CTE in the News

by Nancy Gorman
CTE Copy Editor

It is wonderful to read in newspapers and magazines about Career and Technical Education in our Texas public schools.  Well-written articles make it clear that not all high school students are aimed at a post-secondary education. But students do have interests, skills, and perhaps talents that can lead them through a successful educational experience and the workplace, and CTE programs are can be the right environment for many to succeed.

 Columnist Steve Blow writing in The Dallas Morning News (April 4, 2010), told about his tour in a Grand Prairie high school and was pleasantly surprised with their plan of providing programs to students to prepare them for the working world.  The students’ classes help them with all phases of “employability” including personal skills as well as technical and educational knowledge.  They take many of the same course requirements as traditional high schools, but elective activities such as repairing computers, doing architectural design, printing banners, taking blood pressure, repairing cars, styling hair and more provide real-world opportunities to round out the educational experience. 

Involvement with CTE programs result in a lower dropout rate of students who get discouraged by taking only college prep curriculum.  This may seem like a side effect, but is actually an important factor in increasing school attendance rates

A bold new framework for College and Career plans was developed by Karen Alexander, an Ohio State University graduate (through PhD), whose studies and work at Texas Tech University in 2004 were presented to the Texas Education Agency in 2005. It became known as AchieveTexas which has become a cornerstone for education plans that schools and teachers can use immediately.  It is a full-bodied framework, encompassing full courses in English, language arts, math, science and social studies.  In addition, there are 16 federally defined career cluster outlines in the requirements.  These plans work, and they are continually being updated, amended, improved, and made more workable. (See two links to AchieveTexas, below.)

Read all you can in professional literature, newspapers in your area, “What’s New in Education” articles wherever they appear, and Board of Education news releases.  Find out how CTE programs work in your school or school district.  Let us know your news on our CTE Community Forum.

References

Blow, Steve. (2004, April 4). Here it’s vocation, vocation, vocation. The Dallas Morning News, pp 1B, 10B).

Ciccone, Janet. (2010). A confident future. Inspire 2010, The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, pp. 12-14.

http://www.achievetexas.org/index.html

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/achievetexas/index.html

Hang Tough, Lloyd

From April 2009 archived blog
by Holly Smith

Miss Evans: Lloyd. Lloyd Dobler, I’ve got you.
Lloyd: How ya doin’ Miss Evans?
Miss Evans: You missed every one of your career counseling sessions. Call me obsessive-compulsive, but let’s do this right now.
Lloyd: No way.
Miss Evans: Lloyd.
Lloyd: What?
Miss Evans: I got statistics I can show you, I got graphs I can show you. That’s all the stuff I can show you, it all says the same thing. You have to decide on a career.
Lloyd: My dad’s a lieutenant colonel in the army, he wants me to join, he wants to pull some strings. I mean, there’s no possible way.
Miss Evans: We’ll just make an appointment for you at Seattle Junior College.
Lloyd: Yep. I’m not going to go to Seattle Junior College. I mean, I’ve gotta be honest with you, I’m not looking for that, I’m looking for something bigger, you know? I’m looking for a dare to be great situation.
Miss Evans: Lloyd, everybody in that party put something down on their record except you.
Lloyd: How many people really know what they want though? I mean, a lot of them think that they have to know, right? But inside, they don’t really know, so, I don’t know. But, I know that I don’t know.
Miss Evans: Hang tough, Lloyd.

I always remember this scene in Say Anything. First, I remember being appalled that a school counselor was attending a graduation keg party. But, more than that, I remember watching bemusedly as Lloyd Dobler tripped his way through this conversation, revealing himself to be an unmotivated high school graduate who was okay with knowing how disengaged he was from his life. It was clever writing and acting that carried Lloyd through the movie to fly off in the end as the hero. And, even then, he was flying off to support his girlfriend’s future, linking his to hers with no sign of his own direction...other than East.

Unfortunately for teachers, you don’t have witty writers telling the story of your students, nor do you have merely one “Lloyd Dobler”. Unmotivated students are a growing problem; and, unlike this movie, you want to reach them prior to graduation. How can you reach these students? Let’s start by identifying them.

Unmotivated students exhibit similar characteristics. They can be disorganized, forgetful, or just plain passive. Maybe they are hyperactive or aggressive. Sometimes unmotivated students are your rebellious students who show repeated signs of resentment about everything. They may also appear withdrawn or lonely. Believe it or not, an unmotivated student can also hide behind a mask of perfectionism. You are probably conducting a mental inventory of your students and pulling out names that show these signs. Maybe you have a list larger than you’d like. Maybe, at times, you even fall into one of these categories. Now what do you do?

