Guided Design

I don't know about anyone else, but I found it fascinating that the article, "Teaching Professionalism, Design, & Communications to Engineering Freshman" by Casada & DeShazer mentioned the use of Steven Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" because a lot of companies that I have worked for in the past have used this as required reading for their employees.  I think that it is impressive that you have students read it before going into the workforce or in this case, use it to guide the student's thought processes.

On thing that was mentioned that really stood out for me was that "...you have to be trusted to be part of a design team.  You have to be honest with yourself and voice your thoughts to be a significant part of the group."  I truly believe that this needs to be used with every subject, class, etc...  When working in groups not only do you need to trust the person(s) within your group, but you also need to be aware that you are a integral part of the team as well.  If you do not voice your opinion, how will anyone know what you are feeling or what type of ideas you have that could actually be great.

I know that when I was in grammar school I did not do very well in this area because I was scared that everyone would laugh at my ideas.  I have also taught middle school and can see where this concept might not go over as well as high school or college classes.  I currently try to use some form of guided practices in my training classes and can see how they are great to help new employees to learn new skills.

This is just a thought but...From what I have read so far, Guided Practice sounds like it is a wonderful tool to help students to adjust to life outside of the studies realm, i.e. "The Real World."