2016 Annual Conference

Traditional teaching hasn’t created leaners who know how to learn/work with others. WIOA redirects us to build workers/learners, demanding rethinking how to help all participants succeed. New participatory methodologies build social capital/social emotional skills with academic competencies. Learn the skills employers desire and how to shift classrooms into learning communities.

This session is directed towards individuals in the fields of Adult Basic Education and Literacy, Correction Education, Developmental Education, University Faculty and Department Administrators

Social Capital Skills have been in the literature for over 100 years. Also being referred to as social emotional skills, noncogntive skills, and soft skills, these skills are not being taught in families, clubs (boy and girl scouts, etc.) or in academic classrooms. Yet, these are skills essential for success in postsecondary education and on the job. This session will quickly overview the research on social capital skills, what employers are demanding, and which of these skills are critical for college success. Participants will be engaged using two of the four Participatory Learning Methodologies to see how useful and simple these methods can be to build academic skills simultaneously with academic skills. Specific situations will be described along with testimonials from adult educators as to how using these methodologies has shifted their classroom to a learning community, increased persistence and learning gains.