Career Preparation What specific skills, experiences, training and abilities will students need to be successful in their career choices?

Introduction This is the third unit of a series of four developed for career development in the transition setting. The ultimate goal of this is to give the student a solid background in each of these areas and to eventually get them into the workforce. The series is as follows: Career Awareness Career Exploration Career Preparation Career Assimilation

This Unit: Career Preparation Narrow and confirm a career field and explore a range of positions within that field Increasing wok experience opportunities to prepare for full-time work in the community; involvement in vocational rehabilitation services as needed Interview and job seeking skills for work experience positions

Stage 1: Identifying Desired Results -Applying Academic Content Standards (Ohio Department of Education) Subject Grade Area Benchmark Language Arts 8-10 Writing Applications Produce letters (e.g., business, letters to the editor, job applications) that follow the conventional style appropriate to the text and include appropriate details and exclude extraneous details and inconsistencies. Mathematics 11-12 Data Analysis & Probability Connect statistical techniques to applications in workplace and consumer situations. Design and perform a statistical experiment, simulation or study; collect and interpret data; and use descriptive statistics to communicate and support predictions and conclusions.

Stage 1: Continued Subject Grade Area Benchmark Social Studies 11-12 Social Studies Skills and Methods Work in groups to analyze an issue and make decisions. Science 9-10 Science and Society Recognize that scientific literacy is part of being a knowledgeable citizen.

Stage 2:Determining Acceptable Evidence -The Six Facets of Understanding (Wiggins and McTighe) Activity Desired Outcomes Facet 1: Explanation Students will describe their job/volunteer possibilities and describe in detail the procedures they will need to find and obtain a job/volunteer position of their choice. Students will write one to two paragraphs describing the potential places at which they would like work/volunteer. They will include how each position helps their career choice making and career plan. Students will also explain in order the steps they will need to take in order to obtain their goal (résumé, application, interview…) Facet 2: Interpretation Students will interpret their own interest, strengths, motivations and personality characteristics in terms of the job requirements and characteristics. Student will include 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses, personal attributes, and describe how well these match the job positions. Facet 3: Application Student will write a resume and cover letter, complete job application, interview, obtain and maintain a part-time job or a volunteer position. Students will produce a functional resume, demonstrate the ability to fill out an application and by doing so acquire a job/volunteer position. Throughout their job/volunteer students and the employer will perform weekly evaluations.

Stage 2: Continued Facet Activity Desired Outcomes Facet 4: Perspective Student will identify misunderstanding and conflicts that occur during their work experience due to their behaviors and their disabilities. Students will actively participate in a discussion about their personal work experiences and offer at least two examples of how they reacted and resolved any errors or miscommunications. Facet 5: Empathy Students will present challenges they have faced in their job/volunteer experience due to their disability and offer suggestions to other peers. Students will share two scenarios where they were challenged by their disabilities and explain how others may have felt or thought by stating why they had specific reactions. Facet 6: Self-Knowledge Student will refer to their list of steps needed to obtain and maintain a job/volunteer experience and evaluate their success in following the steps and performing their job over several weeks or months. Students will revise their career plan to include why they may or may not be well-suited for this job, whether or not they wish to change, then make adjustments to their portfolio to include both positive and negative experiences.

Stage 3: Planning Learning Experiences Suggested Activities

Lesson Plan: Language Arts Activity: This lesson is used early in the career preparation unit by having students develop a resume. Behavioral Objectives: Using a sample resume and teacher assistance, students will write a resume identifying at least one experience they have had for each of the five resume categories. Prerequisite Knowledge: Know what a resume is and why they are needed Know how to describe their personal skills and hobbies Have made a stable career choice or narrowed their choices to one area or interest Word Processing skills; editing, saving data Lesson Procedure: Prior to this class, have students ask their friends and family members who have earned a job what types of skills a boss looks for. Students will use their data to list categories of information found on a resume including educational background, skills, hobbies, career training, and references. Begin the lesson by having students share their information about what types of skills, abilities and qualities bosses want. Help students prioritize key skills, abilities, and qualities. Next, help students identify qualities from the list that they think they have. Have students list their own achievements, and interests. Have students take their list of information and fill in the appropriate sections of the resume. By the end of this, they should have written one complete resume. To bring the lesson to a close you can discuss how being able to list and describe their own skills, interest, and achievements will be important to job-searching and the interview process. Adaptations: Students who already have experience in resume writing can provide their own format.

Lesson Plan: Math Activity: Students will learn to keep track of their own work hours and how much they make on weekly bases. Behavioral Objectives: Students will calculate their hours of work on a weekly base correctly 100% of the time. Students will calculate how much they make before taxes on weekly bases 100% of the time. Prerequisite Knowledge: Know what work hours are. Know how to add or use a calculator. Know how to calculate averages. Lesson Procedure: Prior to this class students will be told to bring their work schedule in for the week. Each student will also have to get a notebook that is to be used only for this assignment. To begin the lesson, the students will explain how each of their jobs/volunteer keeps track of their hours. Next go over the set up of the log and what they are to do with it. (See log example attached) Have the students create the same log in their notebooks. Then have them fill in their work schedule for the week. This will show if they understood what they are to do. Then have the students figure out the average of hours they work a day, out of that week. Students will do this assignment for at least a month and turn it in weekly. At the end of the month they will show what their average of hours are in a week as well as their pay. They will also make a chart/graph of their hours to present to the class. Adaptations: Students who already have experience in this lesson could figure out the tax difference in their pay.

