computerdisc-l: FW: The Electronic Classroom: Career Education

["Patti Abraham" <psa1@RA.MSSTATE.EDU>]

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Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 11:09 PM
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Subject: The Electronic Classroom: Career Education


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The Electronic Classroom
Visit EdGate's Copernicus Learning Communities at:
http://www.EdGate.com
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November 7, 2001
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This Issue's Theme: Career Education

News in this issue:
+  CHECK IT OUT!
+  DID YOU KNOW?
+  FEATURE ARTICLE: Back to School
+  SPOTLIGHT SCHOOL
+  IN THE NEWS

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CHECK IT OUT!
Career Explore.net at http://www.careerexplorer.net/ is
rich with content and well organized.  Whether you
want to choose a career, find financial aid or obtain
information on vocational and career education
questions, this is the site for you and your students.
Especially useful are the sections on the "fastest
growing occupations requiring post-secondary training
or an associate's degree" and the extensive job search
engine which offers available employment, organized
by state and city.  Wouldn't it be interesting to see
what jobs are listed in your community?

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DID YOU KNOW...
Do you need high quality lessons and resources to help
answer questions related to the September 11th terrorist
attack? The Copernicus Team has created "Dealing with
America's Tragedy" to assist teachers and parents with
the historical, cultural and emotional aspects of the event.
The content is divided into categories: Research and Current
Events, Racial and Religious Issues, Understanding the
Muslim World, Understanding Terrorism and Coping and
Helping and is updated regularly. Visit http://www.edgate.com
and click on the "Dealing with America's Tragedy" icon on
the right side of the page.

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FEATURE ARTICLE:  Career Exploration Lesson

Purpose

One of the greatest challenges we all face is the
decision on a career or vocation that meets our
individual needs and interests.  As educators with
an influence in student's lives, we have the
opportunity to share our knowledge and
experiences through career exploration in
the classroom.

This lesson plan is a starting point for assisting
students in a career search.  It is most appropriate
for grades 7 through 12. Just allowing students a
short visit to the school counselor or career center
a few times during their high school careers does
not allow time for full exploration. Career
exploration must begin at a much earlier stage
and continue throughout their high school career.

Main Objective
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will
understand and apply the specific decision
making skills that may assist in career planning.

Student Objectives
1.       Identify reasons for beginning a career
planning process early in the high school years;
2.       Understand decision-making processes
used in career planning;
3.       Define career interests using a learned
decision process;
4.       Outline a specific career focus and list
steps necessary to obtain goals.

Teacher Activity/Lesson Introduction
Open lesson with students by discussing the
meaning of the following:
Without a map, there is no way of knowing if you
are on the right road, if you have arrived at your
destination, or even if you are making progress.
Without a plotted course, we may all be like
Columbus who didn't know where he was going,
didn't know how to get there, and didn't know where
he was when he arrived!

Possible questions to ask:
Why do you need a map to assist in a career decision?
What would be the key elements of a career map?
How would a map or plan assist you in your career
decision process?
How do you think most people decide on what
career to pursue?

Activities for the Student
1.  Assist students to clarify their work-related
values using a self-interest test or by listing their
interests, skills, and talents. An excellent handbook
that includes forms and resources is "Design Your
Own Life: from High School to Career".  It may be
obtained at http://www.telesis.org.

2.  Utilizing the  " Background Information for
Teachers," present the four steps of the decision
making process.  Ask students to respond to
items listed in Section 4.

3.   Allow students the opportunity to use available
school resources to search and create a list of
occupations based on their values, interests,
talents and work skills. Additionally, they should
list school and community leadership opportunities
and activities, as these are often required items in
an admission process.

4.   Identify Library, Career Center and Internet
resources that will assist students in identifying
college and vocational centers that provide training
in their interest areas. The students will review
required high school courses for college entrance
for chosen vocation or career, identify major field
of study for college or vocational center,  obtain
up-to-date information and printouts on occupations
utilizing the Career Center, Library Resource Center,
and Internet resources to   determine education
and training requirements for each occupation.

5.   Ask students to visit the Web sites of their
potential schools to gather information on admission
requirements including required standardized tests
(PSAT, SAT, ACT) and make a list of these requirements.

