Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Suggested Pre-Workshop Activity for Instructors:
 Watch Youtube Video “Now Discover Strengths for Students”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxhRoyd86c (time: 5:27)
 Watch Youtube Video “The Strengths Based Approach - Experiencing Success In
Meaningful Ways”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGaEAzqWeQQ (time: 2:54)
Administrative Materials:
 Attendance and Assessment Form
 Handbook for Instructor
General Resources/Supplies:
 Laptop, LCD projector, screen, internet connection, speakers
 Name Cards
Required Teaching Resources:
 Power Point: Mission Transition Session Three
 Handouts:
 PowerPoint Handout
 Agent Field Journal (Participants to bring to workshop)
 Skills Instruction Battle with Learning Aids Scenario Cards
 Youtube video “The Strengths Based Approach - Experiencing Success In
Meaningful Ways” (time: 2:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGaEAzqWeQQ
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
pg. 1
Supporting Youth Transitions to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Begin Power Point Mission Transition Session Three
Slide #1: Title Page
Slide #2: Welcome back to Mission Transition Session Three!
Key points:
 Welcome, greetings and thanks for attendance
 Address housekeeping items such as refreshments and where the washrooms are
located.
Slide #3: Home/Fieldwork Activity Review: Analysis of Local/School District
Transition Planning Documentation
Key points: As EA’s, having confidence in investigative and analytical skills is highly
important. This activity was instrumental in fostering your ability to make an observation
in the field, think critically about your observations by comparing what you know on the
topic and to form questions about what is unknown to deepen your inquiry. This set of
skills is essential to performing in the field and is highly influential on the quality of
outcomes of your mission.
 Summary of learning outcomes
o
Applying knowledge of values and visions and disability models by
analyzing current educational information meant for families about
transition planning and;
o
Brainstorming ideas about SWOT (Strength, weaknesses, opportunities,
threats of school/district transition planning literature)
 Reflection Discussion- In Groups
o Challenges/Opportunities
o Aha moments
o New or added learning’s
o Questions raised
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Activity: Video The Strengths Based Approach - Experiencing Success In
Meaningful Ways (time: 2:55)
Key points: Perspectives largely influence outcomes. Specifically in the case of
mission: transition, EA’s who uphold strength-based values in practice, will facilitate
academic achievement and healthy social development for students in a safe, nurturing
and supportive learning environment.
Purpose: “Rather than the traditional perspective of engaging a person with a problem
orientation and risk focus, a strength-based approach seeks to understand and develop
the strengths and capabilities that can transform the lives of people in positive ways.”
(Resilience Initiatives, Mentalhealth4kids.ca, 2011)
Webpage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGaEAzqWeQQ



Contrasts traditional, needs-based model of care and strength-based model of
care
Needs-based approach sends message “I need to fix you” and eliminates the
opportunity for people being supported to face their own challenges and work at
managing them, learning important life lessons in the process
Strength-based perspectives help people supported to transform their own lives
in positive ways
Slide #4 and 5: Strength-based versus need’s based profiling
Key points:
 Strength-based versus needs based approach
o What is a strength-based approach? “A strength-based approach is a
positive psychology perspective that emphasizes the strengths,
capabilities and resources of a youth.” (Resilience Initiatives, 2011)
o What is a needs-based approach? A needs-based approach is a deficitmodel perspective that emphasizes the needs, limitations, challenges and
inabilities of a youth
o Why is this important? “If we ask people to look for deficits, they will
usually find them, and their view of the situation will be colored by this.
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
If we ask people to look for successes, they will usually find it, and their
view of the situation will be colored by this” (Kral, 1989).
Slide #6: The impacts of using a needs-based approach
Key points:
 “This dependency is disempowering and often results in the following outcomes:
o Labeling and therefore, limiting of options
o Obscuring the recognition of a youth’s unique capabilities and strengths
o Focusing on the “can not’s” as opposed to the “cans”
o Ignoring potential growth that can result from adversity
o Professionals prescribing programming rather than youth identifying their
own solutions
o Professionals looking for patterns, such as broken homes, dysfunctional
neighborhoods, and poverty, to explain difficulties
o Interventions lacking credibility to clearly show cause versus effect”
(Resilience Initiatives, Mentalhealth4kids.ca, 2011).
Slide #7 and 8: Strength-based Principles
Key points:
 An absolute belief that every student has potential. It is their unique strengths
and capabilities that will determine their evolving story as well as define who they
are;
 What we focus on becomes a student’s reality. Focus on what a student can do
as the starting point; not what they cannot do. See challenges as opportunities to
explore, not something to avoid;
 Be mindful that the language we use creates a reality – both for the educators
and the students (e.g., Saying – “It looks like you tried doing this exercise
another way let’s see how it worked for you.” As opposed to saying – “Did you
not hear what I told the other students?”);
 Belief that change is inevitable and all students can and will be successful;
 Positive change occurs in the context of authentic relationships. Students need to
know that school staff care and will be there unconditionally for them
 What a student thinks about themselves and their reality is primary – it is their
story. Therefore, educators must value and start the change process with what is
important to the student. It’s the student’s story that’s important, not the expert;
 Students have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (or to the
unknown) when they are invited to start with what they already know;
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
 Capacity building is a process and a goal. Effective and sustainable change is a
dynamic process one supports in cumulative ways that leads the youth to write
the next chapters of their story in meaningful ways;
 It is important to value differences and the essential need to collaborate.
Transformational change is a collaborative, inclusive and participatory process –
“It takes a village to raise a child”.”
(Resilience Initiatives, Mentalhealth4kids.ca, 2011)
Note: These strength-based principles are listed on page 11 in the field journal.
Key points: Feeling pressure of the demands in an EA’s day to day work is inevitable;
as agents, you hold a lot of responsibility and accountability to the school system, your
school-based team and the students and families you support. One great strategy to
counter job pressures is to harness the power of the strength-based vision and values
that we have been discussing. Utilizing this knowledge as a tool reduces pressures
because when you move your focus to one of abundance and internal capacity; of
individuals and of organizations, and to what can be done with the resources you have,
goals become realistic and achievable, which not only builds momentum towards larger
and more long-term goals, it increases the morale within your team and yourself as a
practitioner.
Slide #9: Using a Strength-based approach in Student Profiles
Key points: One strategy to put vision and values in to action is creating and using
strength-based communications. Student profiles are a key communication tool that
also are used as a map, similar to that of a transition plan matrix, that guide decision
making and intentional actions towards the fulfillment of student goals and aspirations.
As EA’s, you are one of your student’s greatest allies. Using a strength-based approach
contributes to developing positive relationships with your student and in turn, will
increase the potential for positive outcomes in day to day work and transition plan goals.
 What is a student profile? A student profile is a summary document highlighting a
student’s capacity; including but not limited to academic achievement, learning
styles and strengths, interests, talents, gifts and abilities, and visions and goals
for the future.
 Developing a student profile using a strength-based approach fits well with
person-centered philosophies
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
 Student Profiles are key sources of information to be used for planning transition
related educational experiences and educational delivery
 Student Profiles are tools for sharing student specific information with key
transition team members
 Developing Student Profiles with direct student participation promotes his or her
healthy self-esteem development and builds momentum in the transition planning
process and plans engagement by all transition team members, including the
student.
 Student Profiles create transition team synergy by using strength-based studentcentred information to help focus transition goals in to specific activities and
assigned responsibility and time lines among transition team members
Slide #10: Overview of 4 Domains- Employment, Careers & Education,
Independent Living and Social Life
Key points: There are four distinct domains every EA needs to consider when
supporting mission: transition. EA’s, we must think about support as the “whole” person
because if we do not, and focus more on one domain than another, transition planning
will not reflect a natural balanced life. This is the highest aim after all; that students
launch in to adult life where he or she is active and connected to people and have
opportunities in each domain to help him or her grow, develop and achieve their highest
potential.
 Holistic life and connection to quality life indicators
 Keeping high expectations for a whole life
 Promoting Independence and Choice
o Fostering self-determination and self-advocacy skills for life
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
pg. 6
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Slides #11 and 12: Hard Skills versus Soft Skills Development
Key points:
 What are soft and hard skills?
o Soft skills is a term often associated with a person's "EQ" (Emotional
Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces,
communication, language, personal habits, and interpersonal that enable
someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.
(Wikipedia, 2015)
o Hard skills refer to the specific knowledge and abilities required for
success in a job and are more tangible and quantifiable than soft skills
such as transportation skills, keyboarding skills, numeracy skills, writing
skills, etc.
