Career Exploration - Cool Lessons Wiki

OverviewHow many times have you told your students,“you want a good career for your life; get aneducation.” It is true that one of the mostimportant decisions that students make ischoosing a career; however, are we reallyencouraging them on the right path to find it?It is already a fact that today’s generationwill not keep the same job for their entireworking life. In fact, many studies has shownthat people nowadays will go through at leasttwo to three different jobs before they reach aretirement age.

OverviewFor this reason, teachers’ redefined roleconsists of becoming facilitators in order toencourage students to find and develop theirskills, learn how to use technological tools to findsomething that appeals to their aptitudes as acareer choice, and even acquire the knowledge toto do self-inquiry in the case of having to lookfor a new job at a later stage in their lives.

OverviewIn this unit students will:• explore the world of careers.• discover through self-assessment their aptitudes and skills.• conduct research.• write a résumé using a template.• create convincing brochures.• present their findings using the technology of computers• conduct an electronic survey to assess their performance andability to convince others.

Name thatcareerCareerJargonInformationgatheringtool: TwocolumnsWritingSummaries:OnesummarysentenceBuildingVocabularyRead article:comprehensionSentenceStructureWriting aResumeResearching forprofessionalinstitutionsThematicUnit:CareerExplorationTaking aninventory(TestingRoom)Grammar: KeyTrainCoordinatingandSubordinatingconjunctionsUse the Dept.of Labor WebsiteUse brochurecreator(Publisher).Use webmonkey toconduct survey:careerpreferencesamong local highschool studentsPrepare a PowerPointPresentationabout aprofession whichincludes: Income,Educationrequired, and aninterview as itfits. Include an adpromoting thecareer.(PersuasiveWriting)Research/compare/constrastUnitedStreaming:Aptitude andcareer choiceWorksheetsCareer CruisingSoftware

Goals and Curriculum Fit• Domain: Listeningprocess,understand,interpret, andevaluate in avariety ofsituations.Level 5: Bridging• Integrateinformation fromoral documentariesand other sourceson unfamiliar topics

Goals and Curriculum Fit• Domain: Speakingengagein oralcommunication in avariety ofsituations for avariety of purposesand audiencesLevel 4: Expanding• Give persuasivespeeches on schoolrelated topics

Goals and Curriculum Fit• Domain: Readingprocess,interpret,and evaluatewritten language,symbols, and textwith understandingand fluencyLevel 4: Expanding• Make generalizationsfrom explicit andimplicit texts• Critique informationfrom various sources,including the InternetLevel 5: Bridging• Evaluate validity ofinformation fromvarious sources,including the Internet

Goals and Curriculum Fit• Domain: Writingengagein writtencommunication in avariety of formsfor a variety ofpurposes andaudiences.Level 4: Expanding• Summarize notes fromwritten texts inparagraph form• Produce outlines andsummary from lecturenotesLevel 5: Bridging• Produce essays andrepots from notes oroutlines

Identifying, Representingand Describing the ProblemAs a young adult you may have drifted off a few times wondering,where are you heading in the next few years? In fact, you may havevisualized yourself owning a nice sport car, a house with a pool in a niceneighborhood, and enjoying doing whatever you may be doing as anoccupation. However, have you identified yet a career choice that wouldactually give you those things plus a secure future?You may have already realized that things are not the same as theywere for your parents a few years back. Maybe they didn’t have to obtaina college or university education to have a good job and raise a family; thenagain, this kind of circumstances may not longer apply to your generation.Our modern informational society requires more than a high school diplomato obtain a nice job. You may have already noticed that highly skilledpeople are the one getting the higher paying jobs.

Identifying, Representingand Describing the ProblemNow you may be pondering about career choices thatwould suit you best and give you some of the things you wantin your life. Perhaps, you have already browsed through theInternet looking for information about different careersand occupation choices, or maybe you have asked yourcounselor about a particular interest. With thousands ofcareers to choose from, it is never too early to begin yourpursue for something that you may want in your life.In this unit you will learn how to use Internet tools toexplore career choices and use an occupational handbook tosearch for pay and benefits. In addition, you will learn howto use a job data bank to search for openings around thecountry, write a résumé and carry out an interview with apotential employer.

InterdisciplinaryConsiderations• Technology– Use technology tools andresources for managingand communicatingpersonal/professionalinformation (e.g., finances,schedules, addresses,purchases,correspondence).– Select and applytechnology tools forresearch, informationanalysis, problem-solving,and decision-makingcontent learning.– Social Science• STATE GOAL 18:Understand socialsystems, with anemphasis on the UnitedStates.• LATE HIGHSCHOOL18.B.5 Usemethods of social scienceinquiry (pose questions,collect and analyze data,make and supportconclusions withevidence, report findings)to study the developmentand functions of socialsystems and reportconclusions to a largeraudience.

