Monday, January 25, 2021
For years, career and technical education (CTE) has been viewed as separate from core academic subjects. But, what if it didn’t have to be that way? Imagine a school where learning about and preparing for careers was seamlessly integrated into every classroom as a way to answer the question, “Why do we need to know this?” Envision a learning environment in which all academic teachers work together on a regular basis to reinforce academic concepts in CTE courses and career exploration in non-CTE courses.
In some curricular areas, this is already happening.
One of the areas that has sought to broaden its students’ experiences is World Languages.
“The demand for world language skills in the workplace and in our communities is unquestionable,” says Pamela Delfosse, World Languages and Global Education Consultant for the Wisconsin DPI. She cites the ACTFL’s* Making Languages Our Business (2019) report, which revealed the high and growing demand for language skills in the workplace with 9 out of 10 employers surveyed citing a reliance on bilingual employees and 1 in 3 reporting a language skills gap.**
“Ensuring relevance by learning through authentic texts, tasks, and contexts also motivates learners and prepares them with skills that are transferable to life beyond the classroom.”
The Wisconsin Standards for World Languages (2019) support this vision with proficiency-based performance benchmarks for interpersonal, interpretive, presentational, and intercultural communication, as well as for global competence and community engagement.
So how might this play out in the classroom? For that, we turn to Danielle Chaussee,
Spanish teacher / Global Scholars Program Coordinator with the Oconomowoc School District, who has teamed up with the Building Trades Program, which builds a house every fall.
“For the last few years, several of my students have gone onto the construction site to interpret when there are crews on site that have limited English skills,” says Chaussee. “The kids report that it’s a great experience.”
Additional opportunities may come out of 9-1-1 switchboards, police and fire departments, or EMTs.
It is just one example of how a subject area that has been viewed as “academic” might become its own career pathway with creative collaboration.
All academic areas will benefit from finding ways for students to practice their lessons in the real world. Likewise, CTE can benefit from embedding core academics into CTE classes, for example, geometry in building trades or chemistry in culinary. CTE can play a critical leadership role in bringing teachers together to help students find purpose in learning. Are you that leader?
*American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
**Delfosse, Pamela Mastalski, Workforce- and World-Ready with World Languages, The Language Educator, August/September 2020, The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash