3. Are our students
ready for work in
the“real” world?
What must we
do to better to prepare
them?
4. Concerns in the Literature…
Current and Future
Language Demands
in the Workplace:
Proficiencies and
Gaps
Workforce Skills
Reality Check
Global
Competitiveness
Report
Future Work Skills
2020: Cross-Cultural
Competency
Global Citizenship –
What Are We
Talking About and
Why Does It Matter
What Business
Wants
Essential Skills for
the 21st Century
Workplace
6. Giving Employers What They Don’t
Really Want
What Educators Think Employers
Want…
What Employers value…
Students with professional
majors
Critical thinking, problem-
solving, communication skills are
more important than major
Access to knowledge from top
scholars/lectures
“ethical judgment and integrity;
intercultural skills; capacity for
continued new learning…”
Proof of high grades and test
scores
"employers consistently rank
outcomes and practices that
involve application of skills over
acquisition of discrete bodies of
knowledge…"
The Chronicle of Higher Education Giving Employers What They Don’t Really Want
June 17, 2013 Robert J. Sternberghttp://chronicle.com/article/Giving-Employers-What-
They/139877/?cid=ja&utm_source=ja&utm_medium=en
7. Bridging the Gap…
Shift student mindset
Shift instructor
mindset
Students
prepared
for the
workplace
Community
Connections
*Maybe Common Core Standards
will help make a difference?
8. Reshaping Student Perceptions
about Foreign Language…
Language as more than meeting a requirement
Professionals in the classroom (virtually and F2F)
Student connections to community projects
Help students stand out in the job search
http://darcylear.com/
9. One Idea
State Foreign Language Competitions:
Add an option where students present a
professional project based on a service
learning or consulting experience (projects can be
used in student portfolio)
10. Shifting Instructor Mindset: Things
To Think About…
Do we need to use everything in the book, is it all
relevant now?
What kind of learning activities do we need to engage
students in language use for real-world contexts?
How can we creatively assess students for skills they
will apply in real-world situations?
11. A Couple of Ideas…
State Conferences/Faculty Meetings: bring in
community professionals to talk about
workforce needs
Be informed about workforce statistics,
reports showing need for global skills, growth
industries (www.nble.org )
13. Spanish for Leadership-
Colorado, Cristin Bleess
Spanish in the Community
and the Workplace-
Wisconsin, Katrina Beeck
Spanish for Leadership-
Florida, Danika Cornelius
Business and
Environment-Connecticut,
Juanjo Vazquez-Caballero
Spanish for Healthcare-
Pennsylvania, Melissa
Swarr
How You Can Add a “C” for
Careers
16. Advocacy Clip on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCEkleilNQ
More videos at You Tube Channel- Mary Risner
Hinweis der Redaktion
This morning I want to get us thinking about the role of foreign language ed in job readiness, improving dialogue between education and industry, how we want others to see for. Language and our role in promoting it.. Then I will close with the mention of K-12 LSP models and LSP resources.
So….How ready are our students after graduation? And how can better prepare them for jobs of the future?
Looking at headlines in recent industry and govt. reports, employers seem to have some concerns about meeting demands of the 21st century workplace.
To remain competitive, Industry HAS to respond faster to a more globally connected economy, while many educational institutions are resisting the need for change, or are responding very slowly.
An article in the Chronicle a few weeks ago addresses this problem of employers and educators not being on the same page in terms of needed skill sets for graduates. Critical thinking & problem-solving over majors Communication & intercultural skills Ethical judgment & openness to learningOutcomes and practical application over
as foreign language educators How can we bridge the gap to meet the demands of the changing workplace? Change student perception of the value of for. Lang. in their personal and professional lives by providing them with real world connections through the local community or virtually across borders.While institutions are slow to respond to needed change, we as individual teachers can become more conscious of our role presenting and marketing the importance of language and culture skills across disciplines and in future jobs.
Help students see the value of for lang/culture by bringing in professionals locally or virtually, or having them work on projects with the local biz community or work virtually with student teams in another country.
One thought to reach many students at once would be adding a new option for K-12 state where students could present a case or consulting project with industry professionals brought in as the judges.
As educators we need to ask ourselves what is relevant in the textbooks and what can we supplement to match student interests? What learning activities will give students opportunities to use their language and culture skills in an area that will be useful to them down the road? What type of creative assessments can we use that allow students to see how for. Lang and culture will be used in real world contexts?
Again to reach many faculty at once, bring in professionals across sectors to talk about how they use for lang/culture and what are the upcoming needs in the work world? Stay informed about labor stats, reports showing need for global skills, and in which industries jobs are growing. Materials and links compiled on this site
Consider promoting and putting for. Lang/culture skills in a different light at your school. Wednesday we will present a few k-12 LSP models through virtual guests coming in to talk about their experience, where to find LSP resources, how you can connect with teachers working on K-12 LSP courses and materials
Some teachers across the U.S. implementing courses across sectors.
If you can’t make it to the session, you can find links and resources at NOBLE and connect to LSP professional groups through social media.Would love to post ppts or slideshare links on the site
Thank you, now we will see a short video clip summarizing some of the points I was hoping to get across.