Lesson Plan: Math Continued Your name Job title Work position What you make hourly ($6/hr) Date Time Total hrs Total pay April 5 2005 2:00PM – 5:30PM 3hrs 30min $21 April 6 2005 3:00PM – 5:30PM 2hrs 30min $15 April 7 2005 April 8 2005 April 10 2005 Total for the week 15hrs 30min $93

Lesson Plan: Science Activity: Students will learn to recognize how science has affected technological advances and how they use technology in their everyday lives. Behavioral Objectives: Students will identify and demonstrate, through a presentation or role-playing, of how one technology they use in their everyday lives has progressed over time. Prerequisite Knowledge: Know that science affects technology Understand that science allows technology to change over time Know how to use the Internet for research Lesson Procedure: To introduce the lesson, begin listing different types of technology that students use regularly. Discuss how technology changes over time. Give examples of how new developments in science help technology evolve, i.e. computers. Model how to research online the development of a specific technology. What types of scientific breakthroughs occurred? Have students return the list they generated at the beginning of class and choose one form of technology. Assist students in researching the scientific development of their technology. Compile information collected into an oral/signed presentation or a role-playing scenario. To bring the lesson to a close have students share their presentation or role-playing scenario with the class. Adaptations: You may further the lesson by having students predict how the technology they are currently using might continue to change in the future.

Lesson Plan: Social Studies Activity: Students will solve their work related problems, which helps them to think before they act in real life as well as at work situations. Behavioral objectives: Working in groups of 2-4, students will help their group members in brainstorming 1-2 solutions for their problems. Prerequisite knowledge: Students are to have some experience in a work or volunteer position. Lesson Procedure: Introduction to the lesson: Start by asking the students, what are some problems that you have encountered while in a work related situation? Have the students brainstorm some ideas. Then ask which problems apply to them. Pick one of the problems listed and ask how they might want to solve this problem. Write down all of the ideas on a chalkboard or somewhere everyone can see it. Steps for learning: After you finish with your example, discuss how they came up with the solution. Explain the different parts/steps to problem solving. Define the problem. Come up with a few solutions. Collectively decide on which solution is the best one. Will this solve the problem? Is it going to keep you from getting in trouble? Will you still be employed after this solution is done? Develop a way to make this solution possible. Finally, evaluate your outcome. Was this the right solution? Why or why not ? Have the steps somewhere where everyone can see them. Have students copy them in their own notebooks for reference. Break students into groups of 2 to 4 people and have each of them come up with a work related problem for their group to solve. Each group will use the given steps to solve their problems. As they go through the process they are to record the results for each step. Adaptations: If some students have not had a job or volunteer position, you can give them a scenario where problems may arise. Perhaps an interview setting, helping with household chores, or working as a part of a group. If the students finish the activity quickly they can create a skit to share with the class. Also, have the students explain why they chose to solve the problem in such a way.

Setting up the Work Experience: Tips for Teachers Make sure students have realistic experience before focusing on one career or job option, i.e. observing potential jobs and job shadowing Contact guidance office for local businesses related to student’s career options. Collaborate with the Career Assessment Specialist, Work Study Coordinator, VOSE, and Job Training Coordinator. Allow students to be involved as much as possible in choosing their job/volunteer position Have students search want-ads in local newspapers and online; have students visit site and ask for application. Be prepared to address your student’s transportation needs for their work or volunteer position Contact local transportation services. Coordinate with school transportation services. Have many community resources available to your students, i.e. information from career and vocational schools, list of local businesses that accept students, internet Consider input from parents and other transition team members Question team members about students preferences, abilities, needs and successes to narrow the search for an appropriate career path.

Resources for Teachers America’s Career Info Net www.acinet.org/acinet/default.asp Career Development Resource www.cdr.state.tx.us Career Planning http://front.csulb.edu/tstevens/c15-carp Concept Diagram Queensland Government http://education.qld.gov.au/students/service/career/careered U.S. Department of Labor- in-depth descriptions of different types of jobs or careers http://www.dol.gov

References Brolin, D. E. (1992). Life-centered career education: Competency units. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. Luft, P. & Koch, L. (2005). “Career Development: Theories for Transition Planning”.  Transition Planning for Secondary Students with Disabilities.  Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall. 83-108. Ohio Department of Education. “Academic Content Standards.”2004.http://www.ode.state. oh.us/academic_content_standards/ Wiggins, G. & McTigue J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for the Supervision and Curriculum Development.