The Teaching Skills that Matters project lasts for eight months and is an intensive training focused on integrating skills and approaches that work across critical topics. Faculty members Julie Hutchin and Deborah Saari will join educators from Oregon’s Umpqua Community College and Linn Benton Community College, as well as others from institutions across the country for the training.
The skills and tools that they will be developing can teach adult learners the transferable skills students need in critical contexts. They will begin in August and finish in April of 2021.
“The changing workplace caused by the COVID crisis is creating an even bigger digital divide and putting low-skilled adults at an even bigger disadvantage,” Hutchin said. “I will bring back evidence-based approaches to integrating digital literacy throughout our curriculum, especially in the context of college and workplace readiness.”
The nine skills that matter are:
- Adaptability and willingness to learn
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Interpersonal skills
- Navigating systems
- Problem solving
- Processing & analyzing information
- Respecting differences and diversity
- Self-awareness
The five topic areas are:
- Civics education
- Digital literacy
- Financial literacy
- Health literacy
- Workforce preparation
The three approaches that work are:
- Integrated and contextualized learning
- Problem-based learning
- Project-based learning
“I am so looking forward to working with LINCS, the leader in training in Adult Education in the U.S., so that we can continue to innovate and implement strategies in the MHCC Adult Basic Skills Division that will help improve our students’ knowledge and skills for confident transitions to college and careers,” Saari said. “I see my participation in the training as a way to help us close the achievement gap for underrepresented individuals in our community.”