PEOPLE SKILLS - USING THE COOPERATIVE LEARNING-MODEL TO TEACH STUDENTS PEOPLE SKILLS

In his Interfaces article [1994], Robert Levasseur emphasized the need for and importance of ''people skills'' for students today. While Lev asseur discussed the need for students to acquire such skills as inter personal communication, group dynamics, and leadership, to take it the next step, faculty members need a means to provide students with thes e essential skills. One such means, the cooperative learning model, pr ovides a way for students to learn ''people (or process) skills'' as t hey are learning the content material of their chosen field of study. Cooperative learning is based on structuring learning outcomes and exp eriences to promote student interaction and to improve student learnin g. Ultimately, faculty members must consider what knowledge, skills, a nd abilities students need and how to best prepare them for the changi ng workplace.