How Should Personalized Learning Be Implemented?

According to my site supervisor, there is only one career lesson delivered to each grade level at the middle school. She said that it is not until students get to high school that the counselors really begin to focus on careers and future plans. Upon further research, I discovered that this was consistent across all middle schools in the district. I feel as though it is of utmost importance for students to be prepared and have a plan once they graduate high school. They need to be aware of their options and their career goals. In order to have a career goal and understand their post-secondary options, students must understand and gain exposure the various career paths and opportunities. It is never too early to begin planning for the future, developing career goals, and creating a post-secondary plan. For these reasons, I chose to focus, advocate for, and plan for individual planning activities that career paths to aid students in career planning.

A big concern in todays’ world for graduating college students is being able to find a job right out of school. More times than not, there are many problems that occur when a student chooses a specific career path. In the short exert “Why Focusing Too Narrowly In College Could Backfire”, written by Peter Cappelli, he discusses in his opinion, as well as many others, the right path students should be taking. The lead way students should be following to secure they get a job in a field they will enjoy. Many students have trouble picking a college to go to let alone what major they want to focus on. Students are told to pick a major and start taking the classes for it as soon as possible without realizing they might not even enjoy that field of work. There are many struggles in college with picking the correct classes and

Today, Carrie Hachadurian spoke with the honors college students regarding career and professional development resources available at Western Carolina University. Carrie is the student development coordinator here on campus. Initially, her job is to bring forth the available resources to students such as, student employment, interview preparation, resume builder guide, internships, and much more. Such resources can assist students in identifying a major and their career path based off of tests that focus on personality. Also, On the career and professional development webpage through WCU, students can find a professional handbook that gives tips on creating a resume. Furthermore, Kredible can assist students with improving their linked in profile by rating it and suggesting ways to improve one’s resume and gives feedback as to what employers are looking for.

At Georgia State University I have had the opportunity to design and implement curriculum for a student population with broad career aspirations. Upon accepting the position at GSU,

Individual learning plans would be created for each student. The student would also have the option of selecting a support team which would include educators, mentors, counselors, tutors, and their parents. Academic data analysis would monitor student progress to determine which instructional strategies are effective and identify interventions. Students input and feedback would be encouraged and used to improve services. Orientation would be held to inform new students and their parents about the types of educational programs and services offered. Students and parents would participate in surveys, assessments, and active discussions to determine which learning styles are best for the student. Students would be prompted to identify areas of interest and a minimum of three potential careers. Parents, students, and an educator or counselor would create a curriculum based on the student’s interest, natural abilities, and potential career

Because of this circumstance, I have decided to utilize my college experience as an opportunity to learn more about myself and what I love. Many youth feel as if they need to plan their lives out ahead of time and that they should know what career to pursue by the time they graduate; being lost and confused about the future, however, is not only limited to our teens. For this reason, I wish to encourage my peers to treat their college experience the same way. Finding out what we are passionate about and pursuing it is important not only because it allows us to avoid ennui, but also because it is a powerful motivator that helps people grow and reach new

Within these core subjects there should be parallels drawn in between them where instructors begin to introduce particular interests that relates to the school material being taught to them. Instructors should then expand on ways that students can use the knowledge they are receiving now to work on making their interests turn into careers when they get out of school. According to David Ausubel, meaningful learning occurs when a learner encounters clear, logically organized material and consciously tries to relate the new material to ideas and experiences stored in long- term memory. Students want to find meaning to what they are learning. They want to find a purpose to obtaining this knowledge other than receiving a letter grade. With showing students a way to apply the knowledge they acquire from core subjects to the career interest of their choice, students will find meaning in retaining more knowledge in whatever subject it may

In our generation today High School students are at the age of having to know what they want to do for a career and what are the components the students need to have to achieve this. When choosing a career or career choices this is a main focal point in a young person’s life. There are many practical approaches and beliefs when approaching career selecting and it can be an intensive process. A first step in a career planning process would be assessing an individual/client with evaluating their willing/eagerness in the process (Gerstan, 2013). When looking into a specific career, planning with a high school

Choosing the right career in life can open a life of happiness and joy. In life, “if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll be lost when you get there.” A good college career can make the difference between living to work and going to work for a living (Binder). In order to obtain the tools needed to work at your dream job, someone must teach them at a higher educational level. Education emphasizes freedom and experimentation as tools for students to develop meaningful ways of working after graduation (Roth). It is only through an education that you can find the tools to express and master the craft of your career and

