{"id":6638,"date":"2015-08-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/non-cognitive-skills-bad-name-really-important\/"},"modified":"2020-02-27T14:47:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T19:47:27","slug":"non-cognitive-skills-bad-name-really-important","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/non-cognitive-skills-bad-name-really-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-Cognitive Skills: Bad Name, Really Important"},"content":{"rendered":"
This post originally appeared at Getting Smart<\/a> on August 15, 2015.<\/em><\/p>\n The research is clear, so called non-cognitive skills are key to success in college and work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Solving the name game.<\/b> It\u2019s clear that so-called \u201cnon-cognitive\u201d or \u201csoft skills\u201d are really important but it\u2019s also clear, according to new school guru Andy Calkins<\/a> that \u201cOn every metric that counts \u2013 clarity, accuracy, purposefulness, and impact \u2013 both of these terms stink<\/i>.\u201d Specifically, they are meaningless, inaccurate, and they drive bad practice.<\/p>\n Calkins prefers the term agency <\/i>because it encompasses the self-efficacy and -management capacities that standards-based reform overlooked, \u201cStudents particularly need agency to thrive in what is becoming a global, 21st-century, free-agent economy. It embodies ownership and deep engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n The New Tech Network<\/a> agrees. The network of 160 project-based schools describe student learning goals in four categories: knowledge and thinking, written and oral communications, collaboration and agency<\/i>. They share a agency rubric<\/a> that assesses growth mindset \u00a0and ownership of learning.<\/p>\n Habits of Success<\/a>, according to Summit Public Schools<\/a>\u00a0(featured image), are the mindsets and behaviors that lead to success and satisfaction in life\u2013managing your stress, persevering through a challenge, working well with others, setting goals and making plans. Summit teachers dedicate at least 200 hours during the school year to mentoring and coaching students in their Habits of Success through 1:1 mentor check-ins and more. They nurture a community of learners, where our students practice, model, and reflect on these skills and receive rich feedback from their teachers and peers to individually grow and thrive.<\/p>\n School solutions. <\/b>The answer is not a new course in \u201cagency.\u201d There are five ways to integrate youth development strategies that produce powerful habits and a sense of agency.<\/p>\n See also:<\/p>\n Sydney Schaef, M.BA., M.Ed., is an educator, entrepreneur, and school design consultant. She currently works as a Mastery Learning Designer at reDesign<\/a> and a design consultant for Building 21<\/a>. She served at the School District of Philadelphia from 2013-2015 in the Office of New School Models, and prior to that, served as Founder and Executive Director of a 501c3 nonprofit organization that led innovative education and youth development programs in East Africa. Follow Sydney on Twitter at @sydneyschaef<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","mapsvg_location":""},"legacy_category":[106],"issue":[368,383],"location":[],"class_list":["post-6638","cw_post","type-cw_post","status-publish","hentry","legacy_category-resource","issue-issues-in-practice","issue-rethink-instruction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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