CTE

RESEARCH REPORT

The Ripple Effect: An Integration of CTE into K-12 Curricula By Jeremy Bloyd

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO BEGIN TEACHING CAREER and technical education (CTE), and how should it be inte-

grated into the classroom? Although these

iwo questions can lead to much debate.

I have found some research that provides

some adequate and logical answers. Two

important, yet argumentative issues that al-

ways seem to make interesting conversation

when mentioning CTE are the integration

of CTE within academics, and CTH integra-

tion throughout grades K-12. Through

some research, 1 have come to a conclusion

that the two should actually accompany

one another within the realm of education.

By reviewing each of these arguments sepa-

rately, and discussing the various ideas that

educators and researchers have provided,

the explanation for how the two might be

fused to create a more cohesive education

will become more apparent.

The Purpose for Early Intervention Sandy Cutshall addresses the debate on

academic versus career and technical edu-

cation in her September 2003 Techniques

article. "The CORE Connection—CTE and

Academics: A Perfect Fit." She states that

"the reality is that the best examples of

CTE today demonstrate education that is

challenging both technically and academi-

cally, integrating core skills directly into

the curricula to best prepare our students

for the workplace or farther education."

To expand upon Cutshall's ideas, Chris

Jeremy Bloyd

is a sixth-grada English educafot or Batlie Orounit Middle School

i i Bnrile Grmmd, Indiana He con be conladed al stepHe'emy©

iquest.net.

Zirkle's article, "Integraring Occupational

and Academic Skills Across the Cur-

riculum," in the same issue explains that

"historically, career-technical teachers have

focused primarily on the development of

technical knowledge and skills, leaving the

core academics to the teachers of math,

science, language arts and other disci-

plines . . . [but thatl the basic purpose of

curriculum integration is ro help students

make connections between academic

and technical information, to help thetn

discover the answer to 'Why do I have to

learn this?'"

Being an educator, it seems to me that

this is so essential. If students do not

understand the relevance and value of what

they are learning, then it is likely they are

not going to learn it. More often than not,

students will only memorize the informa-

tion long enough for it to be regurgitated

for an assessment and it will then he

forgotten.

Zirkle also notes that the teachers ofthe

academic and core courses often view the

integration of CTE as a "watering-down"

approach to their own curriculum. How-

ever, "this positive connection" between

CTE and academics can often sdmulate

" higher levels of thinking in students."

Zirkle offers the suggestion of brainstorm-

ing and includes a list of questions that

may help.

" How is the curricuiar content

interrwined?

• Where do areas of commonality exist?

• Why Is the content important/relevant?

• How will the content be covered in a

timely, related fashion?

Corresponding with these concepts.

Susan Reese discusses the demonstra-

tion of the "need to know" through job

shadowing In her February 2005 Techniques

article "Exploring the World through Job

Shadowing." Reese explains that following

their job shadowing experiences, "students

write thank-you letters to the employers,

which are then graded by their English

teachers and placed in their career port-

folios. Not only does this exercise teach

them life skills and academic skills, but

[students also get] to see what they have

learned from their time on ihe job sites."

This is an excellent example of the integra-

tion of CTE and academics, and how two

different parts of education can come

together to create a cohesive and meaning-

ful experience.

Olten, teachers across the curriculum

have a lot of difficulty just planning indi-

vidual lessons, let alone planning lessons

that integrate a variety of subject matter.

An article published in Techniques by the

Auburn Career Center notes thai Auburn

has implemented the High Schools That

Work (HSTW) program and also utilizes

strategic planning sessions. All of the staff

is expected to work together, and much

time and commitment is put into their

programs. "The teachers within each acad-

emy or cluster . . . hold regularly scheduled

meetings . . . develop daily plans together,

and all teachers in the district are required

to develop a course syllabus." The article

also states that, "Auburn has embraced

the academy concept, in which course pro-

grams are linked and students collaborate

with their peers and other course program

instructors." Although such work and com-

mitment is time consuming, it has proven

48 l e c h n i a u s s H O V f ( U B I B / O E C E M B E R 7 0 0 4 w w w . a c t e o n l i n e o r g

to be successful and earned national recog-

nition for Auburn.

When looking at elementary' educators,

[ hese ideas mentioned are real tasks that

most of the teachers have already been

doing for years. They do it simply because

they have to when there are multiple

classes per grade level. The need for the

teachers to work and plan together is

pertinent in planning activities that should

have relevance to all of the students. Eor

example, before taking a field trip to see

i\ play about slavery, it is important that

the educational material has already been

laught and/or discussed to some extent

with all of the students in that grade level.

Likewise, elementary educators commonly

relate new information and skills to some-

thing their students are already familiar

with. This may be jobs or tasks performed

both in and outside of the school, or jobs

.\nd tasks their parents have to do daily.

Such activities open numerous opporturu-

1 ies to explore career fields or clusters as

well as incorporate language and math

skills, all of which help students to under-

stand the "need to know."