 Why are teaching soft and hard skills important for transition planning?
o Soft skills are important to transition planning because building off of what
students already know and demonstrate in their behaviours will help
students to successfully connect with other people and develop healthy
relationships with others in all domains of their lives and to develop a
healthy relationship with themselves.
o Particularly important in employment. Employers are known to say “we can
teach the hard skills, but employees must come with soft skills”.
o Teaching hard skills are important to transition planning because they play
a vital part in adaptive behaviours with the four domains of a student’s life
and contribute to greater independence and control of their lives. This is
an excellent strategy for combatting learned helplessness.
Definition of Learned Helplessness:
Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which a person comes to
believe that they have no control over a situation, that they are helpless. The
individual is passive in unpleasant and dangerous circumstances even when they
have the power to improve the situation. They believe they don’t have any control
so they don’t bother to try to make any changes (Lahmann, 2008).
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Slide #13: Instruction for Hard and Soft Skills
Key points: Just as effective instructional strategies are one of your most coveted tools
in practice as agents, effective hard and soft skills are a student’s best tool in achieving
success, not only in transitioning from high school but in their everyday life, now and in
the future. Refer to slide for notes.
Engage participants in discussion about his or her current approach to skills
development and universal design for learning. What examples in practice can they
draw from that highlight successes or challenges?
Slide #14: Transition Skills Development for Life Domains
Key points: In the case of mission: transition, linking individual youth IEP and transition
plan goals to a transition plan matrix and deploying instructional strategies to target hard
and soft skill development is the essence of your role in this mission.
 Day to day activities link to Youth IEP and Transition Plan
 Using IEP’s, transition plan and student profiles to identify targeted skills, potential
instructional strategies and learning aids
 Activities following a matrix targets soft and hard skills in four transition domains:
o Employment
o Education and Careers
o Independent Living
o and Social Life Domains
Slides #15 and 16: Safety skills: requisite skills for independence
Key points: Being “safe” is a concept that must be taught targeting each domain of a
student’s life in order for that student to gain more independence and control over his or
her life. Agents, think of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Achieving personal safety is
paramount to feeling a sense of love, belonging, developing healthy self-esteem and
going on to realize your fullest potential, which Maslow calls “self-actualization” at the
peak of his theory’s diagram. Without safety skills, they will not reach this peak.
 Teach students it is their right to be safe and in their ability to protect themselves,
is the biggest self-protection tool they have
 Teaching safety begins with assessing how a youth is moving, thinking, perceiving,
and communicating in their environments (start where youth is in terms of safety
behaviours)
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
 Begin with foundational safety skills:
o spatial awareness
o stranger awareness
o hazard awareness
o personal boundaries awareness
 Next, determine where safety skills are needed:
o Internet
o Home
o Workplace
o Community
o Transportation
o Personal Health
 Next, select teaching strategies for teaching safety to youth and adults with
disabilities. Remember to select the instructional method(s) that bet fit the
student’s unique learning style.
Role Plays
Worksheets
Comic
Strips/Stories
Peer Discussions
and sharing
experiences
Video’s
Demonstrations
Real-life
scenarios
Guided imagery
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
pg. 9
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Slide #17: Preparing Hard and Soft Skill Instruction
Key points: Planning for intentional activities in hard and soft skills instruction is an
important component of a transition plan. With the need to accommodate a unique
learner and with goals to target skills development that span four life domains, EA’s
need to be aware of multiple instructional strategies for teaching hard and soft skills;
how to select instructional strategies that will be most effective for a student’s learning
and what learning supports may best complement the instructional strategy chosen and
the students learning style.
o Introduce instructional strategies and complimentary learning supports for
commonly targeted hard and soft skills in each of the four life domains
(graphic found on next page and page 13 of field journal)
o Many hard and soft skills are transferable between each life domain therefore
same or similar instructional strategies and learning supports can be used
o Selecting instructional strategies and learning supports to compliment skill
instruction can depend on “goodness of fit” for individual students or;
o If instruction is for a group of students, selecting instructional strategies and
learning aids to compliment skill instruction that combine audio-visual and
kinaesthetic learning styles is generally recommended.
Slide #18 Mitigating Risk
Key points:
 Mitigating risk:
 Skills development is inherent of risk taking; both on part of student
and the transition team
 Begin planning targeted skill development by identifying safety issues
associated with a targeted skill. Determine instructional strategies
and learning aids to assist in teaching “safety” to specific targeted
skill. Preliminary skills instruction should always focus on safety first!
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
pg. 10
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Activity: Skills Instruction Battle with Learning Support Tool
Purpose: Teaching soft and requisite transition skills are paramount to achieving
positive outcomes for students living with disabilities transitioning from high school.
Research shows that the earlier targeted life skills development takes place for diverse
learners, the more likely he or she will have quality of life markers visible in their lives
after high school. In Skills Instruction Battle with Learning Support Tool (copy found on
next page), participants will practice a variety of instructional strategies using a
variety of learning tools that they can use in the field to support soft and pre-requisite
skills development and learn how to adapt instruction to meet the individual learning
style of the student.
Supplies:
 Skills Instruction Battle with Learning Support Tool Scenario Cards
 Paper
 Pens and markers
 Field Journal
 Timer
Arrange groups of four. Give each group 2 Skills Instruction Battle with Learning
Support Tools Scenario Cards. Ask participants not to read cards. Ensure groups have
pens, markers and paper to construct learning aids. Encourage participants to use the
instructional strategies for skills development section in his or her field journal as
needed.
With scenario cards faced down, select two participants in the group to “battle” and
which participant of the pair will demonstrate skill instruction first. Inform groups that
each participant has 1 minute to demonstrate an instructional strategy of their choosing
based on the scenario card and that he or she may use paper and pens/markers to
creating learning aids to use in their demonstration. Watching participants will manage
timer. When pair completes 3 battle rounds switch scenario cards and battling pairs.
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Transition Skills: Learning Support Tool for EA’s
Instructional Strategies




