students know that they have resources available to them to help them find the information they need.  This is where the ability to use technology to conduct research is important.  I also want my students to be able to distinguish reliable information from unreliable information.  Learning to conduct research and receiving guidance as to which sources to trust will be something students will take with them as they advance through life.