FAQs
Frequently-Asked Questions about Soft Technical Skills Lesson Plans
- What are Soft Technical Skills?
- What's the difference between "soft" skills and "hard" skills?
- What's the difference between soft skills and soft "technical" skills?
- What are Soft Technical Skills lesson plans
- What is an occupational skills set?
- Are these Soft Technical Skills about the same as Employability Skills?
- What's in a Soft Technical Skill lesson plan?
- What's an eText?
- What is the reading level of the eTexts?
- How do students get access to the online eText?
- What's included in an ePlan?
- How does an instructor get access to the online lesson ePlan?
- How many times can a student take the Practice eQuiz for a specific lesson?
- Why the eSurvey of attitude?
- A student took the Attitude eSurvey only to be told responses were not consistent. What gives?
- How much does a subscription to a lesson cost?
- Do I have to subscribe to a lesson for each of my students?
- How long do I have access to a lesson I've subscribed to?
- Can my institution subscribe to a group of lessons for several instructors?
- How may a lesson be used?
- What are "GARFIELD Days?"
- How much classroom time does a lesson typically need?
- How up-to-date is the content in these lessons?
- What's the deal on the Comprehensive Performance Examination?
- How does a successful candidate get credentialed?
- What does it mean to be "technical?"
- What does it mean to be "competent?"
- Why were these lessons developed?
- For whom were these lessons developed?
- Who writes these lessons?
- What does "Training with a dash of education" mean?
- What is "soft skills stew?"
- What's the difference between training and education?
- What are Enrichment Learning Activities?
- Are there any "big picture" messages in the lessons?
- What are non-cognitive aspects?
- How about these Common Core Standards?
- What are PARCC and SMARTER BALANCED?
- What is P21?
- What is a "flipped classroom?"
- What are "middle skills?"
- What is the Lesson Up-date Net-work?
- What is the Soft Technical Skills Institute?
- Do lessons contribute to learning standards?
- As a learner, where can I find an instructor?
- What's in the Designing a Career lesson?
- What's in the Getting a Job lesson?
- What's in the Climbing the Career Ladder lesson?
- What's in the Learning on the Job lesson?
What are Soft Technical Skills?
Soft Technical Skills are core technical competencies. These are advanced technical skills that apply to nearly every job in every occupation in every industry. They require instruction for understanding and application. U.S. State Directors of Career and Technical Education at careerclusters.org refer to these as essential knowledge & skills, an academic foundation, a common core required for career success. Every technician needs basic competence on all of these topics.
What's the difference between "soft" skills and "hard" skills?
"Hard" technical skills usually require physical tools, while "soft" technical skills require mental tools. For example, the hard skills for an automotive technician usually requires physical tools like wrenches and electronic diagnostics to name only two, while the soft skills for that same automotive technician usually requires mental tools like teamwork and common sense, to name only two. The focus of each lesson is to make the "mental tools" into habits of thought for use on the job.
What's the difference between soft skills and soft "technical" skills?
When arranged along a continuum, soft skills tend to be more abstract, while soft technical skills tend to be more concrete. Examples of soft skills may include empathy toward others, appreciation of abstract art, creative expression, existentialism, and similar skills used in life. Examples of soft technical skills include team working, confidentiality, critical thinking, ethics on the job, and similar skills used in earning a living. Some people contend that soft skills can only be learning by completing a bachelor or higher degree. That may be true, but soft technical skills can be learned by an adult desirous of a career. Every lesson plan for a soft technical skill contains a discrete body of knowledge with precise terms defined in context. In addition, every lesson plan includes a standard operating procedure and job aid for how to do the job task.
What are Soft Technical Skills lesson plans
Soft Technical Skills lesson plans are a series of online lesson plans for teaching generic technical competencies, which are technical skills needed by every worker in every occupation and in every industry.
What is an occupational skills set?
A skills set is the "know how" of an occupational competency, consisting of contextual knowledge, positive attitudes, and mental and physical procedures and techniques rendered into on-the-job habits. Every Lesson-Up lesson plan produces a skills set in the soft technical skill.
