Academic knowledge alone isn’t enough to ensure long-term success in today's rapidly changing world. While technical skills can help secure a job, soft skills often lead to career advancement and personal growth. Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability are just as crucial as academic achievements.

Developing these skills early on for students in Irish schools is essential—and tutor time offers the perfect opportunity to do just that. With the help of tools like Skilly, educators can effectively use tutor time to nurture these vital skills, especially by encouraging students to engage in deep self-reflection.

What is Skilly?

Skilly is an empowering platform designed to help students build and enhance their soft skills through a unique focus on self-reflection. The app provides scenario-based learning, offering students real-world situations where they can practise applying soft skills. But what truly sets Skilly apart is its emphasis on reflection—helping students think critically about their actions, decisions, and behaviours. This reflection fosters personal growth and a deeper understanding of the skills being developed, instilling in the students a sense of confidence and capability.

The Power of Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is a critical component of learning, especially when developing soft skills. It’s not enough for students to go through the motions of an activity; they need to understand why they acted a certain way and how they can improve. Skilly integrates reflection into every activity, encouraging students to pause, think, and analyse their experiences.

Through guided reflection questions, Skilly helps students assess their strengths and weaknesses, consider alternative approaches, and recognise areas for growth. This process reinforces the skills being taught and helps students internalise these lessons, making them more likely to apply what they’ve learned in future situations.

Why Focus on Soft Skills During Tutor Time?

In Irish schools, tutor time is often underutilised during the day. Traditionally, it’s a time for roll calls, school announcements, or quiet study. However, with some creativity and the right tools, tutor time can become a powerful platform for soft skills development. Here’s why:

Structured Yet Flexible: Tutor time in Irish schools is typically consistent, making it an ideal period for regular activities while remaining flexible enough to adapt to different learning opportunities.

Safe Environment: Tutor time provides a nurturing, low-pressure setting where students can practise and develop skills without fear of mistakes. This supportive environment reassures educators about the learning process and encourages students to take risks and learn from their experiences.

Regular Practice: Like any other skill, soft skills require frequent practice. Tutor time ensures that students engage in activities that strengthen these skills regularly, making them feel prepared and competent in handling various situations.

How to Use Skilly During Tutor Time

Here are some practical ways to incorporate Skilly into your tutor time sessions in Irish schools:

Scenario-Based Discussions: Begin with a scenario from Skilly related to a soft skill, such as resolving a classmate's disagreement. Break students into small groups to discuss how they would handle the situation. Afterwards, bring everyone together to share their thoughts and conclusions.

For instance, Skilly might present a scenario where a student group must decide how to split a project workload evenly. Some students feel overwhelmed, while others are underworked. During tutor time, students could discuss resolving this situation fairly, emphasising communication, empathy, and teamwork skills. After the discussion, Skilly would prompt students to reflect on the experience with questions like What strategies worked? What could have been done differently? How did they feel during the debate, and what does that reveal about their approach to collaboration?

Role-Playing Activities: Role-playing is an effective method for practising soft skills. Use scenarios from Skilly to allow students to act out different roles, such as team leader, mediator, or collaborator. After the role-play, Skilly encourages students to reflect on their performance, helping them identify what they did well and where they could improve.

Weekly Skill Focus with Reflection: Dedicate each week to a soft skill, such as teamwork, communication, empathy or resilience. Use Skilly to introduce the skill with a short lesson or activity and reinforce it throughout the week with various tasks. At the end of the week, Skilly guides students through a reflection exercise to help them assess their progress and set goals for improvement.

Peer Feedback and Reflection Sessions: After completing a Skilly activity, encourage students to provide each other with constructive feedback. Skilly’s reflection prompts can help students process this feedback, enabling them to think critically about how to apply it to future interactions.

Reflection Journals: Encourage students to maintain a reflection journal where they document what they’ve learned during tutor time. Skilly plays a key role here, prompting students with questions that help them dig deeper into their experiences, such as: “How did today’s activity challenge your usual way of thinking? What did you learn about yourself? How will you apply this learning in the future?”

Benefits for Students

Enhanced Self-Awareness: Through regular self-reflection, students gain a clearer understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

Improved Critical Thinking: Reflection encourages students to think critically about their experiences, helping them to develop more effective problem-solving strategies.

Increased Confidence: As students reflect on their progress and recognise their achievements, their confidence in handling various situations grows.

Better Social Interactions: Soft skills like empathy and communication improve relationships with peers, teachers, and future colleagues.

Conclusion

Tutor time is more than just a placeholder in the school day—it’s a valuable opportunity to prepare students for the future. By incorporating Skilly into your tutor time routine, you can help students develop the soft skills they need to succeed academically and professionally and the habit of self-reflection that drives continuous personal growth. Regular practice in a supportive environment is the key to mastering these skills. With Skilly, you provide the tools and guidance students need to become well-rounded individuals ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.

So, why not transform your tutoring time into a platform for personal growth? Start integrating Skilly today, and watch your students thrive! We encourage you to take the first step and try Skilly in your next tutoring session. The benefits for your students and your school community could be significant.