There are many ways you can increase motivation within your students (and yourself). Most important on the list, creating a climate that values learning is key. If the things you’re teaching aren’t valued and presented in such a way that your students can see the importance, that knowledge will never become a part of your students’ learning experience.

Other methods to help students find motivation are:

• Celebrating success daily
• Emphasizing what the students are learning rather than their performance
• Making lessons interesting and relevant
• Linking learning to students’ interests
• Applying learning to the students’ futures
• Offering students choices and opportunities for autonomy and creativity
• Keeping presentations alive by adding variety to routines
• Mixing learning styles
• Finding ways students can interact

It may be unrealistic to incorporate all of these tools, but trying even one or two may bring back some of your students that you feel you barely reach, if at all. You might rekindle something in yourself as well. And, never stop giving yourself daily pep talks. You haven’t lost until you’ve stopped trying. To all those fighting the battle against unmotivation, I say to you,
“Hang tough, Lloyd.”

References
Brooks, James. L; Germain, Paul; Marks, Richard; and Platt, Polly (Producers) & Crowe, Cameron (Director). (1989). Say Anything [Motion Picture]. Century City, CA: 20th Century Fox.

Snobarger, Amanga. (2007). Motivating the Unmotivated Student. Presented at a Regional Workshop for School Counselors for the Indiana Department of Education.

Filling Your Backpack

From November 2008 archived blog
by Mickey Wircenski

More than ever, the role of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructor is demanding more of our professional skills and knowledge. For anyone who has never taught, it may look easy. However, veteran instructors know that there is enough to keep them continually busy 23 out of 24 hours in the day. 

Today’s “blended classroom” contains a variety of students with different learning styles, economic factors, family factors, cultural and ethnic influences, student learning styles, and varied student learning paces. This makes the process of “teaching” a complicated and sophisticated one!

The challenges of a CTE instructor include:
Planning instruction:

• Deciding what to teach
• Deciding how to teach
• Communicating realistic expectations to students

Managing instruction:

• Preparing to teach the content
• Using time productively
• Establishing a positive classroom environment

Delivering Instruction:

• Motivating learners
• Presenting content
• Providing relevant practice
• Keeping students actively involved
• Providing timely feedback
• Making appropriate accommodations for students with learning challenges

Evaluating Instruction:

• Monitoring learner understanding
• Maintaining records of learner progress
• Informing learners of their progress

In an attempt to fill our instructional backpack CTE instructors should become actively involved in collecting and using information in the following areas:

• Instructional planning
• Motivational techniques
• Learning styles
• Cooperative learning groups
• Learning environment design
• Instructional strategies
• Questioning and feedback strategies
• Methods of application and practice
• Assessment techniques (e.g., authentic assessment)

For those who are veterans in the classroom, many of these elements are familiar. They have been studied and practiced in the teaching process. For those new to the teaching profession, many of these elements are new and “undiscovered”. It is our responsibility as teaching professionals to continue to “fill our backpacks” for the future. Remember: No one has all of the pieces of the “instructional puzzle”. We must all be continuous learners. The stakes are high. Our students are counting on us. 

What has happened to Work Ethics?

From 2009 archived blog
by Renee Tonquest

Does the younger generation have the same work ethic as their parents? What has happened to cause this disconnect? What can we do as CTE educators to ensure that the students entering the workforce possess a strong work ethic?

The term work ethic as used in this context refers to “the beliefs, values, and principles that guide the way individuals interpret and act upon their rights and responsibilities within the work context at any given time” (Miller & Coady 1984, as cited by Ford & Herren 1993). A work ethic may include attendance, reliability, teamwork, self-management or appearance.

Today’s work place demands workers demonstrate a high degree of professionalism to fulfill productivity requirements. The CTE student must not only learn the skills necessary to perform the job responsibilities, they must possess a strong work ethic.

A report by the U.S. Department of Labor (1991) said that “more than half of our young people leave school without knowledge or foundation to find and hold a good job.” The report also concluded after interviewing employers that “new workers must be creative and responsible problem solvers and have the skills and attitudes on which employers can build.”

Teachers in CTE programs are currently teaching workplace ethics in the classroom. A study has found that “when work ethics are taught via direct, indirect and self-evaluative methods, students are more likely to be aware of the behavior employers expect from entry-level employees. Awareness of workplace expectations is the first step toward appropriate workplace behavior.” (Wells 1998). 