Are these Soft Technical Skills about the same as Employability Skills?
What's in a Soft Technical Skill lesson plan?
Every lesson contains these five components:
What's an eText?
An eText is the subject matter of the lesson. Every eText is:
What is the reading level of the eTexts?
The reading level of the eTexts varies slightly, but is generally at a USA 8th to 10th grade level, with a Sentence Complexity of about 20 and a Vocabulary Complexity of about 30 out of 100 (which is the most difficult). The exact reading level is shown on the last page of each eText. Reading levels range from the lowest at grade 7.67 for the Job Aid Lesson, up to the highest at grade 10.4 for the Confidentiality lesson. For context, USA TODAY has a reading level of about grade 6, while MOTOR TRENDS magazine has a reading level about grade 13. Certain Child Care text books have reading levels as high as grade 18 due to technical terms regarding brain development in children.
How do students get access to the online eText?
Ask each leaner go online to Lesson-Up.net. In the upper-right hand corner of the HOME page is a box labeled Student Login. Ask each learner to enter his/her name and email address.
What's included in an ePlan?
Every ePlan contains classroom learning activities which augment and reinforce the subject matter in the eText. Every ePlan contains:
How does an instructor get access to the online lesson ePlan?
Go online to Lesson-Up.net. In the upper-right-hand corner of the HOME page is a box labeled Instructor Login. Enter the instructor's name and email address.
How many times can a student take the Practice eQuiz for a specific lesson?
A student may take the Practice eQuiz twice, once as a pre-test and second as a post-test. Students should be cautioned to finish the entire lesson before taking the post-eQuiz.
Why the eSurvey of attitude?
The purpose of the eSurvey is to measure each student's attitude toward the particular soft technical skill. A person's success in an occupation/career of choice is almost directly correlated to her/her work attitude. One of an instructor's tasks is to help student improve their work attitudes. Every lesson attempts to assist in that goal with the inclusion of music, humor/cartoons, and other positive aspects. The eSurvey helps students discover their attitudes and exhibit ever-more-positive attitudes. (See Attitude on the Job lesson for more information.)
A student took the Attitude eSurvey only to be told responses were not consistent. What gives?
The Attitude eSurvey is designed to give an accurate assessment of each student's attitude toward the particular technical competency. If a student is not consistent, such as merely marking the same choice for every item, the eSurvey will advise the survey-taker accordingly. The eSurvey also detects other forms of survey-taking inaccuracies.
How much does a subscription to a lesson cost?
For an individual instructor, the introductory 30-day subscription price is $4.99 per lesson. That's per lesson, not per student. This includes the instructor and up to 20 students. That's only about 25 cents per student. You may subscribe to as few or as many lessons as you wish. This may be paid via PayPal.
Do I have to subscribe to a lesson for each of my students?
No. As an instructor, you can have up to 20 students on each lesson.
How long do I have access to a lesson I've subscribed to?
Thirty (30) days. The instructor will be reminded of the days remaining and given an opportunity to renew the subscription.
Can my institution subscribe to a group of lessons for several instructors?
Yes, institutional subscriptions are available. For an institution, such as a technical school, community college, in-house training, or similar entity, the introductory subscription flat-rate price is $499 for the institution's full-time instructors' access to all available lessons for twelve months or portion thereof. (Please see Terms-&-Conditions under PRICING on the Home Page.)
How may a lesson be used?
An instructor may use any lesson in any manner s/he chooses. They may use all or part. The simplest is to teach the lesson by following the ePlan's deductive approach by using the eText's Key Questions sequentially. An instructor may choose to skip around the eText's Key Questions focusing on those which are the most relevant to the occupation/career of choice. Another option is that an instructor may choose to use only the eQuiz as a pre- and post-test prior to, and following, instruction. Or use the eSurvey as a way of focusing on developing positive work attitudes. Choices continue depending on the needs of the student and the instructor. Be creative!