TimelineCareer Exploration16 days• Day 1: Building vocabulary and backgroundknowledge– Activating prior knowledge with the use of aconcept map (careers)– Building vocabulary knowledge: context andname that profession– Turn previous concept map into extendedgraphic organizers: connectors: prestige,security, high and low wages, higher degree ofeducation, vocational skills, etc.

Terms to Learn• Career• Interests• Aptitudes• Skills• Paraprofessionals• Apprenticeship• Entrepreneur• Interview• RésuméBack

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 2: Reading Comprehension Skills– Reading for comprehension: Generation gaps shapeworkplace choices, conflicts.• http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060713/us_nm/life_work_generation_dc_1– Doing an anticipation guide to generate ideas forpredictions.• Completing a two-column notes chart with main ideasstructured as questions for students to find and providesupporting details.• Writing a one sentence summary using the ideasgathered from the article through the completionof the two-column notes

Two-Column NotesGeneration gaps shapeworkplace choices, conflictsMain IdeaSupporting IdeasWhat examples can you find in this articlethat demonstrate the gasp of workexpectations between generations?Why do you think that each generationapproaches jobs differently?Can you elaborate on the reasons why peoplemay not be happy with their jobs?Assess from your own perspective the valueor importance for your generation of…•money.•prestige.•self-realization.•satisfaction.Back

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 3: Key Train– Mini-lesson:• Sentence Structure• Writing complex sentences with coordinating andsubordinating conjunctions.• Key Train: Complete lessons (same as mini-lesson)• Take quiz on Key Trainhttp://run.keytrain.com/

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 4: Aptitude Test– Reading Selection: Your Aptitudes and Skills &Reflection questions– Take an on-line aptitude testhttp://testingroom.com/logonAction2.do– Print findings and place in students’ portfolio.– Write a reflective journal entry about results.

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 5 : United Streaming Video– Exploring Careers: What’s Right for You: students willwatch the movie segments: Picking a career is a lifetimeprocess, Personality types and The Holland hexagon.– Students will work in collaborative groups to discuss andreport on a series of questions.– Take a personality type quiz and score it. Students willplace a copy of this quiz in their portfolios. (UnitedStreaming on-line teacher’s handbook)– Write an extension to yesterday’s journal entry byadding comments on the results of today’s personalityquiz.

Discussion QuestionsSource: United Streaming Teacher’s Handbook (on-line)1. Does it surprise you to learn thatpeople change careers an average ofsix times in their lives? Can you offerexamples of family members or otheradults you know who have changedcareers often?3. Do you know someone whose workdoesn’t fit his/her personality? Isthe person successful? Is he/shehappy? Why do you think that personchose that career?2. What does the guidance counselor,Ms. Olmyer, mean when she says that“picking career is a process”? Whatdoes she mean when she says the firststep in choosing a career is to get onthe right “staircase”? What would bethe wrong “staircase”?4. Describe the Holland Hexagon.What is the idea behind it?Back

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 6: United Streaming Video– After identifying students’ prevailing personality, theywill take a second quiz according to their type tofurther explore their interests, aptitudes, likes anddislikes. (United Streaming on-line teacher’shandbook)– Having identified students’ interest, they will accessthe movie segment that pertains his/her interestfrom the teacher’s on-line folder.– Carousel Brainstorming: The teacher will write thenames of the different types of personality-doer,thinker, creator, helper, persuader and organizer- on aposter paper. Students will move about each labeledposter paper and write either or both comments andquestions about something they have learned from thevideo.– Students will reflect in a group discussion aboutconnections they see between students’ comments.

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 7 & 8: Career Cruising– Students will access the program Career Cruising onlinein order to prepare a more personalized portfoliobased on student’s interests, skills, likes and dislikesand occupational interests.Career Cruisinghttp://www.careercruising.com/default.asp

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 9: Career choices and gathering information– Having students profiled their personality type, skillsand preferences, they will use the U.S. Department ofLabor web site to search for specific information.– Students will use a five column chart to gatherinformation about training and education needed,earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do onthe job and working conditions for five differentoccupations.• U.S. Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/– Having completed the five-column chart, they willcomplete a Goal-Reasons web where they will state onegoal (e.g., owning a home by the age of 25) and supportit with ways of achieving it. They will use theinformation gathered from their previous research.

