I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Gavin Pringle, founder and CEO of JAKAPA, on my podcast, My EdTech Life. Our conversation focused on soft skills development in students and how JAKAPA is providing innovative solutions to address this need.
As an educator myself, I've seen firsthand how vital soft skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and resilience are for preparing students for life after graduation. Yet these skills often get overlooked in favor of academic subject mastery and test performance.
Gavin shared his compelling story of struggling in high school and college due to lacking these abilities before developing them in the Navy. Returning to college, he observed the same soft skills gaps in his peers.
This inspired Gavin to create JAKAPA - to give students the consistent practice, feedback, and reflection needed to build soft skills truly. The platform provides engaging 10-minute daily activities, assessments, and goal-tracking.
I loved hearing how JAKAPA empowers students with data and artifacts that demonstrate their soft skills growth. Students can bring these to job interviews, college applications, and more. The platform also integrates with major frameworks, making it easy for teachers to incorporate.
Our discussion highlighted how soft skills benefit students in tangible ways - increasing graduation rates, improving test scores, and reducing behavioral issues. These abilities are vital for success in higher education and careers. Yet standardized testing often forces them off the priority list.
I'm excited to see the transformative impact that JAKAPA is having through its innovative model. Any educator or leader serious about developing the whole child and preparing students for the future must tune into this conversation. Developing soft skills is vital for empowering the next generation.
Please make sure to listen to Episode 234 with Gavin Pringle to learn more about JAKAPA and how it can help develop soft skills.
