Skill Building Practices

MHA REFRAME Method

Take your youth on a powerful skill building journey with the REFRAME Method!

MHA Labs launched in 2011 as a skill building design community dedicated to understanding how skill building can be integrated under real world conditions. For over a decade, MHA Labs partners freely experimented with implementing the Building Blocks, successfully addressing various facets of skill development. REFRAME is a culmination of these best practices designed in a practical sequence that can infuse any activity with skill building power. REFRAME is literally the easy art of taking any activity and reframing it to be a skill builder.

The REFRAME method has 7 steps that take a skill from introduction to action. From feedback to confidence. From disconnected learning to meaning making. All of the steps can be done real time intuitively or used to prepare a skill building program plan.

The key to doing REFRAME, is to not overthink or over complicate the steps. If you are getting overwhelmed, step back and read the basic directions. This should be an evolutionary process of designing, trying, and evolving. It’s a developmental journey for both you and your youth.

MHA Labs Resource page offers REFRAME guides and worksheets to support you.

Click here to see how to AI engines like ChatGB can REFRAME+

These ChatGPT Prompts will generate a Draft REFRAMED Plan

  1. “Hi, I have uploaded a skill framework that I want to use to improve a youth activity plan I am working on. Can you study it and learn each of the skills.” (upload the MHA Framework PDF that you are using along with this prompt)
  2. “Next, I am going to describe an activity and I want you to identify 1-3 of the skills (in the exact language) that you think will be most relevant. I am a history teacher and I am asking students to identify what three long term impacts of the civil war do they see in modern society.”
  3. For step two, if you have a written program or lesson plan you can upload that.
  4. “I have uploaded a method I would like you to apply to help me focus on building these skills. You have already done the first step of revealing targeted skills. Can you study the method and then give me suggestions for the remaining steps.” (upload the MHA REFRAME PDF along with this prompt)
  5. (Ask anything you want to go deeper) “In the feedback session, can you start with how the instructor can give feedback more ongoing.”
  6. “Fantastic. Now can you create a handout version of this.”
  7. Download a Handout of the Prompts with the results.

Click here to view the results of this example »

A Deeper Dive into the Step “Assess Using Feedback”

Skill building strategies require real time feedback. This means day to day reflection and feedback on how well youth are performing on the skill in the content of the activity. By using the REFRAME process, everyone involved is already well informed on what skills are being targeted, what is expected, and what performing well looks like. As a result, feedback is often a quick reflection that checks in on progress towards these goals and suggestions to improve.

MHA Feedback strategies and resources align to the “Seven Keys of Effective Feedback”
Wiggins, Grant. “Seven Keys of Effective Feedback”. Educational Leadership ASCD, Sept. 2012, Volume 70 #1

  • References back to a goal or expectation and shows progress towards meeting that goal
  • Provides tangible examples of results and makes the experience transparent
  • Provides actionable next steps to close the gap in where they are now to where they need to be
  • Is broken down to user-friendly language that the receiver can readily understand
  • Is delivered during or soon after when the experience is fresh
  • Given on a regular basis to allow for practice and adjustment
  • Remains consistent in what evidence or level of performance determines success

Enhancing Real Time Feedback with Performance Feedback Tools

Performance review feedback tools are designed to build skills in real time. They center strengths-based feedback, promote self-awareness, and create opportunities for growth through ongoing, supportive conversations—making them more responsive, equitable, and empowering. These differ from traditional assessments that often reduce skill development to an unrecognizable score. Assessments frequently miss the deeper, day-to-day growth that happens through practice, reflection, and relationship. Too often, assessments focus on judging performance rather than supporting it.

How to Design Your Own Performance Feedback Tool+

How to Design a Teen Self-Check in Performance Feedback Tool

  1. Take the descriptions or checklists you created in the “Establish Performance Evidence”
  2. Put them in a document
  3. Add a column for Skills Reflection, Using prompts like “How am I doing on this skill”
  4. Consider adding 2 additional columns with headers Strength and Growth to allow for a quick check on if the youth sees this skill as a strength or a growth area followed by the reflection column.

How to Design an Observational Performance Feedback Tool

  1. Take the descriptions or checklists you created in the “Establish Performance Evidence”
  2. Put them in a document
  3. Add a column for Skills Reflection, This is where you write down your observation of how the youth is performing on the skill.
  4. Consider adding 2 additional columns with headers Strength and Growth to allow for a quick check on whether or not you observe the youth’s performance in the skill as a strength or a growth area followed by the reflection column.
  5. Considering adding a longer developmental scale. We recommend “Novice, Emerging, Capable, Skilled, Expert”

A Special Online Platform for High School/Teen Internship Programs

MHA Labs in partnership with YouthForce NOLA offers a unique online performance feedback system for work-based learning internship programs called Working Impact based on the MHA Hirability Framework.

MHA Labs developed a comprehensive online performance management system called Working Impact that includes youth program impact surveys, internship supervisor performance reviews, and internship mentor/instructor performance reviews. This system has real time reporting that sends a copy of the performance review to the supervisor or mentor in real time. This platform also offers a wide range of aggregate reporting that organizations can access on their account. This platform is managed by our partner YouthForce NOLA. There is a fee required to create an account.

For inquiries please visit YouthForce NOLA Solutions Lab or email workingimpact@youthforcenola.org.