Motivation and Priming:

How can you connect this new skill to the student’s priorities?  How can you assure ownership by making the development of this skill the student’s goal rather than just your goal for the student?

The student will need to understand not only the process of contacting references, but why doing so is important in order for her to get the job (or volunteer position, post-secondary admission) that she wants.  Help her connect the pieces by showing the steps of the application process, from building a resume to identifying and contacting references to submitting an application.  A graphic organizer may be useful if you choose this approach.

As you introduce this skill of making contact with references, how will you incorporate (visually, thematically) the student’s unique interests and goals?

Can you make it visually clear to the student who is resistant to change that her assumption is only one way of looking at things?  Can your use of visual supports help get agreement that contacting references is an important and necessary step in getting a desired job?

Priming is a form of negotiation that can reframe and sharpen a student’s assessment of self.  Below are the self-assessment tools that align with this intervention topic:

Looking for a Job - References

Instructor Assessment - Looking for a Job

Priming Strategies - Looking for a Job

Interspersal is a proven technique involving the presentation of familiar, higher success tasks with the new, more challenging task.  When it is appropriate, are you varying the activities to maintain the student’s confidence and focus?

For example, if you are targeting making contact with references in person and you are engaging the student in role-play scenarios to act out these exchanges, it may be necessary to mix these more demanding social communication activities with a quiet activity that does not demand verbal communication. 

Before the student makes contact with a reference, how do you help him prepare?  How do you orient the student to the upcoming situation?

After the student has had sufficient practice with the various forms of contact (email, phone, in-person), try providing a warm-up activity immediately prior to making contact with an actual reference.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Email: provide the student with a printed template which allows him to fill the spaces before writing the actual email.  This template may also include a rule box reminding the student of the guidelines (no informal language, attach resume, etc.)
   
   
2. Telephone: provide the student with a script and role-play the phone call with him.  After completing the exercise successfully, which may take several attempts, the student can use the script as a guide for making the actual phone call.
   
   
3. In-Person: provide the student with a note sheet, script, or other Visual Cue that has been useful during previous instruction.  Using the cue, role-play the conversation with the student.  When completed successfully, the student should make the actual in-person contact with the reference.  (NOTE: For this approach, various parts of the in-person contact may need to be primed through role-play: traveling to the location, checking in with a receptionist, entering and exiting the office, greetings and goodbyes, etc.)