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: whiteboard, markers, paper, pens/pencils, computers/tablets/smartphones (students - optional)ional)

 

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 mistake 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: Obsurvery: Create a survey, poll, or questionnaire to send to the students that will give you immediate feedback about the student’s level of understanding.

 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: 

NEW VIEWS
You have really enjoyed getting to know the new student and are pleased to find out he is going to be in your project group for one of your classes. For this project, you are discussing some pretty complex ethical issues like abortion, immigration, homelessness, gender identity, etc. The two of you have very different backgrounds and come from different cultures. As your group starts discussions, you see you have very different points of view. You know it is important to be receptive to new information and to learn about other’s perspectives – but it is hard. What should you do?

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

1. In being flexible, does it mean that you have to eventually agree?
2. Even when disagreeing on issues, can you learn from another person’s perspective?
3. What are some of the ways you could show flexibility in this situation?
4. How might you adapt in this situation to be mindful of your communication and the impact it could have?
5. How could this situation relate to the workplace?

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, “What are some positive outcomes of having diversity in groups?”

NOTE 3 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students, “Just because you don’t agree with someone, does it make them wrong?”

CLOSING DISCUSSION: ASK THE STUDENT , “HOW DOES YOUR ABILITY TO INTERACT WITH DIVERSE PEOPLE INCREASE YOUR FLEXIBLITY?”

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 watching the other groups role play and from creating a list of conflicts on chart paper with their group.

-Auditory: Auditory learners will benefit from listening to the role play scenarios and from the class discussion to end the lesson.

-Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners will benefit from the movement involved in acting out their scenario. They would also benefit from being the scribe for their group.

-ESL: ESL students will benefit from working in the small group in case they have questions or need clarification. They would also benefit from writing out their script for the role play.

-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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