According to Susan Reese in the

article, "The Role of Career and Techni-

cal Education in Dropout Prevention,"

the early intervention stages are extremely

important. Early intervention includes not

only family involvement, but also early

L hildhood education, as well as reading

and writing programs. In addition to that,

such programs as violence prevention

and conflict resolution, career education

and workforce readiness, and community

collaboration are all important parts of

growing up and becoming educated. Often

many of these items, especially conflict

resolution, are taught tn the elementary

school setting by the counselor. Based on

my experiences as an elementary educator,

1 have seen firsthand the various activi-

ties our school counselors incorporate and

introduce through stories and role-playing.

This allows students to act out how they

might feel in a particular situation, and

i.ilk about it as a class. Activities similar

to these have also been used to integrate

career awareness, and learn about differ-

ent types of johs and the skills needed for

each. Examples such as these help explain

how children develop ideas about various

subjects, which includes those on careers.

The connection is that, regardless of

the type of careers chosen by students,

be they "technical" or "professional," the

awareness of what it may take to enter a

particular career field is something that

IF STUDENTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE RELEVANCE AND VALUE OF WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING, THEN IT IS LIKELY THEY ARE NOT G O I N G TO LEARN IT.

seems to be priceless. If students become

more aware of what it takes to enter a

career field or cluster early in their educa-

tional experiences, they may do one of two

things. Eirst, the students may challenge

themselves more, pushing to achieve a

goal that allows them to obtain a particu-

lar occupation. A second option may be

to set a more realistic goal, whether it is

work toward a different career field, or to

go about obtaining the desired occupation

through achieving a series of multiple goals

that will eventually lead to the ultimate,

desired position.

in a February 2005 Techniques article,

"Building a Future for Future Builders,"

Hope Gibbs discusses how students often

have a negative image of skilled labor

careers such as pipe layers, plumbers, pipe

fitters and ,steamfitters. Yet these are very

important and needed jobs that pay very

well. But the problem iies with how the

youth "view such jobs as 'below them,'

menial and low paying." Through the

integration of CTE and academics, starting

at the elementary level, students will learn

early on that all career areas or "clusters"

are an important part ofthe community,

and this couid result in different views and

attitudes by the students. It seems that

the key now is to Eigure out how educators

can help students actually make decisions

about careers, regardless of whether it is

for, or against an occupation.

Understanding the Benefits Understanding the relevance or the "need

to know" is the significance of CTE. As

educators, we want students to walk away

with the academics that will provide them

with the practical applications to use in the

workforce or postsecondary ed-

ucation. This is why the integra-

tion of CTE and academics is so

important. It ailows students to

experience work-related skills,

and it only seems logical that

the integration of CTE, or rather

career-awareness activities and/

or career-oriented games, begin

at the elementary school levels.

Although 1 have previously taught both

third and fourth grade, 1 now teach sixth-

grade English at a middle school. This has

enabled me to get a closer glimpse of those

courses that attempt to engage students

in the thinking process about what they

might like to do after high school or

postsecondar)' education. But so often,

students arc not thinking about what they

want to do after the upcoming weekend,

let alone what they might want to do after

high school. 1 frequently hear students ask

why they need to take a particular class,

including those in the related arts pro-

grams. It is rare for students to be aware

of the purpose in the various educational

processes that sunound them and how the

skills learned in one class may help them

better understand their own interests and

talents, as well as help prepare them for

their future.

The Effect on Teachers Now that 1 am at a middle school, 1 have

the opportunity to see firsthand what

some of the teachers from courses in the

related arts are requiring from students.

For example, the family and consumer

sciences (FACS) teacher integrates a lot

w w w . a c t e o n l l n e . o r g N O V E M B E R / O E C E N I B E f l 2 0 0 6 T e c h n i q u e s 49

RESEARCH REPORT

of writing skills as well as Spanish. Her

motivation seems to help drive and engage

the students, yet it does httle for other

educators in the related arts field neighbor-

ing her classroom. Recently, as part of a

THOSE WHO REFUSE TO COLLABORATE WITH THEIR PEERS O N THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW IDEAS AND STRATEGIES, ONLY DISCREDIT THEMSELVES.

professional development activity, the staff

i n my building became aware of how we

can incorporate writing across the curricu-

lum, and how all of the teachers will use

a writing rubric to help students gain the

needed and required skills. The benefits

and success that would be achieved by the

students from teachers incorporating the

writing activities were explained clearly.

and there was evidence that the suggested

activities worked, yet many seemed reluc-

tant and unwilling to even try.

The given responses, "That's not my

job," or, "I'm not an English teacher"

seemed to be a commonality

among several of the teach-

ers, including the non-English

core of academic educators. 1

find this to be very frustrating,

especially when several of the

teachers pride themselves on

helping students to succeed.

These attitudes that are shared

by so many, especially those who are edu-

cators outside the field of CTE, and those

who refuse to collaborate with their peers

on the implementation of new ideas and

strategies, only seem to discredit them-

selves. But if those teachers would only

look farther down the road, they may find

that a little extra work now through peer

collaboration, the coordinating of lessons.

and teaming up on projects may make

their job a little easier in the future and a

lot more prosperous for their students.