6.   Gather information from colleges and other
schools, write for brochures and catalogs, and
attend college fairs.

7.  Visit the school Career Center to review potential
scholarships, and review Web sites available for
scholarship information. Use this opportunity to
review rules for searching the Internet and using
Search Engines.

8.  Ask the Career Counselor or Vocational Director
to deliver a presentation on their services and
available resources.

9.  Assist students to research their tentative
career choices in person.  One of the best ways
to know what a career is really like is to interview
someone who is actively working in the field.
They may know someone through a family
connection, find a name in the phone book,
or write to an organization and ask for someone
willing to be interviewed.  Encourage students to
prepare carefully for their interviews and review
questions ahead of time.  Potential questions
may include:  What do you like about your work?
What personality traits are most important for
success in this field? How did you choose this
profession? Is this a growing field? What school
subjects were most valuable to you? What would
you recommend in education, work experience,
and intern programs? If you were starting over,
what would you do/ change? Is there someone
else in the field I could talk to?

10. Students will develop an action plan outlining
specific steps for implementation of their career
plan utilizing the information gathered.

11. Encourage students to share their
discoveries with their parents and/or other
significant adult(s).

Background Information for the Teacher
Skills presented in career exploration may be
broken down into steps that build toward the
final goal.  Decision processes are never neat
and linear, but provide a map and sequential
steps. If students engage in several of the
decision steps outlined, they will find they
are more focused and closer to understanding
their career goals.

Steps to be considered in assisting students
with decision-making and career exploration
may include presentation and discussion of
the following:

1.       Making the decision to decide on a
future vocation:  The first step in any decision
process is "DECIDE TO DECIDE."  No matter
how much we wish and dream, we must still
take the first step in the process.

2.       Begin by looking in:  You will want to
design a career that fits you rather than trying
to squeeze into something that others decide
will work.  To do this you must turn your
attention inward. Inquire into your nature and
personality and then turn your attention to
matching your vision to the realities of the
outside world.

3.       Seek full self-expression: You will
want to consider and honor every aspect
of your life, reviewing your nature and your
intentions.

4.       Break down the big question "What
am I going to do with my life" into smaller,
more manageable sections:  Most people's
minds jump from one potentially interesting
career to another.  You think of all the possible
positive aspects of the job and are often left
with a blizzard of mental images and opinions
about potential careers. It is much easier to
break the question into smaller components.
This will assist you in identifying the answers
that will ultimately lead to building a map to
a career that meets personal needs.  Consider
the following:

*Review natural talents and innate abilities:
Everyone is born with unique talents.  These
talents give each person a special ability to
do certain kinds of tasks easily and happily.
Talents are completely different from acquired
knowledge, skills and interests.  Your
interests can change.  You can gain new
skills and knowledge.  Your natural,
inherited talents remain with you for your
entire life.

*Discover personality traits and temperament:
People engaged in careers that make them
suppress themselves at the job are often
unhappy.  A fit between you and your work
includes and supports the full self-expression
of your personality.

*Define purpose, meaning and mission:
People, who are engaged in something they
care about and are proud of, are enthusiastic
about their work.  When they feel they are
making a contribution, they are motivated to work.

*Stretch boundaries: Work to stretch as far
as possible toward a career choice that will
not be a compromise.  At the same time, be
realistic.  It makes no sense to make plans
you are unwilling or unable to achieve.

*Fulfill goals: Having something to work towards
is an important part of the job of life and working.
When you custom design your career around
your needs and interests, you will fulfill your
life goals and have a broader meaning and
challenge on the job.

*Match rewards to values: Rewards are the
motivators that help keep you happily performing
at work. It is important to determine what rewards
you will expect, whether they are monetary or
otherwise, and determine if they exist in the
workplace of your choice.

*Find compatible work environments: Work
environments play a vital role in happiness on
the job.  You may want to consider your
geographical environment, the organizational
environment, along with the style and corporate
personality that affects you at work.

*Ask questions: Your career choices stem
from how well you answer fundamental
questions about yourself and your future.
The quality of your answers depends on
how focused, how succinct and how clear
you are willing to be when asking the
important questions regarding who you are.
Inquiry into self-knowledge is an essential
skill in designing your life.