I am going to do my part and attempt to develop curriculum for Health Science teachers in Texas to utilize that will help them prepare the best workers for the health care system.

References
Ford, F. A. & Herren, R. V. (1993, December). The teaching of work ethics: Current practices of work program coordinators in Georgia. Paper presented at the American Vocational Association Convention, Nashville, TN.

Miller, P. F. & Coady, W. T. (1984). Vocational ethics: Toward the development of an enabling work ethic. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Board of Education, Department of Adult, Vocational and Technical Education.

United States Department of Labor (1991). What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000. Washington D.C.

Wells, J. L. (1998). Teaching Vocational Work Ethics Using Direct, Indirect and Self-Evaluative Methods.Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, Vol 14-2.http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVTE/v14n2/JVTE-5.html

Emotional Intelligence and Positive Self-Concept

From November 2008 archived blog
by Lynne Cox

Have you ever had one of those students in your class who just seemed to “have it all together?” I think you know the student I am referring to. This student is self-confident without being cocky; handles daily challenges with maturity, grace, and humor; is prepared for class each day; participates in class discussions and projects in a positive manner; and still manages to “look cool” among his/her friends. This kid may not have the highest IQ in the class, but this kid has figured out how to successfully manage relationships with different kinds of people. In the world of academia, we call this kid emotionally intelligent. Emotional Intelligence (EI), conceived by Daniel Goleman, is defined as the ability to think and react appropriately to our emotions and is a determining factor in how well we use other skills we possess, including intellect. EI is perhaps one of my favorite topics to read about. There is an existing body of research which supports the theory that EI is more important than IQ in predicting a student’s future success in school and in work. My personal teaching and child-rearing experiences concur with the research. One of the characteristics of a person with high EI is a positive feeling about self or a positive self concept.

Self-concept as a theoretical construct is important to the field of education because a positive self-concept is considered to be both a desirable trait as well as a facilitator of positive future behavior (Marsh, 1993). Positive student self-concept has been linked to academic achievement in core classes (Marsh, et. al., 1985), specific performance arts programs (Marsh, et. al., 1996) and positive classroom characteristics in the domains of cooperation, persistence, leadership, anxiety, expectations for future schooling, family support, behavior in class, and peer interactions (Hay, et. al., 1998). General self-concept (esteem) is considered by laypersons and professionals to be an important component in understanding human behavior (Wylie, 1989) and is considered by many researchers to be the basis for all motivated behavior (Franken, 1994).

The current, generally accepted self-concept model, referred to as the Marsh/Shavelson model of self-concept, is predicated on the idea that “children construct complex perceptions of themselves through their experiences with their world and their interpretations of their own place within it” (Smith and Croom, p. 312). Given how much time children spend in a classroom each day, it seems logical to investigate the impact of those experiences on students’ self-concepts. At the secondary level, Texas students may spend anywhere from 50 minutes to 2 hours each day in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) class. It seems logical, therefore, to investigate in particular the relationship between participation in CTE and student self-concept. 

In the next six months I plan to conduct research to examine this relationship. I believe we have some amazing and “cool” kids in our CTE programs in Texas. I know this is in part the result of your efforts to provide a quality education in the CTE classroom. Watch the CTE blog for future postings on this topic! In my ideal world, all teachers would use research-based methods for developing self-confident, mature, graceful, prepared, positive, and well-liked individuals who are ready to positively contribute to society when they leave high school. Wouldn’t it be great if more of our students could “have it all together?” 

References

1. Franken, R. (1994). Human motivation (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
2. Hay, I., Ashman, A. F., & Van Kraayenoord, C. E.,(1998). Educational characteristics of students with high or low self-esteem. Psychology in the Schools, 35(4), 391-400.
3. Marsh, H. W. & Shavelson, R. J. (1985). Self-concept: Its multifaceted, hierarchical structure. Educational Psychologist, 20, 107-125.
4. Smith, K. E., & Croom, L.(2001). Multidimensional self-concepts of children and teacher beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices. The Journal of Educational Research, 312-321.
5. Wylie, R. C. (1989). Measures of Self-Concept. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Competitive Events and Active CTSOs Pay Big Rewards

From January 2009 archived blog
by Sandra Hinesly

I always felt I was privileged to be a career CTE teacher for 30 years, and 25 of those years were at the same school. I had a great job, good CTE friends, and new students every year with a variety of backgrounds, challenges, and personalities. After the first couple of weeks of school, I would introduce information about our youth organization, elect officers, conduct leadership activities, and start talking about competitive event opportunities. I taught cooperative education and as you know our curriculum consists of three components: academics, work experience and the youth organization.

