Youth Voices Skills
A skill is a special post on Youth Voices. Any member can create a skills post to identify a valued habit of heart, mind, and/or work that there is evidence for in another member’s activity stream on Youth Voices or elsewhere online.
Once a skill is posted to the skills page, both teachers and students on Youth Voices can nominate another member to be recognized for that skill. Teachers on the site can also read the nominations and approve them.
Once approved, a skill appears under the skills tab on a member’s profile, and that member is added to a list of “people who have earned this” skill. There are no limits on how many times a member can be recognized for a skill or how many skills members can be recognized for.
A Skills post has:
(required)
- an image to represent it, made by adding an icon to this template.
- a title with standards-type, familiar language that could complete this sentence: Your friends and teachers agree that you are a person who… (See below for writing guides and examples.)
(recommended)
- a sub-title sentence that expands on your understanding of what this learner can do using more edgy, provocative, juicy, precise, interesting adjectives. (See below for writing guides and examples.)
- a descriptive paragraph that offers criteria for assessing the work in evidence.
Students and teachers can:
- create skills posts
- nominate others for a skill
- be recognized for a skill
Teachers can:
- review nominations
- approve/revoke skills
Guides and examples for how to write skills posts:
- (required) a title with standards-type, familiar language that could complete this sentence: Your friends and teachers agree that you are a person who…
- Title structure: <strong, singular present tense verb> <descriptive adjective> <plural name for the valued work> in <type of writing or media where the evidence is found>
- Examples:
- …Creates Beautiful Harmonies in Songs
- …Writes Provocative Lines in Poems
- …Busts Out Clever Rhymes in Raps
- …Designs User-friendly Applications on Websites
- …Writes Devastating Public Letters to Politicians
- …Solves Complex Problems in Math Simulations
- …Poses Important Questions in Surveys
- …Asks Good Questions in Annotations
- …Invents Believable Characters in Short Stories
- (recommended) a sub-title that expands our understanding of what this learner can do using more edgy, provocative, juicy, precise, interesting adjectives.
- Sub-title structure: The <same plural name or the valued work used in the title> this <reader/writer/artist/poet/scientist/mathematician/activist/designer/coposer…> <same strong, singular present tense verb used in the title> that are <adjective> and <adjective>.
- Examples:
- The harmonies this composer creates are startling and haunting.
- The lines this poet writes are demanding and well-crafted.
- The rhymes this rapper busts out are in-your-face and inspiring
- The applications this web developer designs are intuitive and beautiful.
- The public letters this activist writes are in-your-face and undeniable.
- The complex problem this mathematician solves are intricate and relevant.
- The important questions this sociologist poses are open and inviting.
- The questions this reader asks are wicked and beautiful.
- The characters this short story writer invents are authentic and deeply-felt.
