Best Practices for Best Practices for WIL ProfessionalsWIL Professionals

Scott WeighartScott WeighartCareer Development and Communications Career Development and Communications

ConsultantConsultantNovember 16, 2010November 16, 2010

OutlineOutline Program ManagementProgram Management Pre-orientation PhasePre-orientation Phase Activity PhaseActivity Phase Reflection PhaseReflection Phase Building Relationships with Building Relationships with

EmployersEmployers

Program ManagementProgram Management

Question everything:Question everything: What do we do? Why do we What do we do? Why do we

do it? What are our goals?do it? What are our goals? Whose needs are we Whose needs are we

fulfilling?fulfilling? Are students and Are students and

employers on board with employers on board with processes?processes?

Do we have metrics to Do we have metrics to justify our requirements?justify our requirements?

Revamping pre-orientation Bottoming out in Spring 2004

Sense that class wasn’t workingMisinterpreting the problemWrestling with “millennial students”

Defining the Millennial Generation

Age group: 9-27 -- Successor to Generation X

CharacteristicsHigh expectations (“pressured,” “achieving”)

Likes structure (“sheltered,” “conventional”)

Technologically strong Highly attached to parents (“special,” “sheltered”)

Team-oriented

Program Management Program Management PhilosophyPhilosophy

Push high expectations button.Push high expectations button. Students do need “reality therapy.”Students do need “reality therapy.” Give students a high degree of Give students a high degree of

structure at first, but then wean them structure at first, but then wean them off of that need.off of that need.

Make pre-orientation activities Make pre-orientation activities interactive and visceral.interactive and visceral.

Get thorough feedback and act on it.Get thorough feedback and act on it.

Transitioning from Student to Employee

Debate: “A student with great grades is much more likely to perform well at work than a student with poor grades.”

Professional Behavior in the Workplace

Students overestimate ability to make adjustment to professional environments

Need to engage students with interactive teaching methods

The Chauffeur Exercise

Imagine this situation Imagine this situation really really happening to you: You live in Boston. happening to you: You live in Boston. have no car and no money to buy have no car and no money to buy one. However, you get offered a one. However, you get offered a great job that is located 45 minutes great job that is located 45 minutes away. It’s all highway driving and away. It’s all highway driving and intense during rush hour.intense during rush hour.

.

The Chauffeur ExerciseThe Chauffeur Exercise However, I have some great news: However, I have some great news:

The employer has agreed to provide The employer has agreed to provide you with a chauffeur! He is 17, just you with a chauffeur! He is 17, just got his license, has never driven on got his license, has never driven on the highway, but is enthusiastic, the highway, but is enthusiastic, confident, and eager to learn.confident, and eager to learn.

The Chauffeur Exercise

Take a few minutes to jot down a few thoughts on these two questions: 1. What is your emotional reaction

to the thought of having this chauffeur drive you to and from your new job every day?

2. Regardless of your reaction, how would you approach dealing with the chauffeur if you had no choice but to make the situation work?

The Chauffeur Exercise: The Chauffeur Exercise: ReflectionsReflections

Have you ever had a Have you ever had a situation in your career situation in your career in which you have been in which you have been “the chauffeur”?“the chauffeur”?

If you encountered If you encountered skepticism or negativity skepticism or negativity when joining a new when joining a new community of practice, community of practice, how did you overcome how did you overcome that?that?

Role Play Day

Great way to enliven and engage class

Give plenty of time for participants to study roles and get in character

Two favorite role plays: “The First Meeting” “The Twin Terrors”

Activity PhasesActivity Phases

Orientation Orientation Navigation Navigation Mastery Mastery Excellence Excellence Closure Closure

We identify We identify themes themes and and coping coping skills skills for each phasefor each phase

Activity Phase: Educator Activity Phase: Educator OptionsOptions

Frequency of contact?Frequency of contact? Timely e-mail blastsTimely e-mail blasts Firm visitsFirm visits Real-time reflectionReal-time reflection Journaling requirementJournaling requirement Evening meetingsEvening meetings TroubleshootingTroubleshooting

Reflection: Best Reflection: Best PracticesPractices

Reflection: An area that Reflection: An area that frustrates most educatorsfrustrates most educators

Dilemma: Labor intensiveness of Dilemma: Labor intensiveness of doing it rightdoing it right

Capstone versus holistic Capstone versus holistic approachapproach

Reflection: Best Reflection: Best PracticesPractices

Metacognition and knowledge Metacognition and knowledge transfertransferFocus on learning: technical Focus on learning: technical

skills, non-technical skills, skills, non-technical skills, and self-awarenessand self-awareness

