When “Vocational Ed” Was the Alternative

by Nancy Gorman
CTE Copy Editor

A recent article in the Dallas Morning News presents a statement by Governor Rick Perry that “…all children should graduate and be college- and career-ready,” which was championed by Robert Scott, retiring as Education Commissioner (for the State of Texas).

A college preparatory course for high school students has long been a top-notch goal, and has been effectively providing a course plan that enables graduating students to proceed with higher education achievement.

What about non-college goals for students? Desiring an alternative plan can be preferable because of a language disparity, school location (perhaps not in a city or town that can provide alternative materials and resources), physical impairments of mobility (speech, hearing, vision, mental acuity, etc.). Time was when “vocational ed” was the alternative – taking “shop,” home ec (domestic economics education courses), office clerk (typing, shorthand, phones), phys ed, childcare, transportation jobs, retail jobs, and more. 

No specific high school courses were available for many such situations.

The Learning Technologies department here at University of North Texas (Denton) has developed and continues to expand and perfect course plans that provide direction and materials that are established and working for students and teachers in chosen specialty areas. These programs were been prepared nearly twenty years ago, but are improved, innovated, and updated through the efforts of education specialists and the Center for Knowledge Solutions professionals.

This may sound like a commercial for the Center (well, so it is!) but in this day and age of enormous costs for a college education, attention to “jobs” is ever-more critical. Think of the various areas that, if provided with trained, educated personnel, companies could benefit from the “best of the rest” to be hired.

Read the topics of expertise listed on this web site for a review of the sixteen areas of vocational development and education that can help provide pathways to the best learning available. You may be glad you did!

Resource:  Stutz, Terrence (Austin Bureau). (2012, May 2). Education chief quits after tumultuous tenure (Referring to Robert Scott retiring). The Dallas Morning News. p. 3B.

Students With Oppositional Disorder

by Mickey Wircenski
CTE Project Director

Instructors are finding that they are challenged with a greater number of students with Oppositional Disorder (OPD). This is a serious and chronic psychiatric condition that is characterized by a confrontational attitude, a disregard for the feeling of others, verbal aggressiveness and a pattern of bothering others. OPD is the result of environment and genetics, particularly if the individual comes from a traumatic, neglectful or negative environment.

OPD sufferers seem to get pleasure from their behavior. Symptoms include a pattern of negative, hostile and defiant behavior lasting at least six months, during which four or more of the following are present:

·         Losing one’s temper

·         Arguing with adults

·         Defying adults or refusing adult requests or rules

·         Deliberately annoying others

·         Blaming others for one’s own mistakes or misbehavior

·         Being easily annoyed

·         Being angry and resentful

·         Being spiteful for no apparent reason

·         Swearing or using obscene language

·         Holding a low opinion of oneself (Jensen, 2000)

OPD constitutes a high level of challenge to the classroom instructor. The three most important beliefs that an instructor can foster in the OPD student are:

·         A sense that they have some control over their lives

·         A sense that what they do is different from who they are

·         A feeling that they are cared about despite their condition

General guidelines for instructors who work with OPD students consist of the following:

·         Pick your battles carefully…consider the “long haul”

·         Learn to distract instead of confront

·         Encourage writing and journaling for the student

Jensen (2000) offered the following strategies for classroom instructors:

·       Create a response team with others in the school as well as with parents and relatives of the student.

·       Use a behavior modification approach with mutually agreed upon rewards and fair consequences.

·         Respond in a non-oppositional way with flexibility.

·         Be consistent in your expectations.

·         Be specific with your requests.

·         Provide encouragement as often as possible.

·         Don’t get caught up in arguing with the student.

·         Don’t give ultimatums…give choices.

References

Jensen, Eric. (2000). Different Brains, Different Learners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.