What are "GARFIELD Days?"
GARFIELD ©by Jim Davis is a cartoon cat character that hates Mondays. "GARFIELD Days" are unique school days, such as before or after weekends, holidays, semester breaks, vacations, etc. For some students, focusing on school work on a GARFIELD Day can be difficult, so many technical instructors vary the curriculum by teaching a Soft Technical Skill on those days.
How much classroom time does a lesson typically need?
That varies depending on several factors, such as the length of the class period, the ability of the students, the prior experiences of the students, the number of students in the group, the content of the lesson, and others. However, instructors report that, on average, they spend about four one-hour periods on each lesson.
How up-to-date is the content in these lessons?
Every lesson's eText, ePlan, PowerPoint, eQuiz, and eSurvey are continuously being reviewed, renewed, and updated. New technical information, equipment, techniques, and skill standards emerge seemingly daily. Technical experts review the content on a periodic basis. When an instructor subscribes to a lesson, s/he can rest assured that they are teaching the most current information and won't need to buy new text books.
What's the deal on the Comprehensive Performance Examination?
Every student who successfully completes a lesson is eligible to take a comprehensive summative performance examination covering that lesson. This is a two-part exam. Part One is done online and consists of recognition and recall test items. Part Two is hard-copy and consists of test items requiring problem solving, creativity, design, and actual demonstration of skill performance. This hard-copy portion is sent, on request, to the instructor or a designated proctor at the institution. The exam is not timed, but must be completed within one school day. Completed examination forms are returned for grading. There is an additional charge of $10 for each student taking the Comprehensive Performance Exam.
How does a successful candidate get credentialed?
When a student successfully passes the Comprehensive Performance Examination, s/he is eligible to apply for credentialing from the Soft Technical Skills Institute (STSI) at the-stsi.com. The successful candidate receives a job aid app for his/her smart phone and a personalized wallet card attesting to his/her mastery of the competency. A sample is shown in each eText. The back of the wallet card provides a link to STSI. This describes in detail the competency standards the candidate mastered, which s/he can use in his/her occupational resume, during job interview, and/or during periodic performance evaluations while on the job.
What does it mean to be "technical?"
"Technical" is a term that describes a sophisticated occupational process which requires a specialized knowledge of tools, techniques, and terminology. This includes finite skills practiced into predictable habits with a positive mental attitude to successfully operate and manipulate the materials, equipment, and personnel involved.
What does it mean to be "competent?"
To be competent means a worker has sufficient knowledge, skills, habits, and positive attitude to be effectively and efficiently productive on the job.
Why were these lessons developed?
These lessons were developed to help employers and instructors provide prospective employees with quality technical instruction, resulting in successful employment and career advancement for every student.
For whom were these lessons developed?
The lessons were developed for instructors with varying degrees of experience and expertise. Such instructors may be in various technical training facilities and situations, such as:
Who writes these lessons?
Each lesson is written by a team of professionals, consisting of:
What does "Training with a dash of education" mean?
Every lesson focuses on training for a particular soft technical skills, but every lesson also contains supplemental educational instruction. This includes:
What is "soft skills stew?"
"Soft skills stew" is how some people view soft skills; everything in one pot. Like a stew comprised of meat, vegetables, and seasonings, some view soft skills (ethics, teamwork, critical thinking, job aids, and others) as all the skills blended together in one pot. Some erroneously refer to this as "professionalism." For them, learning such skills often requires a college education or more. The soft skills are, indeed, inter-related and interwoven, but each has a unique body of knowledge, key terms defined in an occupational context, and operational specifics. Partitioning such soft skills makes each easier to learn and master. Upon learning several soft skills, a technician naturally combines multiple soft skills into an operational and effective work pattern.
What's the difference between training and education?
There are several differences between training and education. Here are a few:
What are Enrichment Learning Activities?
