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Career
collages and project-based learning
A business teacher and a library
media specialist from Rock
Creek High School team up to present you with a successful plan
for student career collages.
By Frankie Sumners and Debra Robertson
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 s a veteran business
teacher,
Frankie Sumners has learned that project-based applications in her computer
classes reinforce learning and enhance student interest in subject matter. In her computer
applications and word processing class, students learn Corel WordPerfect Suite 8. At the
end of each chapter, Mrs. Sumners requires students to do a culminating project that
incorporates all skills that are introduced in the chapter.
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 he first chapter
covers creating and editing documents, as well as principles of desktop publishing.
For a culminating activity, students research and create career collages using the
Internet and bound resources. To prevent 42 students from printing large quantities
of information about their selected career, Mrs. Sumners designed a research card for
note-taking. She got the idea for the card from a creative elementary counselor, who
once told her that students prefer to write on anything but a standard sheet of paper.
The research card is half of a colored file folder that displays a list of elements
to be included in their final project. On the reverse of the research card is a scoring
rubric that the students help develop. Mrs. Sumners uses this rubric for peer and
teacher evaluations of the collages.
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 hen it was time for the
students to do their research, Deb Robertson, library media specialist, and Tammy Dille,
District Technology Specialist, came to the classroom and introduced students to career
Web sites. The students discovered first-hand that the Internet mirrors some of the same
career information traditionally found only in books. They also noticed that the Internet
contained the most current information.
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ith research card in
hand, students fill out the necessary information to create their career collage. To guide
the students, educators in Rock Creek use a specific procedure for researching, the
Information Problem Solving (IPS) plan. Teachers in our district called for this process
in order to standardize research practices by students. To create the
project outline, Mrs.
Sumners used key terms from the IPS, such as: task, information needed, and time line.
View the collage rubric for specific grading criteria.
Finally, each student makes his or her unique collage, taking full advantage of the various
word-processing and image-creating technologies available. The final product was laminated
back-to-back with another student's collage, and then hung with a piece of string from the
ceiling. Students could marvel at their work and learn about other careers as well. We
found that students enjoyed manipulating text, color and graphics and presenting their
information in a collage much more than writing a traditional report.
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he culminating
project for Chapter Two involved creating a resume
using PerfectExpert. Students found the task made easier by using a template. We have
archived their resumes for future use.
Currently, students have another chance to collect and manage career information in a
three-page, MLA-style research paper. They may write on their
career of choice or on an institution of higher learning that they would
like to attend. The institution may be a four-year college, a community college,
or a vocational school. We are encouraging them to use personal interviews along
with the material collected from bound guides and Internet sources. Students are
using printed research guides again to organize their information and eliminate
unnecessary printing from the Internet. This project is presently in the research
stage.
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s students have worked
on these career projects, they have remarked often on pay, education and duties. At teacher
conferences, parents enjoyed viewing the hanging collages around the room and
enthusiastically looked for the career their child had researched. Comments from
parents and students about our career projects have been positive. At the high school
level, students really need to think about what they what to do in life, but sometimes
they don't start until they are seniors. We believe these projects have given the students
an opportunity to discover information useful for their futures.
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Take a
glance at these career sites!
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Debra Robertson and Frankie
Sumners are from St. George and Westmoreland, Kansas.
Teacher Testimony authors are
nominated by people like you. Send nominations to the editor.
© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 SCR*TEC.
This page is Bobby
Approved.
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