Designing Around Obstacles

METHODOLOGY

Three obstacles to implementing our durable skills program emerged from working with our pilot schools: 1) lack of time, 2) the need for teacher buy-in, and 3) culture change.

Our current focus is on grades 9-12 and college students.

Lack of Time

To address the issue of limited time, we harnessed the power of micro-learning, limiting each lesson to three 10-15 minute sessions over the course of the week.

Teacher Buy-in

In our teacher professional development (PD), we emphasize three key aspects of our program: 1) its ability to enhance students' academic performance and overall behavior in addition to preparing them for the workplace, 2) its ease of implementation in terms of time investment, and 3) its flexibility to accommodate various learning formats, including in-person, remote, hybrid, and asynchronous modes.

Culture Shift

We help educators understand how the world is changing (i.e. AI) and how the need to help students develop durable skills, traits, qualities, mindsets, and attitudes, is more important than at any other time in our history: “Research from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center found that 85% of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills and people skills.”

Additionally, we address the latter two points by providing educators with durable skills (soft skills) training. The MindSage PD for teachers not only offers instructions for implementing the program but also includes soft skills development training, following a similar approach as the student program.

This approach helps teachers identify areas for improving their durable skills and grasp the benefits of developing these skills for both themselves and their students.

A Metacognitive, Micro-learning Approach

Given the non-cognitive nature of the content being taught and the need for self-initiated transformation, we employ a metacognitive approach. We emphasize the importance of metacognition, including a metacognitive exercise with each weekly lesson.

We also use a micro-learning approach to present students with key concepts for self-analysis and awareness. Using these two approaches in tandem enables a more effective and in-depth consideration of the material.

Play the video to see an example of how this approach is explained to students.

HOW THEY CONSUME CONTENT

The design of our lessons is intentionally crafted to align with the organic learning preferences of young people. Our approach mirrors the way they naturally engage with content, whether it's reading various articles or exploring related videos on a single subject.

Additionally, our lessons are intentionally concise, catering to the shorter attention spans of youth who value immediate relevance and a clear understanding of how the information they are consuming relates to their lives.

Refactoring: Unlearning unconsciously developed behaviors.

In coding, Rearchitecting (often referred to as refactoring) involves upgrading a current application to run better in a legacy environment.  In MindSage we saw a need for a mental re-factoring or rearchitecting of students with regards to behaviors learned in school that are counterproductive to behaviors needed in the workplace.

It's imperative that students are made aware of these negative habits, mindsets, and traits that can impede their ability to fully engage with the program and develop durable skills. Refactoring has become a primary factor in the program's effectiveness.

The habits that we help students to identify and rearchitect are as follows:

ONE

THREE

SEVEN

Inhibited Questioning and Reluctance to Challenge: 

In school, students are not given the opportunity to challenge ideas, or objectives, including assignments and teacher instructions. This inhibits their critical thinking skills and their ability to seek clarification, explore alternative solutions, and critically analyze issues in the workplace. They are told what to do, and like robots, they carry out the assignment as directed. Because of this, students get into the habit of passively accepting information and directions without questioning or critically analyzing them. In a professional setting, curiosity and a willingness to question are essential for problem-solving, innovation, and personal growth.

Individual Focus: 

School often encourages an individualistic approach to learning and grades, which can hinder students' ability to collaborate and work effectively in teams. The focus in school, from a student’s standpoint, is on their grades, their test scores, their GPA, and their standing in the class. Because of this, students get into the habit of prioritizing individual success over collective teamwork and collaboration. In high-performing organizations, success depends on the ability to cooperate, communicate, and contribute to a shared goal—to care about a team, department, product, or company more than the individual employee.

FIVE

Rigid Learning Structure:

The traditional educational system often imposes a rigid structure on learning, limiting students' choices on what and how they learn, which can stifle curiosity and independent thinking. Because of this, students get into the habit of accepting and giving in to rigid structures where they have little or no choice in their education, rather than take the initiative in their learning. In the workplace, adaptability, self-directed learning, and the ability to make informed decisions are crucial for high-level performance.

EIGHT

TWO

FOUR

Task-Oriented View:

In school, students may view assignments as mere tasks to check off a list, rather than seeing them as steps toward broader goals or opportunities for personal growth. This task-oriented mindset can limit their ability to see the big picture and adapt to complex, long-term projects in the workplace. Because of this, students get into the habit of treating assignments as routine chores to complete, missing out on the potential for personal growth and their role in contributing to broader goals. Many interns enter the workplace only concerned with what they are told to do, rather than what they can do to move the project and team forward.

SIX

Fear of Mistakes: 

Most of the questions asked by teachers have distinct right and wrong answers. The fear of being wrong or not providing the exact "right" answer in school can lead to a reluctance to speak up and express themselves in the workplace. Because of this, students get into the habit of avoiding taking risks and withholding their opinions and ideas. High-performance work environments often require creative thinking and a willingness to learn from mistakes, which is hindered by this fear.

Debate-Centric:

In the current school system, a good deal of focus and prestige is assigned to debating. The focus on debate in education can lead to a habit of primarily listening to find faults in others' arguments and aiming to prove one's own point. Because of this, students get into the habit of approaching discussions with the intent to criticize and prove others wrong rather than fostering constructive, collaborative dialogue. In many dysfunctional organizations, individuals tend to adopt a confrontational stance during discussions that necessitate the discovery of a shared solution, often influenced by the emphasis schools place on the importance of debating.

Lack of Contribution: 

Similar to point one, in many educational settings, students are not encouraged to share their opinions, ideas, or suggestions for improvement. Whereas point one focuses on challenging or questioning existing norms, point six focuses on improving them.
Because of this, students get into the habit of holding back their ideas and suggestions, which can limit their active contribution to workplace discussions where input and collaboration are highly valued.

Grade-Centric Identity:

Students are graded based on results and performance rather than effort and growth. When students define themselves solely by their grades, they may struggle with the concept of self-worth beyond academic achievements. Because of this, students get into the habit of equating their self-worth solely with their grades, which can hinder their understanding of self-worth beyond academic achievements and discourage them from valuing effort and growth. This can affect their self-esteem in the workplace, where success is measured by various factors, including collaboration, leadership, and adaptability.

High School Students

What they’re saying.

Shifts in thinking, help us to determine if the program is having the transformational impact it was designed for. Please watch the following:

High School Students

College Students