*Plan final steps: Are the careers you are
considering really suitable, do-able and
available?  Do they fit you?  Research is
the key to understanding the reality of
potential future careers.

Key Resources:
Directory of Occupational Titles (DOT) defines
more than 20,000 occupations and includes
information on the industries in which an
occupation is found as well as descriptions
of each job's task and responsibilities.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)
describes job duties, education and training
requirements, employment outlook, earnings,
and working conditions for over 500 occupations.

In addition to these guides, there is a wealth
of other career information available from the
Department of Labor, Room 1539,
GAO Building, 441G Street NW,
Washington, D.C. 20202

 Helpful Internet Links:
http://www.mapping-your-future.org/
http://www.adventuresineducation.org/
http://www.career-planning.com/highschool1.htm
http://www.clearinghouse.net/index.html
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html
(Full list of universities)
http://www.petersons.com/
(Guides to colleges, financial aid, etc)
http://go.to/chrisclass
(Broad offering of career links)

Financial Aid Guides and More:
 http://www.collegeboard.org
http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/
http://www.scholarships101.com
http://www.scholarshipexperts.com

Preparation for College Entrance Exams:
http://www.testu.com
http://www.collegeboard.com

Student Career Planning Handbook:
Design Your Own Life: Design: from High
School to Career  (From: http://www.telesis.org)

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SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS:

This month the SchoolNotes spotlight is shining…
on Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains,
New Jersey!

For the past two years, Union Catholic staff
members have been committed to using
SchoolNotes on a daily basis to share class
and school announcements, recognize student
achievements, and communicate with parents.

Classroom teachers post daily and long-term
assignments, but they are not the only ones
using SchoolNotes.  The Athletic Director at
Union Catholic posts the athletic schedules,
directions to out-of-town games, sports news,
and links to the State Athletic Association.
The Guidance Department posts informational
links for college-bound students and SAT testing
locations and schedules, while club advisors use
SchoolNotes to post meeting times, practice
schedules, and parent information.

Students have come to rely on the SchoolNotes
postings as a means of keeping on top of class
assignments and school activities.  Parents are
happy to have a consistent way to communicate
with teachers, and many of them make use of the
Notify Me feature to be sure they have the latest
news from the entire Union Catholic community.
The SchoolNotes spotlight shines bright at
Union Catholic, thanks to the dedication of a
creative staff!

Are you doing something great with Copernicus
in your school or district?  We would love to
shine the spotlight on you!  Write to us at
cmccoid@edgate.com to tell us about your school.

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IN THE NEWS

Will e-Learning Close Achievement Gap?
http://www.nasbe.org/e_Learning.html
Education leaders may be failing to meet their
obligation to assure that all students are
provided a quality education as we implement
new classroom technologies. The National
Association of State Boards of Education
(NASBE) recently released a report on
e-learning. The report titled, "Any Time,
Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace", challenges
education leaders to develop policies to
assure that e-learning spreads rapidly and
equitably, is used well, and strengthens the
public education system.

How Does Your School Environment Compare?
http://www.metlife.com/Companyinfo/Community/Found/Docs/2001pdf.html
Metropolitan Life annually completes a national
survey of the American Teacher and School
Environment.  This report shows national
perceptions that provide a benchmark to
compare to your school. This year's survey
addressed teaching quality, expectations and
job satisfaction. The survey also provides
good models and questions for collecting
local perceptions on school environment.

Wasted Senior Year?
http://www.commissiononthesenioryear.org
The problems of America's high school
seniors are more than the 'senioritis' that
takes hold after college acceptance,
according to the final report of the National
Commission on the High School Senior
Year. The report charges that high schools
are failing to fully prepare graduates for
college and work. The commission was
formed by the U.S. Department of Education.

Examples of Excellence
http://www.negp.gov/reports/DoDFinal921.pdf
A new National Education Goals Panel study
examines fators contributing to the success
of the Department of Defense School System.
The report, "March Toward Excellence:
School Success and Minority Student
Achievement in Department of Defense
Schools," offers a series of eight policy
recommendations for state and local school
systems to consider in improving the
performance of their schools.


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