Provide information in a variety of forms
Model desired skills and outcomes
Hard skills:
Diverse demonstrations
 Effective language
Provide examples to help
 Foreign language
transfer learning
 Computer/technology
 Peer Assessment
 Writing
Learning
Tools
 Task analysis
 Written
 Concrete
pictures
 Visual schedule/
sequence of
skill related task
 Video’s
 YouTube
 Instructional
 Self-filming






 Literacy & Numeracy
 Using Tools
 Organizational
 Using transportation
 Certifications
Instructional Strategies
 Review/Check for prior knowledge
 Direct instruction
 Guided practice
Effective language

Independent
practice
Hygiene

Oral
drill
and
practice
Using transportation

Simulations
Money/Numeracy & Literacy
Hard skills:




 Cooking
 Housekeeping
 Telephone/Technology
 Managing expenses &
Paying bills
Independent Living
Employment
Transition
Skills
Education & Careers
Soft skills:
 Safety & Personal Boundaries
 Relationships & Interpersonal
 Communication & Literacy
 Critical thinking
 Problem solving
Technology tools
 Decision making
Use graphic organizers
 Teamwork
Group/Individual Instruction
 Enthusiasm
Large/Small Group Instruction
 Lifelong learning
Problem-Solving
Cooperative Learning
Instructional Strategies
Social Life
Soft skills:
















Learning
Tools
Graphic organizers
Games
Stories
Pictures/flashcards
Actual objects
Audio aids
 CD’s/tape
recordings
 Self-recording
 PowerPoint
 EA! (Fade support)
Safety & Personal Boundaries
Relationships & Interpersonal
Communication & Literacy
Technology
 Critiquing activities
Critical thinking
 Reflective activities
Problem solving
 Compare/contrast activities
Decision making

Link
new information and/or
Social graces
skills
to
prior knowledge (build
Cooperation
background)
Helpfulness
 Observations & discussion
Instructional Strategies
Instructional strategies retrieved at:
http://www1.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/IS/tools_for_planning/instructional_strategies.htm
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Slide #19: Summative Assessment
Key point: For those EA’s who seek a certificate of completion for this learning option,
you are required to hand in a completed summative assessment at the beginning of
session four. This assessment will demonstrate your field readiness as a special agent
trained to successfully carry out Mission: Transition.
Purpose: To evaluate participant learning and skill acquisition at the end of this learning
option, using the summative assessment rubric.
Supplies:




Summative Assessment Handout and Rubric (previously handed out)
Pen/pencil
Sample Transition Matrix from session one (previously handed out)
Field Journal
Instructions: Write a section of a Transition Plan including transition/life goals,
targeting one domain of your choice using a strength-based approach. Include a
task/activity matrix that targets skills development as related to identified transition goal
(1 page). Provide rationale on selected skills training and short description of support
tools or accommodations needed for learning the selected skill area (1 page).
Activity: Ball Toss Reflection and Goal Setting
Key point: Remember EA’s, debriefing is a vital part of fieldwork. Every agent must
start with dialing in to themselves first before they can share out their inner dialogue
with other team members.
Purpose: This activity will assist participants with workshop reflection and field-based
S.M.A.R.T goal setting.
Supplies:
 Small soft or rubber ball or bean bag
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
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Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers & Independence
(12 hours) - Session Three
Facilitate a workshop reflection and field-based S.M.A.R.T goal setting. Start by tossing
the ball/bean bag to one participant. Ask him or her to make one reflective statement
based on his or her experience in the session. Instruct her to toss the ball to a peer who
will make his or her own statement. This will continue until everyone has participated.
Now ask the participants to open their field journal to page 14 and write their reflective
statement and one goal they will carry forward in to practice based on the learning’s that
resonated for them. Ask the participants to write this goal in their field journal and do so
in S.M.A.R.T terms. Write out the acronym in full description on a white board or state
verbally: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
Thank the participants for their full participation and contribution to the learning session.
Inform participants that the field/homework assessments must be completed and
returned in the beginning of the next session.
Supporting Youth Transition to Employment, Careers and Independence
Fall 2015
pg. 14