Managing a SCANS Classroom

This workshop is intended for instructors and administrators of academic and vocational adult education programs who want to help students learn skills at school that translate to success in the workplace. In 1991, the U.S. Secretary of Labor convened a group (the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, or SCANS) to determine the qualities students need to be successful on the job now and in the future. The SCANS report identifies three foundation skills (basic skills, thinking, and personal qualities) and five competencies (resources, interpersonal, information, systems, and technology) that employers look for in workers. In this three-hour workshop, teachers and administrators will learn to facilitate teams of students in simulated work environments where SCANS skills and competencies are taught and reinforced.

GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

Goal

The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with an understanding of and practice in integrating SCANS competencies into the classroom, using student SCANS-based work teams.

Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to

• Identify SCANS Foundation Skills and Competencies;
• Organize students into SCANS-based work teams;
• Demonstrate the roles of team members in a SCANS-based lesson;
• Build SCANS-based work team participation into lesson plans; and
• Integrate strategies for assessment into classroom practice.