My STEAM Skill Tree

1.      Preparation Phase

Understand the Concept:Familiarize yourself with the skill tree template and the mentee’s completed form.

Gather Materials:

• Blank skill tree templates.
• Excel chart to identify and choose activities for the personalized skill tree.
• Markers, pens, and digital tools (if applicable).Define Session Goals:
• Map the mentee’s current STEAM competencies.
• Identify skills to explore or develop further.
• Inspire the mentee by providing career context.

2.      Introduction

Build Rapport:Start with a friendly chat about their week or any STEAM activities they’ve recently engaged in.

Set the Stage:Explain the purpose of the session: “Today, we’ll create a personalized STEAM skill tree that reflects your current skills and areas you’d like to explore, using examples of real-world careers to guide us.”

     3.  Review Mentee’s Current Competencies

Discuss Form Responses:Review the mentee’s answers and insights from the previous diagnostic session.Ask clarifying questions to refine understanding of their strengths, interests, and areas of curiosity.

Engage in Conversation:Explore their confidence levels in different STEAM areas (e.g., coding, math, creativity).Example question: “Which of these areas do you feel most confident about, and which are you curious to try?”

 4. Introduce the STEAM Skill Tree

Explain the Skill Tree:

• Describe how the skill tree branches(combs) represent different STEAM areas (e.g., Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).
• Highlight that each branch includes foundational, intermediate, and advanced skills.

Show Examples:

• Present a sample completed skill tree (if available) for reference.
• Use case studies to illustrate how professionals build and use these skills in their careers.
  • Example: “In renewable energy engineering, skills like problem-solving, physics, and data analysis are critical.”

 5. Create the Mentee’s Skill Tree

1. Map Current Skills:

• Work with the mentee to fill in the branches with skills they already have. For example:
  • Technology: “You’ve done some Scratch coding.”
  • Engineering: “You like building with LEGO and solving puzzles.”

1. Identify Gaps and Opportunities:

• Collaboratively pinpoint skills or experiences they haven’t tried but are interested in exploring.
  • Example: “You mentioned you’ve never tried 3D printing. We can add that as an activity to explore.”
• Use colors to differentiate:
  • Strengths (skills they feel confident in paint in the same color).
  • New Areas (skills they want to explore, leave without painting. Only when tried should they be colored).

6. Set Goals and Next Steps

Define Short-Term Goals:

• Choose one or two new skills for the mentee to try before the next session.
  • Example: “Let’s find an online tutorial for 3D modeling so you can try creating a simple design.”

Outline Long-Term Goals:

• Connect their skill tree to broader aspirations.
  • Example: “If you’re interested in renewable energy, exploring physics and data visualization could be great next steps.”

Plan Activities:

• Suggest workshops, online tools, or resources to help develop the identified skills.

 7. Wrap-Up and Reflection

Review the Skill Tree:Summarize their current strengths and growth areas. Celebrate their confidence in existing skills and their enthusiasm to explore new ones.

Encourage Reflection: Ask questions like, “What part of today’s session did you find                                  most exciting or surprising?”

Set the Next Meeting: Schedule a follow-up session to review their progress and update the skill tree.

  8. Document and Share

Save the Skill Tree: Keep a copy of the personalized skill tree (physical or digital) for future reference. Share a copy with the mentee so they can track their progress.

Create a Follow-Up Plan:Draft a simple action plan based on the new skills they want to explore.