Learning Links
Responsibilities / Rights / Technology Applications / Resource Management / Appearance / Teaming / Internship / Apprenticeship / Public Speaking / Cultural Diversity
Related Concepts
Conflict Resolution / Work Ethics / Teamwork / Leadership / Critical Thinking / Problem Solving / Self-assessment / Communication Skills / Interpersonal Skills / Self-motivation / Self-discipline / Safety
Demonstrators should be read from bottom to top, but need not be demonstrated sequentially.
Elementary Demonstrators
• Share tools and work cooperatively on a task.
• Use team skills in a group to complete a task and/or solve problems.
• Use technology to display information in various ways.
• Attempt new tasks and/or challenges with confidence.
• Demonstrate positive work ethics and habits.
• Seek and demonstrate appropriate resolutions to conflict.
Middle School Demonstrators
• Demonstrate behaviors which reflect concern for the safety of self and others.
• Analyze and practice employability attributes valued by employers.
• Compare and analyze the effectiveness of various technology and use for a specific purpose.
• Evaluate work ethics of self.
• Practice mediation/facilitation skills to assist with conflict resolution and problem solving.
High School Demonstrators
• Modify behaviors which jeopardize the safety of self and others.
• Analyze, select, and use appropriate technology to efficiently complete a task and/or enhance productivity.
• Assess employability attributes and work ethics of self and others.
• Use mediation/facilitation skills to assist with conflict resolution and problem solving.
• Interpret new knowledge/skills/ experiences; integrate with existing information; apply in a workplace concept.
Sample Teaching/Assessment Strategies
Collaborative Process: Brainstorming, Cooperative Learning / Community-Based Instruction: Mentoring/Apprenticeship/Co-op, Shadowing / Continuous Progress Assessment: Observation, Performance Events/Exhibitions / Problem Solving: Case Studies, Creative Problem Solving, Debate, Interviews, Research, Role-play, Simulation / Technology/Tools: Computers, Videotaping / Whole Language Approach / Writing Process
These sample strategies offer ideas and are not meant to limit teacher resourcefulness. More strategies are found in the resource section.
Ideas for Incorporating Community Resources
• Work with the local chamber of commerce to develop internship experiences for students.
• Invite a labor relations mediator to demonstrate mediation and negotiation skills.
• Invite a business representative to discuss the effects of negative employee attributes on profit margin.
Core Concept - Transition Skills
Sample Elementary Activities
• Role-play the process of resolving a conflict. PE
• Create a mural to illustrate work ethics and habits of employees in a variety of occupations. PE, OE
• Use a technology tool (e.g. computer, telephone, FAX) with which you have had no prior experience. PE
• Use a telephone simulation to demonstrate proper telephone techniques. PE
• Work in a group to design a collage illustrating the type of dress appropriate for a specific workplace. OE
• Develop and implement a plan to improve a personal characteristic for work habit (e.g., completing task on time, being dependable, working well in a group). PE, OE
Applications Across the Curriculum
Variations on a theme: Work Skills
Language Arts
· Interview a school principal. Discuss how communication skills are used in the job. PE, OE
Science
· Develop a checklist of basic and integrated science process skills. Interview employees in various occupations to determine which skills they use on their jobs. PE
Mathematics
· Collect data and tabulate what workers in your school feel are the most important job skills. PE, OE
Social Studies
· Develop and distribute a survey to discover what people in your school feel are the ten most important work skills. PE, OE
Art and Humanities
· Design an award for an outstanding worker in your school. PE
Practical Living
· Develop a theme collage of people at work that focuses on a work skill. PE
Sample Middle School Activities
• Work with a group to plan and produce a technologically innovative media presentation. Record conflicts which arise; note the mediation/facilitation skills used in resolving the conflicts. PE
• Research employability attributes valued by employers. Based on your research, develop a survey instrument; conduct a survey of teachers, parents, and neighbors to determine the attributes they think are most important. Analyze the survey results and prepare a summary report. PE, OE
• Observe a workplace scenario; develop and present a chart of the positive and negative attributes exhibited. PE, OE, P
• Design a community-based project to provide services (e.g., lawn mowing, reading mail or books) to senior citizens. Establish criteria, in advance, for evaluating the work ethics practiced by each worker. Use the criteria to evaluate yourself. PE, OE
