Overview For Teachers

FLEXIBILITY: The ability to adapt; display a teachable heart and willingness to change or compromise; to be receptive to new information; the ability to learn from mistakes for the benefit of self and the employer.

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PURPOSE: Upon completion of this module, the student will understand the importance of flexibility and the role it plays in their future success in life . In addition, the objectives listed below should be met.

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OBJECTIVES:

 Ability to understand the importance of being flexible in life

 Ability to become a lifelong learner

 Ability to change and compromise with others

 Ability to learn from their mistakes

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OVERVIEW:

This module focuses on teaching students the importance of being flexible . Students will work to improve these skills through activities and guided discussions with their class . They will discuss topics such as being flexible in the workplace, the importance of adapting at work, learning from their mistakes and being a lifelong learner.

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TEACHERS: WHAT ARE YOU OBSERVING?

What does Flexibility look like in the classroom or in school in general? A great way to answer this and get things going is through engagement with the students. Ask your students these questions:

1. What does flexibility look like in school?

2. How does your flexibility affect people around you? Example: teachers, classmates, family, etc.

3. What does flexibility look like within your learning?

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RELEVANCY OF FLEXIBILITY:

Employers are actively seeking out individuals who are flexible to changing circumstances and environments , who embrace new ideas, and who are resourceful and adaptable. Being flexible is one of the top characteristics employers are looking for in new employees.

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LESSON:

How to Handle Your Mistakes at Work
Time Allocation: 20 minutes
Materials/Resources: chart paper, markers, paper, pens/ pencils , computers / tablets/ smartphones ( students - optional)

 

WATCH THE VIDEO:

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ANTICIPATORY SET IDEA:

 Write the following quote on the whiteboard:

     o “Make mistakes. Learn from them. Move on.” – Unknown

 Students will read this quote as they walk in the classroom and it will start their thinking process about learning from failures.

DIRECT INSTRUCTION:

 Ask students to raise their hand if they’ve never made a mi stake before – hopefully no one raises their hand.

 Ask students to raise their hand if they’ve made a mistake at home and then ask if they’ve made a mistake at school.

     o All of the students should have their hands raised.

 Tell students that obviously no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. As they grow older and go into the workforce, they will make mistakes there as well and that’s ok! The most important part isn’t the fact that they never make mistakes but what’s more important is how they handle the mistakes they make.

 Tell students that depending on what job they have, people will know about the mistake you make, especially if you are in a leadership position.

     o So how do you handle this professionally?

 Inform students of the following steps on how to handle their mistakes at work – it would be helpful to write these on the whiteboard or to have students write them down as you discuss them.

     o Everyone is watching how you respond to your mistake.

          In the days/ weeks following, all eyes will be on you.

          Stay strong and turn the mess into something good.

     o Forgive yourself.

          Remember: no one is perfect – we all make mistakes.

     o Take responsibility.

          Don’t shed tears; instead, talk about how you will do things differently in the future – show others that you can and will learn

            from your mistake.

     o Don’t blame others – even if they are partially to blame.

          Leave it to them to own up to their part – don’t “ throw anyone under the bus.”

     o Fix it yourself.

          Correct the mistake yourself as much as possible. Don’t let your mistake make more work for other people.

     o Model the way you’d like others to respond.

          Let go and move on. Project a confident, full recovery from the mistake.

GUIDED ACTIVITY:

 Put students into paired groups and have them answer the following questions by referring back to the steps that were just discussed.

     o What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made

     ? o How did you handle making this mistake? How did you respond?

     o If you could go back in time, how would you have handled it differently?

     o Did you complete all of the steps that were discussed in handling your mistake? If not, what steps did you miss and how could you

         have completed them?

 When finished, have a few students volunteer to share their answers to the questions and what they discussed with their partner.

 Make sure students understand that no one is perfect, they are going to make mistakes in life and that’s ok. They just need to know how to handle them professionally so it won’t hurt them in the long run.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

 Technology Use: Create a short survey with Survey Monkey to check for understanding with the students that they will complete before they leave for the day.

 Non-Technology: Use: 3 -2 -1: Students will reflect on the lesson and on a piece of paper they will write down 3 things they learned, 2 things they want to know more about , and 1 questions they have.

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ETHICAL SCENARIO--Optional (if not using, skip  to "review and closing")

The Ethical Choice Scenarios have been developed to provide teachers with the ability to make the material applicable to real-life and relevant to the students. Within this guide, directions and prompts for the teacher will be in BLUE for ease of facilitation.

 

READ THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO OUT LOUD TO THE STUDENTS: 

HALF DONE

You have really enjoyed helping to set up events at the conference center where you work . Now you’ve been given the opportunity to do an event on your own. You started out certain that you were doing everything right and that it was going to be successful; however, the closer you get to the actual event, you realize that you have made a mistake . You told your boss that this event would sell out and not only has it not, out of the 200 total available seats, only 98 are sold. So not even half are sold and you find yourself having a hard time admitting that you have made a mistake. Your boss is heading into the office this morning for an update on things. So judgment time – are you going to be honest and share with your boss what you have learned from this mistake or are you going to try to hide the mistake altogether? The clock is ticking and on the day of the event, your boss will certainly notice that half the room is empty!

ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (display them to the class if necessary)

1. How many of you have already been faced with this scenario in real life?

2. What are possible positive or negative consequences for your company?

3. What are possible positive or negative consequences for you, depending on your decision?

GUIDED DISCUSSION: ASK STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION AND HOW THEY
ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

NOTE 1 : To help facilitate discussion, share any personal experiences you may have encountered with this same sort of issue.

NOTE 2 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students ,“ If you were to decide to try to hide this from your boss, hoping sales got better before the event, what happens if ticket sales don’t come through?”

NOTE 3 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students , “ What values do you think are in tension here, why is it an ethical dilemma?”

CLOSING DISCUSSION: ASK THE STUDENT, “ HOW IS LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES PART OF YOUR ABILITY TO BE FLEXIBLE AS A LEADER ?”

REVIEW AND CLOSING:

 Read the following quote out loud to the students:

    o “ If you want to grow, you need to get over any fear you may have of making mistakes.” – John C. Maxwell

 Have a few students share their thoughts about this quote.

 

CORRELATION TO OBSERVATION TOOL: The Frequency Observation Tool (FOT) has a category where students will be observed and rated on their ability to learn from their mistakes. This lesson will give them the opportunity to define steps to take to recover from a mistake at work.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IDEAS
-Visual: Visual learners will benefit from having the steps written down on the whiteboard or on a piece of paper.

-Auditory: Auditory learners will benefit from the class and partner discussions.

-Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners could benefit by writing down any important information.

-ESL: ESL students would benefit from having a partner to assist them in the writing activity in case they have questions or need clarification.

-At-risk: At -risk students would benefit from the constant interaction with their group and the class to help keep them engaged and on task .

-Advanced: Advanced learners could benefit from the lesson by assisting other students who are struggling with certain concepts in the lesson.

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