Review top Review top accomplishments and accomplishments and developmental needsdevelopmental needs

Use BBI approach to come Use BBI approach to come full circlefull circle

Using Behavioral-Based Using Behavioral-Based Stories In The Reflection Stories In The Reflection

ProcessProcess Way to facilitate metacognition Way to facilitate metacognition

while building interviewing skills for while building interviewing skills for future job searchesfuture job searches

Ask candidates to focus on specific Ask candidates to focus on specific “top accomplishment” during “top accomplishment” during practice-oriented experiencepractice-oriented experience

Be ready to probe repeatedly to get Be ready to probe repeatedly to get vivid storyvivid story

BBI TipsBBI Tips Think STORY, not EXAMPLE… not STAR. Whether in a movie or book, a good story

usually begins with a CONFLICT, PROBLEM, or CHALLENGE.

A story starts at a specific moment in time.

Stories should include ABC details (affective, behavioral, and cognitive)

Story’s conflict needs to reach resolution. Choice of story reveals as much as the

story itself

A quote from A quote from Jerome BrunerJerome Bruner

““It has been the convention of most It has been the convention of most schools to treat the arts of narrative—schools to treat the arts of narrative—song, drama, fiction, theater, whatever—song, drama, fiction, theater, whatever—as more ‘decoration’ than necessity, as more ‘decoration’ than necessity, something with which to grace leisure… something with which to grace leisure… Despite that, we frame the accounts of Despite that, we frame the accounts of our cultural origins and our most our cultural origins and our most cherished beliefs in story form, and it is cherished beliefs in story form, and it is not just the ‘content’ of these stories not just the ‘content’ of these stories that grip us, but their narrative artifice.that grip us, but their narrative artifice.

A Quote From Jerome A Quote From Jerome BrunerBruner

“ “Our immediate experience, what Our immediate experience, what happened yesterday or the day before, is happened yesterday or the day before, is framed in the same storied way. Even framed in the same storied way. Even more striking, we represent our lives (to more striking, we represent our lives (to ourselves as well as to others) in the form ourselves as well as to others) in the form of narrative. It is not surprising that of narrative. It is not surprising that psychoanalysts now recognize that psychoanalysts now recognize that personhood implies narrative, “neurosis” personhood implies narrative, “neurosis” being a reflection of either an insufficient, being a reflection of either an insufficient, incomplete, or inappropriate story about incomplete, or inappropriate story about oneself.oneself.

A Quote From Jerome A Quote From Jerome BrunerBruner

““Recall that when Peter Pan asks Recall that when Peter Pan asks Wendy to return to Never Never Wendy to return to Never Never Land with him, he gives as his Land with him, he gives as his reason that she could teach the Lost reason that she could teach the Lost Boys there how to tell stories. If Boys there how to tell stories. If they knew how to tell them, the Lost they knew how to tell them, the Lost Boys might be able to grow up.”Boys might be able to grow up.”

--Jerome Bruner, --Jerome Bruner, The Culture of The Culture of Education Education (1996)

Great Reflection Great Reflection QuestionsQuestions

Can be used in group discussions, one-on-Can be used in group discussions, one-on-one meetings and as paper topics:one meetings and as paper topics: How are you are a different person and How are you are a different person and

professional because you engaged in professional because you engaged in experiential learning as opposed to if you experiential learning as opposed to if you hadn’t?hadn’t?

Did your experience change your notion of what Did your experience change your notion of what your academic and/or career trajectory is? Why your academic and/or career trajectory is? Why or why not?or why not?

What did you learn from your experience that What did you learn from your experience that has nothing to do with your major or has nothing to do with your major or concentration?concentration?

More Reflection Best More Reflection Best PracticesPractices

Roundtable Roundtable discussions with discussions with students, faculty, students, faculty, and employersand employers

Surveys and 360-Surveys and 360-degree feedbackdegree feedback

Reflection FairsReflection Fairs Student PanelsStudent Panels

Building employer Building employer relationships:relationships:Best practices Best practices Manage a “mutual fund” Manage a “mutual fund”

Be the “unpaid Be the “unpaid consultant”consultant”

Build rapportBuild rapport Develop learning Develop learning

partnerships with partnerships with employers’employers’

Think long termThink long term

Questioning everything… Questioning everything… againagain

Now that we’ve Now that we’ve covered some new covered some new ground, let’s look in ground, let’s look in the rearview mirror the rearview mirror and consider:and consider: What do we do? Why do What do we do? Why do

we do it? Based on we do it? Based on what you learned today, what you learned today, what might you attempt what might you attempt to do differently? to do differently?

Questions and AnswersQuestions and Answers