In an editor's note in the Journal of Voca-

tional Education Research, James R. Stone Ul

from the University of Minnesota discusses

the various changes going on in CTE. He

notes that, although vocational and career

oriented classes are not providing specific

curriculum competencies, it "is not to sug-

gest that vocational classes cannot provide

a context for enhancing academic skills"

Cp. 4). However, he does state that if this

were to become a purpose of secondary

vocational education, "teachers will need

to be prepared and curriculum will need

to be developed for this explicit purpose."

He continues to explain that, if vocational

education is assumed to be a pedagogy,

then a suggested research agenda would

"focus on demonstrating how vocational

education improves algebra or reading

skills and then identify which vocational

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methods work best to achieve this end."

I feel that the idea behind this is not

that it will definitely improve students'

achievement across the board; rather, it

will help students to better understand cer-

tain skills (for example, reading or math)

through [he activities in which they can

better relate. Being outside the traditional

academic setting, and often in a more

hands-on approach, provides a catalyst to

the understanding of "academic" skills.

The results are success for those students

who have difficulty understanding the skill

in the traditional environment.

Summary and Recommendotrons Ahhough there is not one particular

answer to the ongoing debate of when

the integration of CTE in the educational

process should begin, nor how it could

best be integrated, these are some views to

be taken into consideration based on the

research 1 have come across, As educators.

by working together and collaborating,

we will begin to link our subject matters

to one another, as well as to our students.

This teamwork and coordination can help

in generating new ideas for everyone.

Based on my own experiences in the

classroom in combination with basic logic,

curricula build incrementally. Therefore,

if career awareness activities begin at the

kindergarten level and proceed throughout

high school, students will be exposed to a

vast quantity of career options, And though

elementary students are not ready to make

career decisions, they do need to begin to

become more aware of their opportuni-

ties early on, as well as understand their

own personal strengths and talents and

how those talents connect to their abilities

within each subject area. As a student's

education evolves s/he will understand

how rbose abilities will then relate to spe-

cific career fields and clusters. Thus, you

have created a stronger and more historical

References "Auburn Coreer Center; A Mode! for Interdisciplinary & Team Teaching." September

2004 Techniques.

www.acteonline.org/members/techniques/sept 04_featureS.cfm

Cutshall, S. "The Core Connection—CTE and Academics: A Perfect Fit." September 2003

Techniques.

www.acteonline.org/members/techniques/sep03_story1.cfm

Gibbs, H. "Building a Future for Future Builders." February 2005 Techniques.

www.acteontine.org/members/techniq ues/janO5_feature3.cfm

Reese, S. "Exploring the World Through Job Shadowing." February 2005 Techniques.

www.acteoniine.org/members/technique5/feb05_feature1.cfm

Reese, S. "The Role of Career and Technical Education in Dropout Prevention." March

2005 Techniques.

www.acteonline.org/member5/technlque5/mar05_feature1.cfm

Stone, J. R. [2001}. Editor's note. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 26.

(Issue No. 2)

http://scholor.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVER/v26n2/editor.html

Zirkle, C. "Integrating Occupational and Academic Skills across the Curriculum."

September 2004 Techniques.

www.acteonline.org/members/techniques/sept04_feature3.cfm

foundation for career and technical educa-

tion in the eyes of the students.

In order for such changes to occur, it

will be essential that school boards and

administration provide the support needed

in getting such programs established.

However, based on my own pursuits on

the implementation of career-oriented

programs, until there is more of a demand

on the implementation of CTE or career

awareness at the elementary level by the

Slate, it most hkely will not happen. With

the current trends and push toward teach-

ing the state standards at each grade level,

teachers already struggle with complet-

ing their curriculum. By adding another

component to those standards, even with

the use of existing career oriented curricu-

lum, participation in such "experimental"

programs will be difficult to find. However,

in my communications with various educa-

tors within the field of CTE. as well as

counselors at all levels, most agree that the

implementation of CTE and career aware-

ness at the elementary level, in conjunction

with academics, would definitely benefit

students in the preparation for postsecond-

ary education and/or the workforce.

The incorporation of CTE at the el-

ementary level, along with the integration

of academic curricula, is fundamental to

education. Imagine that kindergarten is

the casting point, and CTE is the stone.

As educators, we must cast the stone to

help generate ideas. As soon as the scone

hits the water, ideas begin to develop and

emerge, and soon they grow into larger,

more complete ideas. Students eventu-

ally become more aware of their talents,

or strengths, as well as weaknesses, and

connect them to careers. The integration of

CTE and academics now provides students

with the needed insight ro make better

informed postsecondary education and ca-

reer decisions not just based on interests,

but also on personal experiences. How

did this happen? Simple. It began with the

stone that caused a "'ripple" of knowledge

to flowr throughout each grade level in a

student's education. D

w w w . o c t e o n l l n e . o r g N O V E M a E R / D E C E M B E l 2 0 0 * T e c h n i q u e s 5 1