Basic laboratory skills, such as measuring the power produced by an electric motor, without electrocuting oneself or blowing up the lab. Basic analytical skills, such as critical examination of social policies from a feminist persective. I submit that while knowledge and skills are important, what we are really doing is shaping the student's character. David Smith of Indiana University, more eloquently than I, says that education has a profound influence on a student's character, and therefore, effective education is fundamentally moral education. Let me repeat.
Effective education is moral education.
In the classroom, we teachers are role models, and through our assignments and grading criteria, we state implicitly what is important, what ought to be valued. For example, if we encourage collaborative learning, then we say that cooperation and teamwork are important. If we base half of the grade on a paper on content and half on presentation, then we say that content and presentation are equally important. If we adhere to the syllabus and give exams on the dates previously announced, then we say that consistency is important. If we base part of the letter grade on classroom participation, then we say that each student's contribution to the discussion is important.