After performing a close reading of the assigned material, the key points of the readings were obtained. Chapter 7 focuses on taking the student to the next level of learning due to the student comprehending their work and achieving their goals. Signifying advancement on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives demonstrates that the student is learning, and the teaching is suitable. As the student advances through the school year, his/her strengths and requirements will alter. In addition, situations that arise in a student’s daily life can influence imminent decisions. Teachers can turn to grade level standards, task analysis of activities, or family and student interests to aid in determining the next phase. I learned

Thinking back to the beginning of this course, I remember not knowing what I wanted to be when I left High school, due to the abundance of careers I wanted to get into. After looking at a magnitude of careers and exploring my skills through various personality quizzes, I learned that not every job is best suited for me and it has greatly helped me limit and zone in on my choices. Through programs such as myBlueprint and career cruising, I was able to identify my skills along with my strengths and weaknesses so that I had a better understanding of what field I should go into. For example, when I learned that I was interpersonal and that I am an INFP (introversion, intuition, feeling, perceiving) individual, it helped me realize that I wanted to go into the social sciences so that I can help people out. It is one of the reasons as to why I decided to do my culminating research on criminology. The What Am I booklets gave me a vague idea of what type of person I was and by doing do I was able to eliminate the careers that fell into the other categories. For example, since I’m Helper-Thinker, I was able to rule out jobs such as Electrician and Lawyer because they didn’t fall under this category and most likely wouldn’t be suitable for an individual like myself. Likewise, the multiple and different skills and personality quizzes that we did helped us find jobs that would work well with our

Research has demonstrated that motivated students demonstrate higher degrees of academic performance and are more likely to graduate from high school (Froiland & Oros, 2014; Niehaus, Rudasill, & Rakes, 2012). The idea that engaged, inspired students are more successful students is a driving force behind Personalized Learning initiatives, practices by which students realize their full potential through learning experiences that take into account their unique strengths, needs, interests and goals. Personalized Learning empowers and motivates students through greater choice and increased feelings of competence (Deci, 1971). Furthermore, an investment by school staff in each student’s personal learning growth fosters feelings of school connectedness, another strong indicator for achievement (CDC, 2009).

Transitions occur throughout life and there are numerous transitions students face within the school setting. Since school counselors support students in academic, career and college, and social and personal development, school counselors are in key positions to provide students with opportunities, equity, and access to programs that support smooth transitions and college and career readiness (Erford, 2015). Career development and transition programs are important because they support they can provide students with access and information to programs or careers that they may otherwise not have known about. In addition, transition programs can reduce student stress and anxiety, and can help to improve retention, achievement, and attendance rates (Cauley & Jovanovich, 2006). However, there are challenges that can occur, such as students not having access to rigorous courses or having no personal academic plan (Erford, 2015). Some ways to overcome this is to advocate for students to have rigorous courses that meet the students’ needs for their specific goals. Thus, school counselors can help students create personal academic plans that include college and career goals, and then schedule students in classes that will meet their future goals. In addition, the school counselor can provide valuable information to parents and help students that may not have college and career information provided to them at home.

Throughout the years that I have spent in the workforce and during my myriad attempts to complete a postsecondary degree, I have learned many things about myself and about the direction that I would like my career to take. In my most recent encounter with higher education, I was shown and given many tools to utilize in my journey. The most useful of these is the CSU-Global Career Center, which contains quite a few tools and resources of which students may take advantage. By delving through these resources and materials, I have been able to use self-assessment to reflect on my journey thus far and redirect my efforts to better prepare myself for success in the long run. This self-assessment and redirection has helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses, and has enabled me to understand how to overcome my weaknesses and how to employ my strengths to continue to grow in my life and career.

Finding a specific career path can not only be difficult, but it can also induce bouts of anxiety, anger, and sadness over a crucial part of an individual’s life. Settling on a career can be unnerving when thinking about the fact that this is the career that you spend thousands of dollars on in college, that this is the career you will work in until you retire. With this course, I’ve found that it has been easier to narrow down a goal towards finding a career. Through career assessments, different assignments and discussions, I have realized what my barriers and strengths are. Overcoming these and improving these skills or applying them to an actual career assisted me in narrowing my goal as well. I am now able to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of my career goal and to think clearer about the next steps that I will take after this course.