The competitive event activities are considered co-curricular and as I integrated them into my academic curriculum I felt the case studies were an excellent tool for incorporating real-world situations into the classroom. As my co-op students gained more work experience they understood the relevance and value of these case studies as well as appreciated the preparation for competition. The written event research projects are also a great tool for teaching students how to conduct primary and secondary research and re-enforces skills that cross the curriculum such as English and Math. As we prepared for and participated in competition my students and I generated an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation in the classroom.

Working with my students I’ve always realized the vital role that competition and CTSO’s have played in our CTE programs. I know the majority of CTE teachers feel this way as well. However, I recently came across some research from the U.S. Department of Education for Vocational Education Student Organizations and The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education that confirm my beliefs on incorporating competitive events into the curriculum.

The study conducted by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education hypothesized that, “CTSOs provide a variety of experiences that either directly or indirectly affect three important outcomes of secondary education: achievement, transition to postsecondary education and training, and employability”. What they discovered was a positive association between the amount of student participation and academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy, college aspirations, and employability skills. Of the four specific organizational elements of CTSOs (leadership, community service, competitions, and professional development), competitions were found to have the most positive effects. (Alfied and Stone 2007) Some of the positive experienced by CTSO members include teamwork, decision-making, competition, leadership, community awareness, career awareness, and personal and social development (Brown, 2002). Students felt teamwork and responsibility were the highest rated items among all variables which explained the value of contests and awards (Alfield and Stone 2007). The results showed that students listed teamwork, responsibility for a project, learning an area of knowledge, competing with others, talking in front of people, learning a specific skill, and learning to win in descending order. Research question #2 (Alfied and Stone 2007) examined changes in outcome variables due to the amount of participation by a student in a CTSO and analysis shows that the more a student is involved the higher their academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy, college and employability skills (greater participation did not seem to affect civic engagement). You can find out more in-depth information about these studies on the sites listed below.

I am out of the classroom now but I still see some of my ex-students in the community as I shop in the grocery stores and malls. Now they are grown, have their college degrees, and families and they are the store managers and store directors. I have to smile because once we get past, “Do you remember me?” the next question is always, “Do you remember when we went on that trip to district or state or national conference for competition?” and they want to talk about what event they did and how they placed and what we saw and did on the trip. It is always the good times and the students and friends they got to meet from other schools. These are experiences that last a lifetime. To me this is verification of the research that CTSOs and participation in competitive events make a positive impact on the lives of our high school students and it is this type of feedback that keeps our CTE teachers inspired.

References

1. Alfield, Corinne and Stone, James R. (2007). Looking Inside the Black Box: The Value Added by Career and Technical Student Organizations to Students’ High School Experience. National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Minnesota, Minnesota.
2. What is a CTSO? Policy of the United States Department of Education For Vocational Education Student Organizations. http://www.nmctso.com/about.php

Classroom Engagement and Student Motivation: Can Project-Based Learning Help?

From 2009 archived blog
By Mariya Gavrilova

How do we engage and motivate students in the classroom? How do we make them pay attention and be accountable for their work while being genuinely interested in the subject? How do we demonstrate to parents and administrators that school assignments have value? How do we teach students the life and career skills they need? Recent studies and research projects have revealed that an effective method to engage students and motivate them to complete assignments is project-based learning (PBL). According to Newell (2003), PBL emphasizes:

• Depth of understanding over content coverage;
• Comprehension of concepts and principles rather than knowledge of facts; and
• Development of complex problem-solving skills rather than learning building block skills in isolation

Preuss (2002) advocates that through project-based learning students become planners, risk-takers, collaborators, and independent workers and teachers become facilitators, mentors, and public-relations experts. How is project-based learning different from regular class assignments, and what are the outcomes of applying this approach? This method differs from conventional learning because it allows students to participate more actively and be responsible for their own progress. It is also an excellent self-assessment tool as it helps students identify what skills they may need to develop, or what resources they may need to access to complete the project. One of the most valuable results is the opportunity to reflect upon the whole process and the outcomes. Students learn organizational, planning, and project management skills as they set a timeline with realistic and achievable tasks (with the help of instructors). They also directly apply knowledge they have learned in the classroom. The projects are usually challenging enough but manageable to maintain student interest and involvement. Students learn to gather resources, sift through many bites of information (a very useful skill in today’s day and age), recognize the authenticity of information sources, and analyze data. In addition, they display or present the results thus gathering formal and informal feedback, which allows them to self-evaluate. Most importantly, students engage in projects that have value to the community; thus, encouraging civic consciousness and fostering a sense of involvement and belonging. The project-based approach to learning allows students to seek alternative sources, develop relationships with the community, as well as teachers and their peers because projects can be handled individually or as a team (Buck Institute for Education). Projects can include: a problem to solve, a phenomenon to investigate, a model to design, or a decision to make (David, 2008). Harada et al. (2008) recommend the following steps when planning the assignment:

