Written by: Sherri Widen
We are so grateful to the educators participating in our K-12 Durable Skills Pilot! Your feedback is invaluable to helping us refine resources to better serve educators and learners. Here’s what we’re learning from your early implementation experiences.
What Pilot Educators Are Saying
What’s Getting Used the Most?
So far, educators have given us feedback on 25 different resources. Across all grade bands, “I Can” Statements have emerged as the most frequently implemented resource, with educators appreciating how they empower student ownership of learning (Figure 1). One high school educator noted that students “liked being able to pick one to work on” and that the statements “opened up communication about previous learning and what they wanted to focus on.”
By Grade Band
K-2 educators are also using Anchor Cards, with one teacher sharing that when their learners saw the strong arm representing self-management, they “were flexing their muscles as soon as they saw the image.” They were hooked before a single word was spoken.
Grades 3-5 educators using the Mini-Activities (such as a team challenge to build the tallest tower, or working together to organize mixed up art supplies), with one educator praising the formatting as “perfect” for connecting activities back to skill development.
Grades 6-8 educators are leaning into Vocabulary Introduction and Look-Fors, using them to build “relational capacity as well as classroom vocabulary” at the start of the new quarter.
Grades 9-12 educators are making extensive use of Reflection Questions, particularly for internship programs. One CTE educator shared that students “are becoming more aware of how they use these durable skills not only in a classroom environment, but also in a work setting.”
What’s Working Well
Educators consistently praise the resources for fitting right into existing practices. As one K-2 educator put it, the “I Can” Statements:
“fit seamlessly into what we are already teaching” and work “easily into all content areas.”
One high school educator used the Feedback Sentence Starters and reported that:
“The students really resonated with this activity because many times they get feedback from peers that is not specific, and therefore not helpful. This made everyone see more clearly what specific feedback looks like/sounds like.”
The resources fit easily into transitions, as well. One K-2 educator said:
“I used the Kindness Circle as a transition between activities and as a way to set my first grade students into a positive emotional space before we began our literacy lesson for the day.”
One Grades 3-5 educator used the Reflection Prompts and found:
“It was a great closure to the day’s lesson and research, and I look forward to trying out other closing questions as a quick check-in on learning.”
The structured approach is helping educators organize their thinking. One educator explained:
“The structure you have provided helps me organize my thinking, so I am teaching durable skills in a way that is problem-solving the real challenges my students face every day.”
How We Can Improve
Your suggestions are shaping our next steps. Key themes include:
More examples and templates. One educator requested “actual lesson templates and not just ideas for lessons,” while another suggested adding “content area examples to help give more clarification.”
Easier navigation. As one teacher noted, “A website might be easier than a PDF.”
Diverse learner support. Educators want “ways to support video reflections, oral reflections” and resources for varied learning needs.
Thank You!
Interested in joining the pilot? Sign up here!