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Five-Column ChartCareersTraining andeducationneededEarningsExpectedjobprospectsWhatworkers doon the jobWorkingconditionsBack

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 10: Career choices and gatheringinformation– Having the teacher demonstrated how to use and fillin with information a Word document using a template,students will go to http://office.microsoft.com/enus/templates/default.aspx?Application=OF&Ver=11and select an appropriatetemplate to write a current and future (according to theirfuture goals and expectations) résumé.– Students will create a list of requirements for a goodrésumé.– Having print out a copy of their résumé, students will assesseach others work and write recommendations.

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 11 & 12: Career choices andgathering information– Students will select a profession and will prepare a Power Pointpresentation providing the following information: profession,training and education needed, institutions in the surrounding areaoffering required courses (http://www.illinois.gov/learning/college.cfm),earnings, expected job prospects, job description, ramifications(other areas where people can work on), working conditions, and jobbenefits.– Students will then use the MS Publisher to prepare a brochure thatcontains the same information providing with an introduction usingpersuasive writing style. A final copy of this brochure will be placedon a bulletin board.– Students will rehearse their Power Point presentation and placebrochures on the bulletin board.

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 13 & 14: Career Exploration Students’Presentation– Students will present their Power Point presentation to the class. Theteacher will use a rubric to asses students’ performance.– During each presentation, students will fill out a clock-shaped graphicorganizer where they write important details for every presentation.– Before starting the individual conferences, students will complete a fourcolumnchart stating their strengths and weakness. The last two-columns(students’ recommendations and self-reflection) will be filled afterconducting the survey.– The teacher will have individual conferences with the students to inform themof their grade and have them list their strengths and weakness during theirpresentations. Students that are not conferencing with the teacher will beworking on a Career Cruising worksheet.

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TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 15: Final Evaluation– Students will use the program SurveyMonkey.com(http://www.surveymonkey.com/home.asp) to design asurvey, collect responses and analyze results. Students willbe collecting information about other students professionalpreferences, priorities, individual performance duringpresentations and recommendations.– Students in class will then proceed to take the surveys.

TimelineCareer Exploration• Day 16: Final Evaluation– Having gathered the information and responses from the surveys,students will analyze the results. They will go back to their selfassessmentfour-column chart and complete the columns forstudents’ recommendations and final self-reflection.– Students will share these reflections with the rest of class in anopen discussion.– Student’s will take one final survey designed by the teacher togather information about students impression of the unit and futurerecommendations.– The teacher will use the results to make changes and improvementsto the unit.

Project LevelLearning ObjectivesIn their study of the theme CareerExploration, students will conduct aresearch about different careerchoices, write a résumé, display theirresearch results, and prepare abrochure with the aid of twodifferent computer programs.

Project LevelLearning ObjectivesKnowledge• Define a series of terms related to career choices and job search.Comprehension• Explain the difference between choices and conflicts in theworkplace between generations.• Explain how interests, aptitudes, and skills influence careerchoices.Application• Relate aptitudes to personal career choices.• Identify ways to gain work skills• Write a résumé.

Project LevelLearning ObjectivesAnalysis• Compare/Contrast the cost of an education program, wages and demand ofseveral professional fields of students’ choice.Synthesis• Create a power point presentation presenting and promoting a professionalfield and its ramifications.• Discuss sources for finding jobs.• Design a brochure promoting a profession• Compile information from an electronic survey to determine the impact oftheir presentation.Evaluation• Rate their performance as a speaker and presenter by correlating it tosurvey results.• Set a criteria by which they can decide what at the best career choicesand what are the best strategies for applying and interviewing for suchjobs.

Target AudienceELL StudentsGrade Level9 - 12

TechnologiesComic Creatorhttp://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.htmlNews article: Generation gaps shape workplace choices, conflictshttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060713/us_nm/life_work_generation_dc_1Key Trainhttp://run.keytrain.com/United Streaminghttp://www.unitedstreaming.com/Career Cruisinghttp://www.careercruising.com/default.aspAptitude Testhttp://testingroom.com/logonAction2.doGraphic Organizershttp://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/U. S. Department of Laborhttp://www.dol.gov/

TechnologiesMicrosoft Office Onlinehttp://office.microsoft.com/enus/templates/default.aspx?Application=OF&Ver=11Learning in Illinoishttp://www.illinois.gov/learning/college.cfmSurvey Monkeyhttp://www.surveymonkey.com/home.asp

Roles of StudentsStudents will assume the role of:• Inquirers• Analytical readers and thinkers• Graphic designers• PresentersMost importantly:Assume responsibility for gathering thefacts that will help them make wiserdecisions about their futures.