1. Write the project goal
2. Brainstorm activities
3. List project activities in chronological order
4. Review the list and rethink each activity
5. Review the sequence and develop a timeline for completion
6. Determine the management structure, who reports to whom, who does what, etc.
7. Consolidate the information in a master plan

In addition to the motivation techniques discussed by Holly Smith in a previous blog entitled “Hang Tough, Lloyd”, you can liven up your classroom by allowing students to choose their own projects. What we really want is students to apply knowledge, learn new skills, identify their strengths and capitalize on them while having fun…and creating something meaningful.

References
Buck Institute for Education. Handbook: Introduction to Project Based Learning. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction/
David, J. L. (2008, February). What research says about…Project-based learning. Educational leadership, 80-82.

Harada, V. H., Kirio, C., & Yamamoto, S. (2008, March). Project-based learning: Rigor and relevance in high schools. Library Media Connection, 14-20.

Newell, Ronald, J. (2003). What is Project-based learning? Passion for learning: How project-based learning meets the needs of 21-st century students. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. 
Preuss, D. (2002, October). Creating a project-based curriculum. TechDirections, 16-18.

Call for Ideas

From 2009 archived post
by Mike Gentry

This won’t be a long blog. Really, it’s not so much of a blog as it is a call for ideas. Specifically – “How are you using technology in your classroom today?” I would like to get your ideas and post them on this website. It’s a win-win-win- and we will all benefit from new ideas.

Of course, if this were a blog, I would feel compelled to rant a little concerning my beginnings with technology and how far we’ve come. It started when my very insightful CTE (vocational) supervisors brought a Commodore 64 computer into my classroom (Yes, I’m that old!). They said, “We don’t know how you can use this thing, but figure it out; because, what we do know is that this is the future.” No one knew what the future would look like then. I thought about that some time ago when I stumbled across the http://www.rense.com/general69/future.htm website. There are many websites that address the future of computing, but this one made me linger.

Today’s classroom is not so much about chalk. It’s not even about the miles of wiring to hook up everything. It’s more likely about the endless wireless signals shooting invisibly across your classroom literally bringing the world to an LCD projector and into the minds of our students. It’s incredible.

With all the changing, what hasn’t changed is that we continually need to figure out how to use these things… because, it’s the future. I think we do a much better job with that now than “back in the day.”

Now I’m calling for your ideas on how you use technology in the classroom. I want to hear it all, but I’m especially interested in creative and unusual ways, and ways that others may not know about.

Secondary vs Postsecondary Career and Technical Education

From 2009 archived blog
by Jerry Wircenski
Before this most recent economic downturn, the U.S. was facing a shortage of skilled workers. In many of these jobs, workers will need to have advanced skills in order to seek and hold these positions.

While there has always been a strong demand for low wage, low skill service sector jobs, the most financially rewarding jobs of the future will require knowledge and skills only provided through postsecondary education.

According to the Monday Labor Review, 24 of the 30 fastest growing careers will require education and training provided by postsecondary education.

Meeting the job demands of this 21st century should be no problem since over 90% of middle school students indicate that they will probably attend college (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2007). Unfortunately, this is statement is NOT correct. In reality, only about 65% of high school students do in fact begin some form of postsecondary education, and approximately 25% graduate!

So the crux of our problem is…we cannot rely only on Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the postsecondary level! Only 1 in 4 students graduate from postsecondary degree programs. What can CTE do for the 75% who do not graduate from post secondary education?
The answer to this question is obvious; secondary CTE programs must provide strong academically challenging opportunities so that high school graduates can secure and retain good entry level positions in the world of work.

These strong secondary CTE programs must be built on a foundation of career awareness at K-5, career exploration in grades 6-10, and career preparation in grades 11 and 12. If CTE programs have a strong link to the core academic subjects and have academic rigor then high school graduates will be well positioned to enter the labor force of the 21st century and be in a better position to seek the advanced knowledge and skills at the post secondary level.