By Mayra
Yaranga Hernández
Tolerance, social
perception, empathy, emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, critical
thinking and others are part of a set of crucial skills we all need to survive
in a world filled with materialism and vanity. We all know these skills are
essential to adapt to a rapidly changing world but, are we born with them? Can
we learn to develop them? Can they be taught? And if so, can they be measured
somehow?
The World Economic Forum, through its Future of Jobs Report
2018, suggests that by 2022 the top skills people must have will be: analytical
thinking and innovation; active learning and active strategies; creativity,
originality and initiative; technology design and programming; critical
thinking and analysis. As we can see, most of them are soft skills. If the aim
of education were to develop them, would it be possible to insert them in the
context of a classroom? To be more precise, do they have a place in an EFL
lesson?
Current knowledge on soft skills tells us that they are not
really teachable –-that we are somehow born with them-– and that they are
common to all human activity. It is also agreed that they are not easily
measured because they are of a more qualitative and subjective nature.
Therefore, it may seem that their application in an English classroom is not
feasible. On the other hand, if asked, teachers would probably say they all
develop these skills to a certain extent when they promote leadership,
tolerance or empathy. I would argue that this is true, though the key word here
is “promote”, which is different from “teach” and sounds a lot less
overwhelming! This could be done on a daily basis and without any explicit
instruction: a hidden curriculum for the benefit of students.
Given their importance, then, we should reflect on ways to
promote soft skills in our daily work. An example could be how we encourage
active listening: we could ask students to talk about something personal, and
then ask their partners to report it to the whole class in as much detail as
possible, including personal reactions to what they heard. It may sound rather
obvious, but for some students this is quite challenging, as they are not used
to paying too much attention to their peers. Furthermore, the next step would
be to discuss ways to address soft skills with colleagues, in order to find common
best practices and set criteria to assess them in a way as objective as
possible. Perhaps, in our current world filled with emotionless technology,
this could be the light at the end of the tunnel: a way to create the human
beings the world needs.
Now
it’s your turn
What
do YOU think?
Do
you promote soft skills in your lessons? How?
Biodata
Mayra Yaranga (1985) has completed Doctorate studies in Education at UNIFÉ; Master’s Degree in Media, Culture and Identity from Roehampton University (London) revalidated by PUCP, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education - UPCH and the Professional Title of Licenciada - IPNM. Currently she is Cambridge Oral Examiner and Member of the Research Area for Universidad del Pacífico Language Centre. She is also ESP coordinator and Pre-University Centre Director at UNIFÉ.
Mayra Yaranga (1985) has completed Doctorate studies in Education at UNIFÉ; Master’s Degree in Media, Culture and Identity from Roehampton University (London) revalidated by PUCP, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education - UPCH and the Professional Title of Licenciada - IPNM. Currently she is Cambridge Oral Examiner and Member of the Research Area for Universidad del Pacífico Language Centre. She is also ESP coordinator and Pre-University Centre Director at UNIFÉ.
