Career Development

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Have students, working individually or in co-operative groups, list as many personal interests, strengths, talents, and skills as possible and record these in their journals. Encourage them to expand their journal entries with stories of how people can use their talents and abilities.

-Invite parents and community members (e.g., musicians, artists, craftspeople) to speak to the class about their particular skills or talents.

-Have students engage in dramatic play that portrays people with a range of interests, abilities, and talents. Debrief by having students identify each character’s positive features.

-Hold celebration days to recognize students’ achievements.

-Arrange for visitors from the community or students’ families to share information about their jobs (volunteer or paid). Have students write thank-you cards to people who have participated.

-Plan field trips that provide opportunities for students to observe people in a number of jobs in a variety of settings. After, have students compile a list of all the jobs they saw, as well as any others they can think of in the community. Have them classify these jobs into various categories (e.g., indoor versus outdoor, paid versus volunteer, making things versus providing services).

-As a class, make a collage, bulletin board, or scrapbook of pictures relating to a variety of jobs. Encourage students to develop and add to the collection throughout the year.

-Provide a variety of opportunities for students to participate in hands-on projects modelling work skills (e.g., baking, woodworking, peer helping, operating a school store, designing costumes). Have students suggest paid and volunteer situations in which these skills might be needed.