This journey begins with how students are perceived at the high school level. High school is the time when students get involved in athletics, technology, clubs, band, vocal music, and art. Some of them drive a vehicle, some of them work after school, some of them attend a vocational school for part of the day, and some of them choose to attend college as a senior in high school. They are consumers of various forms of technology. Twenty-five years ago, attending college or a vocational school was not even a choice. Students, like me, took the same classes: English, science, math, and history. Our students have more educational choices than we had in school. The opportunities have changed, but the curriculum is still the same.
Changing the content of the curriculum is one road that has not been taken. When I first started teaching in 1991, my English classes were structured around grammar and writing during the first semester and emphasized literature during the second semester. After earning my two Master's degrees, I changed the delivery of my curriculum when I began to use units that combined speaking, listening, writing, reading, and vocabulary skills. I also made sure that I included the new standards in my units. However, as I read through the standards for ELA, I wondered how they helped my students become career and college ready other than the obvious reasons like reading and writing skills. I always felt that there was something missing in the standards that would help my students make connections between what they were learning in school to their career choices. It was time to change the content of my curriculum.
I created a unit that required my students in the first semester to explore their career choices. They had to read two nonfiction books, five articles on the internet, and one fiction book. For each reading assignment, they had to take notes using one of the note-taking strategies, compose summaries and reflections, write essays, create a brochure, and complete a Book Seller project. For the second semester, the students will explore their college choices, participate in a job fair, job shadow, and complete a presentation in May. They are also working on long-term and short-term goals. Every Friday, my students have a day to work on their project, and I have conferences with them. However, I would take this idea one step further if I could design my own schedule.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see what would happen if I could structure my English classes around specific career choices? I know it would cause a scheduling nightmare, but I think it would be worth the effort. For my students who want a career in math or science, I would offer an English class that focused on science fiction. If I had students who chose forensics, they would read crime novels, current events, and nonfiction. If I had students who liked the arts, then my class would focus on plays, musical, and drama. They would explore their career choices, learn the vocabulary, participate in project-based learning, and write essays. What if I worked with the science teachers or the drama teachers or the math teachers? The students would be able to make connections between what they were learning in school to what they would be doing in the "real-world."
What if all core classes were structured around career choices? Could this idea be accomplished? It would be a road that has not been taken, but I think "it would make all the difference."
S. Mellott
I created a unit that required my students in the first semester to explore their career choices. They had to read two nonfiction books, five articles on the internet, and one fiction book. For each reading assignment, they had to take notes using one of the note-taking strategies, compose summaries and reflections, write essays, create a brochure, and complete a Book Seller project. For the second semester, the students will explore their college choices, participate in a job fair, job shadow, and complete a presentation in May. They are also working on long-term and short-term goals. Every Friday, my students have a day to work on their project, and I have conferences with them. However, I would take this idea one step further if I could design my own schedule.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see what would happen if I could structure my English classes around specific career choices? I know it would cause a scheduling nightmare, but I think it would be worth the effort. For my students who want a career in math or science, I would offer an English class that focused on science fiction. If I had students who chose forensics, they would read crime novels, current events, and nonfiction. If I had students who liked the arts, then my class would focus on plays, musical, and drama. They would explore their career choices, learn the vocabulary, participate in project-based learning, and write essays. What if I worked with the science teachers or the drama teachers or the math teachers? The students would be able to make connections between what they were learning in school to what they would be doing in the "real-world."
What if all core classes were structured around career choices? Could this idea be accomplished? It would be a road that has not been taken, but I think "it would make all the difference."
S. Mellott
