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?
If the student is interested in obtaining an entry level position within a larger corporation, or a more advanced position within certain fields in the future, it is likely that he would encounter some form of screening assessment. Practice with these types of assessments will also better prepare the student for some of the behavioral questions he might be asked in a job interview.
As you introduce this skill, how will you incorporate (visually, thematically) the student’s unique interests?
Can you make it visually clear to the student who is resistant to change that his assumption is only one way of looking at things? Can your use of visual supports help get agreement that there is a problem, get agreement on the solution, and create the motivation for change?
There are a number of issues that might arise as you present opportunities to practice these assessments. The student might not see the relevance of such assessments to his life or interests. In this case, it will be important to identify the jobs that this student most desires now (or in the future), and point to situations where a screening assessment might arise.
Or, the student might not agree with some of the answer choices that you identify as the “best answer,” or the answer that the company is looking for. In this case, you might devise such visual supports as graphic organizers and social narratives to help shift perspective so that the student sees why a company would view one response as more desirable than another.
The student might express that he does not care about working with groups or teams, even though that is one key area of emphasis within many screening assessments. Visual supports such as graphic organizers and social narratives that clarify how teamwork is a component of his vocational interest, might be necessary to shift perspective. In some cases, you might consider bringing in professionals who work in his desired field (or use video testimonials from such sources as YouTube) to provide their perspective on how teamwork is a component of their 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:
Applying - Pre-Employment Screening Assessments
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, as you target new, more challenging questions, are you also targeting the types of questions to which the student is likely to respond accurately?
Before the student encounters a situation where he will need to complete a practice assessment or a real assessment, how do you help the student prepare? How do you orient the student to the upcoming situation? How do you orient him to the materials he will use? How do you activate prior knowledge?