Every ePlan contains suggested learning activities, but the ePlans for several lessons also contain Enrichment Learning Activities which add depth, extension, and more-intense academic rigor to the topic. For example, the ePlans for several Lessons contain an Enrichment Learning Activity on Statistical Analysis of Data. The ePlan for Ethics on the Job contains Enrichment Learning Activities on The Work Ethic and The Nature of Free Will. These Enrichment Activities foster further research and learning about the topic.
Are there any "big picture" messages in the lessons?
Yes, there are four "big picture" intended outcomes. The first is that every lesson, in some way, encourages learners to be creative on the job. Increasingly, the work place expects and rewards technical employees who are creative and inventive in becoming more effective and efficient in accomplishing job tasks. (See Creating on the Job lesson for more information.)
The second encourages learners to become a trainer of others. Training others not only sharpens one's own technical skills, but develops inter-personal skills, such as organizing subject matter, presenting to a group of peers, assessing progress, and others. (See Train the Trainer lesson for more information.)
The third encourages learners to become lead workers or supervisors of others, who perform similar technical tasks. This often involves hiring, training, and supervising others like themselves. (See Supervising lesson for more information.)
The fourth encourages learners to become self-employed. Almost every technical career lends itself in some way to being self-employed, to be freelance, to be a franchizee, to be an entrepreneur, or other form of self-directed employment. In doing so, s/he can become self-actualized and enjoy a feeling of accomplishment and self worth. (See Self-employment lesson for more information.)
What are non-cognitive aspects?
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NSAEP), an arm of NCES (National Center for Educational Statistics at nces.ed.gov/nationalreportcard/ defines non-cognitive aspects as background information about a student. There are three types of non-cognitive aspects.
How about these Common Core Standards?
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers in concert with the National Governors Association. In that regard, the CCSS are state standards with a national perspective, and not federal standards.
What are PARCC and SMARTER BALANCED?
PARCC is the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. PARCC and the SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM are competing consortia contracted nationally to design the assessment process which measures each student's progress toward meeting or exceeding the Common Core State Standards. Most states joined one of the consortia. For example, Illinois joined PARCC while Wisconsin joined SMARTER BALANCED.
What is P21?
P21 is an acronym for Partnership for 21st Century Skills at P21.org. P21 is also an acronym for Pre-Kindergarten through grade 21, which defines the span of schooling grades covered beginning with Pre-Kindergarten up through graduates levels of education and training. P21 provides teaching resources, such as a P21 Common Core Tool Kit.
What is a "flipped classroom?"
In a "flipped classroom," the instructor provides the instruction, usually in the form of a short, locally-produced video lecturette or demonstration, which students watch online before coming to class. Upon doing so, students come to class ready to discuss, practice, and apply the concepts through in-class learning activities. This is the reverse or flip version of a traditional classroom, in which learners come to class to hear a lecture, after which the leave and do home work. Every lesson plan contains step-by-step details on how to teach the soft technical skill by flipping your classroom.
What are "middle skills?"
"Middle skills," loosely defined, are those skills learned between receiving a high school diploma and a college bachelor degree. More precisely, middle skills are those skills needed for high-paying, high-tech jobs in manufacturing, medical, computer, and other industries, which are going unfilled. More precisely yet, middle skills are those hard and soft skills needed by employers to perform high-tech tasks. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review entitled Who Can Fix the "Middle-Skills" Gap?, about 69 million technicians - roughly 48% of the work force - have middle-skills jobs.
What is the Lesson Up-date Net-work?
What is the Soft Technical Skills Institute?
Do lessons contribute to learning standards?
As a learner, where can I find an instructor?
These lesson plans are designed to be used by an instructor with a group of students. Attempting to learn without an instructor is similar to taking an online course which merely tests the student's sense of dedication and self-motivation. Seek a local instructor from a community college, technical institute, job training agency, high school, or similar organization.
However, if you cannot locate an instructor, we'll find one for you. Contact us to get started today.
What's in the Designing a Career lesson?
What's in the Getting a Job lesson?
What's in the Climbing the Career Ladder lesson?
What's in the Learning on the Job lesson?
