Language and employability skills: Critical thinking, creativity, and communication

Ken Beatty
A server standing and smiling at a group of ladies smiling sat at a table

Why learn a language?

For most, it's part of academic studies. For some, it's a fun social opportunity. But for many, language learning is aimed at getting a job.

Language teachers didn't always consider the reasons students were motivated to learn a language. Instead, they focused solely on the central parts of language learning: phonology (sounds of letters and words), morphology (the meaning of parts of words), lexicon (vocabulary), grammar (word order) and to a lesser extent, discourse (the intent of language).

But today, beyond the mechanical aspects of language teaching and learning, language teachers and their teaching and learning materials try to align with students' motivations. This includes exploring a wide variety of social issues from global warming to racism to homelessness. Reasons for teaching these issues are based on the notion that language is culture, and students want to learn broad topics and be able to contribute to conversations about the issues of the day.

Employability skills

A related challenge facing students is employability skills. In the past, students were largely taught the types of language expected of factory workers: giving and responding to simple instructions. Most students learning via the audio-lingual method would consider the question "How are you?" to always be answered with the response, "I'm fine, thank you." The reality, of course, is that you might just as well say, "I'm okay." "Can't complain!" "Not too bad." or even the little-used but truthful, "I feel terrible!"

The Communicative Approach challenged this pre-programmed speech and reflected changes in the workplace. As robots and artificial intelligence agents take over more and more factory work, today's language students are graduating into jobs that require critical thinking, creativity, and broad communication skills. What are these skills and how do they relate to employability?

Critical thinking is about examining problems to better understand them. Sometimes critical thinking helps students make choices between one or more alternatives. Like creativity and communication, critical thinking is vital in both academic and employment situations where, for example, staff might try to decide between two locations to build a new factory.

Creative thinking is about looking for new solutions. In the factory example, a solution might be to build a factory on a boat so it travels between where the raw materials are collected to the market where they're to be sold.

Communication is about explaining ideas, listening to others' views, and using persuasive speaking and writing to structure arguments. Is the factory boat the best idea? It might be, but without clear communication and debate, it will be tossed aside.

In terms of employability, the ÃÛÌÒapp series Step Up outlines the varied needs faced by adult learners: "to improve their employability skills to get their first job, secure a promotion, find a different job, re-enter the workforce after an absence or change fields."

Meeting these needs requires new teaching and assessment approaches.

Be collaborative

Teaching has to become more collaborative. This reflects the nature of modern work, where most people work in teams, rather than in the factory model where workers were interchangeable parts of a machine. Workers today need to identify problems, share ideas about how to solve them and negotiate, using critical and creative thinking.

Assess positively

Similarly, assessment needs to change to a model that allows students opportunities to show what they know in open-ended ways with multiple opportunities to achieve success. Tests with closed-ended questions aimed at tricking students are a thing of the past. Assessment today needs to present students with chances to learn and try again and again until they and their teachers are confident of their abilities.

Learning a language and related abilities, like employability skills, is not a narrow classroom-bound experience. Students continue to learn and improve throughout their lives. More than anything else, the role of today's teachers is to set their students on a path of lifelong learning.

To empower your learners with the employability skills they need for future success, watch Ken's webinar here:Ìý

Employability: New Jobs, New Needs for Language Learners l Future of Language Learning Webinar 1
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About the author

, Writer and Anaheim University TESOL Professor has a PhD in curriculum studies. He’s worked in Asia, the Middle East, and North and South America, lecturing on language teaching and learning from the primary through university levels. Author/co-author of 67 textbooks for ÃÛÌÒapp, he’s given 500+ teacher-training sessions and 100+ conference presentations in 35 countries His research focus is on critical and creative thinking.

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    Learning values through reading

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    HowÌýdo Disney Kids Readers teach core values?

    1. Learning through stories that are already familiar can help children to trust in and take on board the key messages much more easily. Familiarity can break down many barriers to communication and help us understand that values are often universal.Ìý
    2. Many children are also familiar with the Disney characters and can find inspiration from reading how they react to situations in life, make decisions and behave. Children often look up to characters and can see them as role models within their own lives. As a result, the readers can be a reference point on how to respond to key life moments and how to incorporate values into real life.
    3. Also, depending on the child's age, some values may be new and children may not yet have experience with them in the real world. Therefore, the Disney stories allow them to explore these key messages through their favorite Disney character’s point of view.Ìý

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    Friendship, positivity, curiosity, confidence, open-mindedness, courage, determination, self-belief, responsibility, resilience, respect, honesty.

    Examples of key values inÌýDisney stories

    InÌýThe Jungle Book,ÌýfriendshipÌýis a keyÌývalue,Ìýand we learn that it is important to help our friends. Baloo helps Mowgli when he is alone in the jungle and scared. An angry tiger wants Mowgli to leave the jungle, but when Mowgli meets Baloo, he finds a friend in him. Baloo sees that Mowgli is scared and looks after him.ÌýWe learn that it is important to help our friends when they are in need.Ìý

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    1. My Values Road Sign (L3-4)

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    3. Core Values Quiz (L5-6)

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    Read our blog posts 'Fostering self-care and wellbeing through the world of reading'Ìýand 'The importance of teaching values to young learners'.

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    Growing up is an exciting time. Children are curious and open-minded, and every day welcomes a new thing to learn. They are constantly exploring and discovering themselves and the world around them. But children also have to face many challenging times too as they get older. It is, therefore, important that we teach our young people to be aware of their own wellbeing and self-care, what they can do to lead a balanced and healthy life, and give them the tools they need to help them in difficult times, both mentally and physically. Ìý

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    Why is reading important?Ìý

    Apart from being aÌýgreat hobbyÌýand funÌýactivity, it can help children improve in many areas of their lives through developingÌýkey transferrable skills. Reading in their native language and English can bring a whole range of benefits. To engage everyone, they mustÌýunderstand the benefits themselves.Ìý Ìý

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    ImprovesÌýlanguage skillsÌý

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    RewardsÌýÌý

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