Carrie also emphasized the importance of helping students learn how to be
an employee. Although the coffee shop was a different environment than most
of the job placements, the students were actively engaged in experiences
that allowed them to develop skills for a variety of placement sites.
Carrie said, The focus is teaching a specific task, teaching a job, following directions, working together, asking questions. Then the softer skills are the judgments, making judgments, problem-solving, and critical thinking. But in order to run a business, you have to have the bricks, you have to lay the groundwork. Students expressed a variety of ways of understanding the learning that occurred in the coffee shop. On a direct and concrete level, they gave animated details about the way they ran the coffee shop, such as the way they baked, what they baked, who did what, their problems, successes, and many more details about the coffee shop's day-to-day operation. They also discussed the practical skills they acquired (such as operating the cash register or using a commercial coffee maker), and the numeracy and literacy abilities they acquired (such as reading recipes and abbreviations), and using measuring cups. They also discussed their employment readiness skills, such as preparing for an interview and workplace safety. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they talked about how their experience in the coffee shop has made them feel more confident. Hannah said the most important thing she learned in the coffee shop was
to use the cash register independently. This will be the skill, she explained,
that she will depend on to help her find a part-time job. The other things she
learned included baking muffins and cookies, reading recipes, and learning
to read carefully. She explained, |
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