2014 Goal #2: Focus on Skills

I think it is so important that teachers focus on teaching transferable skills to their students.  Heaven forbid all of my students don't because scientists!  If they choose a different path for their lives my goal is still to teach them skills that they can use to help them in any study and career.  This funny video always helps to remind me that if the students don't remember how to create electricity, or draw ionic compounds, at least they should be able to take something from my class:
(Not safe for work or kids!)

Thanks, CollegeHumor!

So as I look forward to the new year and shortly the new semester I think about the skills I want to students to learn in my course, in no particular order:
1. Measurement 
2. Calculations
3. Organization
4. Planning
5. Time Management
6. Decision Making
7. Problem Solving
8. Finding Information
9. Communication (Oral, Written)
10. Collaboration
11. Reading
12. Summarizing
13. Making Inferences
14. Interpreting Data
15. Computer Use

Can we add more to this list?  What skills do our students have to leave us with?

My goal is to organize my skills list into a document that I can use when I am lesson planning and tracking students' progress especially for reports.

Another one of my goals is to take these skills with the Climate Change unit in Grade 10 Science and create a complete introduction unit to that course that covers all of the skills and all of the curriculum.

And continuing with my PLC for this year, to utilize many of these skills through the use of Academic Conversations.  Many teachers in my school have been using the Academic Conversations posters that I made for a PD Day earlier in the school year.  Here they are if you want a look.

Can you add any essential skills to the list?
What are your teaching goals in 2014?
Let me know in the comments!