With All Your Powers, What Will You Do? Kelsey Augst North Carolina School Counselor Association Annual Conference, 2008

Objectives for Today You will be able to: Identify benefits of strengths based counseling Discuss and share career related strengths based school counseling units and lessons Implement strengths based career activities immediately

How Will We Meet The Objectives? Presentation Outline Icebreaker & Introduction Strengths Based School Counseling Curriculum Action Plan Results Report and Reflections Future Recommendations & Audience Ideas

What are YOUR powers?

Career Development Self-Concept Development (Super) Exploration Oriented towards gender and social valuation (Gottfredson) Relationship between school and work (ASCA) Self-Efficacy (Social Cognitive Career Theory) (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2005)

Strengths Based School Counseling Promoting positive development Student strengths and competencies Incorporating contextual factors Effect on motivation and self-efficacy (Galassi & Akos, 2007)

Unit Objectives The students will be able to: Identify personal powers, or strengths, interests, and skills Describe how what they are learning now will help in future careers Explore a variety of careers through student research, presentations, and discussion Discuss traditional and nontraditional occupational choices and identify how gender can affect career choices Research technology resources to obtain career information Present researched information to peers

Curriculum Action Plan Grade Level Guidance Lesson Content ASCA Domain/ Standard Curriculum and Materials Projected Start/End Date Projected Number of Students Affected Lesson Will Be Presented in Which Class? Evaluation Methods: How Will The Results Be Measured? Implementation Contact Person 4 What is My Power? Identifying strengths, skills, and interests Career Development Domain: C:A1.3 NCDG Personal Social Domain: PS1.K2 Music Video, What Is My Power Activity Sheet Feb. 2008 March 107 Homeroom Classroom Pre/Post Assessment, Review of Activity Sheets Kelsey Augst, school counselor Developing My Power Linking school to work Career Development Domain: C:C1.1 Developing My Power Activity Sheet, Developing My Power Poster Using My Power Researching and writing about a career Career Development Domain: C:B1.5 NCDG Career Management Domain: CM3.K5, CM3.A2, CM4.K3 Using My Power Activity Sheet, Career Research Sources: Paws in Jobland (www.cfnc.org), Career Critters, Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, People At Work Sharing My Power Career presentation sharing Career Development Domain: C:B2.1 Power Posters per student, Snacks, Homemade Costumes Pre/Post Assessment, Review of Activity Sheets, Informal Teacher Interviews

With All Your Power, What Will You Do?

Lesson Activities My Powers Developing My Power (Sitsch & Senn, 2005) Using My Power (Caryl, 2005) Sharing My Power Lesson Activities

Career Resources Paws in Jobland www.cfnc.org Children's Resources Counselor’s Resources Paws in Jobland www.cfnc.org Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Department of Labor People At Work: A Student’s A-Z Guide to 350 Jobs, Early Start Career Series Making the Link: Helping Children Link School Habits With the World of Work, Lisa King Puzzle Pieces: The Classroom Guidance Connection, Diane Senn & Gwen Sitsch

Evaluation Methods Pre and Post Assessment Strongly Agree Agree Disagree I can identify the strengths I have that would help me in my career. I can describe how what I am learning in school now will help me when I have a career. I am aware of different careers at which I would be good. It doesn’t matter if I am a boy or a girl because I can choose any career I want. I know how to use computers to learn more about different careers. Evaluation Methods Pre and Post Assessment (King, 2005)

Evaluation Methods Activity Sheets

Results Report Grade Level Guidance Lesson Content Standards, Competencies, Indicators Addressed Number of Guidance Lessons Delivered in What Class or Subject Start Date End Date Process Data (Number of Students Affected) Perception Data (Pre and post test competency attainment or student data) Results Data (How did the student change as a result of the lesson?) Implications (What do the data tell you?) 4 What is My Power? Identifying strengths, skills, and interests Career Development Domain: C:A1.3 NCDG Personal Social Domain: PS1.K2 1 lesson during 4th grade technology time periods Feb. 2008 March 107 100% agreed on posttest that they could identify personal strengths Students were able to identify personal powers The 4th grade students showed growth in all areas of career understanding surveyed. Developing My Power Linking school to work Career Development Domain: C:C1.1 86% agreed on posttest that they can relate school curriculum to future work Students named ways that future jobs would use what they were learning in school Results data from student work shows that all students were engaged in class activities. Using My Power Researching and writing about a career Career Development Domain: C:B1.5 NCDG Career Management Domain: CM3.K5, CM3.A2, CM4.K3 2 lessons during 4th grade technology time periods 89% agreed on posttest that gender does not impact career choice 100% agreed on posttest that they are able to use the internet to research careers Students used technology to explore careers. Students chose a particular career to research and write about. Students wrote detailed information about careers. The results from the pre and post tests show that the lessons were effective in helping students to identify personal strengths, use technology for career research, and in build career awareness. Sharing My Power Career presentation sharing Career Development Domain: C:B2.1 100% agreed on posttest that they are aware of different careers Students presented their career research and listened to their peers. Students need further guidance on connecting school to work and recognizing gender biases in careers.

So… What Did We Learn? Success Stories! Next time… Reflections

Future Recommendations Some ideas from other career counselors: Used in older grades, up through college and with adults Photographs of students and career choices Audience thoughts and ideas?

Resources Caryl, M. (2005). Challenging Gender Traditions in Careers. Retrieved October 31, 2008 from http://schoolcounselor.org/rc_files/67/GenderInCareersLesson.pdf. Galassi, J. & Akos, P. (2007). Strengths-based School Counseling: Promoting Student Development and Achievement. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. King, L. (2005). Making The Link: Helping Children Link School Habits With the World of Work. Chapin, SC: Youthlight, Inc. Niles, S.G., & Harris-Bowlsbey, J. (2005). Career Development Interventions in the Twentieth Century, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. O’Brien, K.M., Bikos, L.H., Epstein, K.L., Flores, L.Y., Dukstein, B.D., & Ngondi, A.K. (2000). Enhancing the career decision making self-efficacy of upward bound students. Journal of Career Development, 26(4), 277-293. Sitsch, G., & Senn, D. (2005). Puzzle Pieces: The Classroom Guidance Connection. Chapin, SC: Youthlight, Inc.

Thank you for your participation! Contact Information: Kelsey Augst, Hilburn Drive Elementary kaugst@wcpss.net www.ncdg.org, Career Convergence (June article) http://www.schoolcounselinghilburndrive.weebly.com, Student Resources, With All Your Power What Will You Do? music video link