• Plan and produce a videotape that shows a work team solving a work-related issue. PE, OE
• Create a display, poster, or collage of safe and unsafe practices in school, on the bus, or in the home. PE
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
· Assemble a toy following the company's written or graphic directions. PE
· Watch and analyze a television program that depicts people in the workplace; chart employability attributes as acceptable/unacceptable. Discuss the realities of the program's portrayal of work. PE, OE
Science
· Debate the advantages and disadvantages of developing a natural area for commercial use from the perspectives of different community members. PE, OE
· Role-play a situation that might occur in a science or technology-related career (e.g., space exploration) if someone on the team was undependable. PE, OE
Mathematics
· Create a survey and collect data on middle school students' ideas about employee attributes. Present your conclusions using graphics. PE, OE
· Plan a class trip that fits within a defined budget; at the conclusion, present how the group used employability skills (e.g., teamwork, critical thinking, creative thinking, resource management, conflict resolution) in the planning process. PE, OE, P
Social Studies
· Develop a government-job showcase in which skills, knowledge, and attributes needed for specific careers (e.g., police officer, court designated worker, firefighter; judge) are presented. Role-play a work scene. PE, OE
Arts and Humanities
· Develop and present a drama depicting work ethics. PE, OE
· Design and display a work safety poster. PE, OE
Practical Living
· Investigate a sports-related job to determine the desired employee attributes required for the position. PE, OE
Sample High School Activities
• Participate in an apprenticeship, co-op, volunteer, or intern program; practice work ethics and habits valued in the work setting. Complete a self-evaluation. PE, OE
• Reconstruct problems in a workplace setting that may have been caused by misunderstandings about other cultures, personalities, and/or work styles. Illustrate the use of mediation/facilitation skills. PE, OE
• Participate in youth organization projects; make a presentation to a community group about how involvement in youth organizations can contribute to job readiness. OE, P
• Research an avocation/career that demands extreme commitment and dedication. Draw and present your conclusions on why someone might choose that avocation/career. OE, P
• Work in a group to design and implement a community project that will utilize a variety of technology skills. Use pre-established criteria to evaluate the employability attributes and work ethics of each group member. OE, P
• Compile an inventory of unsafe behaviors exhibited by teenagers. Design and produce campaign materials (e.g., video presentation, brochures) to promote a change in those behaviors. Plan strategies and implement the campaign. OE, P
• Analyze and evaluate the issues of a labor dispute in your community. Simulate a similar dispute in a class group; mediate to resolve the conflict. PE, OE
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
· Develop a safety manual for a specialized classroom (e.g., chemistry, computer, home economics). P
· Organize a seminar which focuses on skills and attributes most valued by employers. Develop a handbook for distribution to the students. PE, OE, P
Science
· Survey individuals employed in science-related careers to identify critical attributes of each career. Correlate your findings and complete a self-assessment to determine your areas of strength. PE, OE
· Collaborate with local industries, businesses, conservation offices, and colleges to plan and implement a conference (e.g., Earth Day, Career Work Fair) for your local school and community. PE
Mathematics
· Create a survey for high school students about their expectations for a job. Survey employers about their expectations of employees. Correlate the two surveys and publish your findings on a database. OE, P
· Create a business enterprise as a group. Project the budget, including profits, for the first year. PE, OE
Social Studies
· Research labor strikes to determine the impact on industries and careers. OE
· Research the community's potential for industrial growth. Utilizing this information, role-play a board meeting at which construction of a new factory is being considered. PE, OE
Arts and Humanities
· Create and express in an art form (e.g., painting, play, skit, musical composition) interactions that might occur between an employer and employee. PE, OE
Practical Living
· Research factors (e.g., cost, benefits) to a business/company considering providing health clubs for its employees. PE, OE