Do you know what soft skills are and why they have been so highly valued by the job market?
Soft skills are non-cognitive behaviors and attitudes that shape the way a person interacts with the environment, and especially with other people.
These are skills like leadership, resilience, communication, proactivity, creativity, empathy and collaboration that will help in the best personal and professional development experience.
How do they work?
It is important to understand that some soft skills are born for certain people, but this does not prevent other people from learning and improving them.
Furthermore, they function as facilitators of relationships and, therefore, allow the student to know how to rationalize the situation and contribute to resolutions, as in group work, for example, in which a member must exercise leadership and use communication. . than involving other participants.
In this case, the student realizes what is missing in the situation, assumes the responsibility to lead but, at the same time, ensures that the process is participatory and involves all colleagues with the same degree of importance.
What are the differences between soft skills and hard skills?
Along with soft skills, students and professionals in the job market must also develop other skills and knowledge: hard skills, easily tested knowledge, such as completing teaching steps, language certification, and technical courses (programming and robotics, for example). One of the differences between soft and hard skills, therefore, is the ability to certify their existence.
Another relevant point in their differences is that, although physical skills are specific to professional areas, as is the case with graduations and registrations with regional councils, social skills are skills that can be used in any market and area. That is, they are valuable to anyone.
How to work the acquisition of soft skills during classes?
The school environment, whether physical or online, is full of situations where soft skills are practiced. But, in order for them to be mastered, it is important that the learning cycle follows a guided flow in which the educator proposes a rich activity, provokes the interaction of the participants and then concludes the lesson with a reflection on the events.
Here are some activities that will bring valuable experiences with soft skills.
- Promote interaction between children.
One of these experiences, no doubt, is in the interaction between children. While some are shy and need to develop their communication skills, others are more centralized and need to understand how to share attention.
In activities that encourage interaction, each child will develop their skills according to their needs and, through observation, educators can contribute reflections to guide learning.
- Promote group activities.
By offering team activities, it is possible to develop social skills in communication, leadership, conflict resolution, shared responsibility and other valuable lessons for future professionals.
In addition to the proposed content, students can be invited to reflect on their behavior during the process and how relationships and information sharing could have been better.
- Promote diversity.
Awareness of diversity and the value it brings to society is also a gentle ability to work in school activities.
Proposing reflections and activities that value different thoughts and cultures will make children know how to respect and understand the contribution of each of them to the construction of a more just society.
Soft skills must be developed from the first years of a child’s life, and the educational institution has an important role in this process.
The educational proposal of the Cyberschool is to provide tools for the development of socio-emotional skills and competences, based on our life skills course.
