With spring break in the rearview mirror, students and educators know that “destination summer” is just ahead. And for many, that anticipation causes a slight slowdown as it’s not uncommon for students to lose focus and motivation at the end of the year.
How can you help your students finish the school year strong?
“With a month and a half to go, many students and teachers are tired. But there are ways to make those last few weeks memorable and meaningful,” said Annabelle Davey, Teacher Trainer at ASU Prep Digital.
Davey, a former middle and high school science teacher, shared the importance of goal setting and the power of developing action plans.
“There are strategies you can use to help students set goals and check if progress is made—whether long-term goal setting for the future, or how to cross the finish line this school year.”
That’s one of the reasons why the Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute (AZVTI) created the professional training workshop, Equipping Students for Future Success.
College and Career Readiness
The other part of the training focuses on exploring ways to identify students’ interests and strengths, and why career and college readiness is vital.
Equipping Students for Future Success provides teachers of all grades with strategies they can use to encourage students to think about what is possible. Getting to know the student and building that relationship is the first step. The two-hour course provides resources that can be used to help students identify their strengths.
Additionally, the workshop connects how to build opportunities for students to practice other skills that will be important to them. Soft skills such as creativity, collaboration, adaptation, leadership skills, and time management.
“Hard skills are important, yes, but no matter what job they have, soft skills are applicable,” said Davey, who referred to a recent study that said 75 percent of long-term job success comes down to soft skills.
“Having conversations about future careers, even when only in elementary school, helps students to open their eyes to possibilities,” she added. “It’s hard to imagine, but the jobs for our students in K-8…a lot is changing, and the jobs of the future don’t exist yet.”
Upcoming Workshop: Equipping Students for Future Success
AZVTI is pleased to offer Equipping Students for Future Success on Saturday, April 1, from 9-11 a.m. (PST). Participants will earn 2.0 hours of Professional Development credit for attending this session. Click here to enroll.
Educators and leaders can take advantage of AZVTI training resources which are provided at no cost to Arizona K-12 educators through the generous investment of the Arizona Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, Helios Education Foundation and Arizona State University.
“Every kid can take a path to college,” said Davey. “The question is, how can we help make those connections for them to start now and find opportunities based on what they’re interested in?”
If you’d like to learn more about Equipping Students for Future Success or explore other professional development training opportunities, please visit the ASU Prep Digital Training Calendar.
