Integrating occupational and academic skills across the curriculum.

Integrating occupational and academic skills across the curriculum. Historically, career-technical teachers have focused primarily onthe development of technical knowledge and skills, leaving the coreacademics to the teachers of math, science, language arts language artspl.n.The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. and otherdisciplines. Teachers as a whole have tended to teach their subjectmatter in a vacuum, as separate areas to be addressed with a narrowfocus. This is gradually changing as more CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) The difference between the way two materials expand when heat is applied. This is very critical when chips are mounted to printed circuit boards, because the silicon chip expands at a different rate than the plastic board. students are askingacademic teachers, "What does this have to do with my CTEarea?" and more CTE teachers have recognized the need for studentsto increase their knowledge of academic subjects and to be able to applythem to their areas of technical interest. This has resulted in anincreased interest in the topic of curriculum integration between CTEand academics. The basic purpose of curriculum integration is to help studentsmake connections between academic and technical information, to helpthem discover the answer to "Why do I have to learn this?" Toomany students move through their school day failing to see theseconnections because the curriculum is delivered as a set of discretesubjects, taught by subject matter experts (teachers) who close theirdoors each period, teach their lessons, dismiss the students at thebell, and start the process over again, period after period, day afterday. There are several good reasons why individuals involved in CTEshould consider institutionalizing academic and technical integration.Integration establishes positive connections between academic and CTEdisciplines by helping CTE teachers realize the significant amount ofacademic knowledge and skills "embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. " in their technicalcontent, while providing academic teachers with real-life problem-basedactivities where students can apply academics in relevant ways. Thispositive connection stimulates higher levels of thinking in students:rote rote?1?n.1. A memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without full attention or comprehension: learn by rote.2. Mechanical routine. memorization mem��o��rize?tr.v. mem��o��rized, mem��o��riz��ing, mem��o��riz��es1. To commit to memory; learn by heart.2. Computer Science To store in memory: and drill and practice can take a secondary role inthe instructional process. By working together, integration draws on the capabilities of allteachers involved in the process. CTE teachers often lament theirstudents' lack of basic academic skills and may feel unqualified tohelp them learn these skills. Having a certified See certification. math or language artsteacher as part of an integration team can provide missing expertise tothe CTE teacher and his/her students. Working together can also helpprevent fragmentation (1) Storing data in non-contiguous areas on disk. As files are updated, new data are stored in available free space, which may not be contiguous. Fragmented files cause extra head movement, slowing disk accesses. A defragger program is used to rewrite and reorder all the files. of the curriculum, as students start to see howthe different subjects relate to one another, making learning morerelevant. In addition, curricular integration can also address academicstandards by giving students opportunities to not only acquire newknowledge and skills, but also by allowing them to apply it. Characteristics of Integration Walking into a school that has adopted an integrated approach toCTE and academic curriculum, an observer might notice several aspects.First, rather than a teacher in isolation, teachers would be working inteams, developing cross-curricular objectives, activities andassessments. There would be flexibility in scheduling, and the length of classperiods might be variable, rather than cast in 45-minute blocks.Teachers would be given time to plan together (an essential part ofcurricular integration). Also, there would be a focus on the core skills(both academic and career-technical) that are needed by all students. In addition, there would be school and community support for theintegrated curriculum approach. It would not be seen as a "passingfad" but a curricular approach that is embraced. Thesecharacteristics can be found within the career academy models that manylarge high schools have adopted. They can also be found in many areacareer centers that have a full complement of academic teachers on staffalong with CTE instructors, and the students attend the career centerfor a full day. Essential Questions To get started on the integration process, academic and CTEteachers must ask some key questions: * How is the curricular content intertwined? * Where do areas of commonality com��mon��al��i��ty?n. pl. com��mon��al��i��ties1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. exist? * Why is the content important/relevant? * How will the content be covered in a timely, related fashion? One way to begin the process of determining these areas ofcommonality is to bring academic and CTE teachers together, armed withtheir respective curricular documents, such as courses of study, copiesof state academic content standards, occupational/technical competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. profiles, professional organizations standards and other relevantmaterials. These teachers should be given the opportunity to discusswhat they teach, why it is important, and what specific skills andknowledge students need to be successful in their classes. The "brainstorming" that can occur during these sessionsis a valuable part of the process. If academic teachers are providedinformation that relates the need for carpenters to be proficient pro��fi��cient?adj.Having or marked by an advanced degree of competence, as in an art, vocation, profession, or branch of learning.n.An expert; an adept. withgeometry, that anatomy and physiology physiology(fĭzēŏl`əjē), study of the normal functioning of animals and plants during life and of the activities by which life is maintained and transmitted. It is based fundamentally on the activities of protoplasm. are key components of acosmetology cos��me��tol��o��gy?n.The study or art of cosmetics and their use.[French cosm��tologie : cosm��tique, cosmetic; see cosmetic + -logie, -logy. student's knowledge base, or that report writing(especially technical writing) is a large part of the health profession,they begin to see where connections can be made. Conversely con��verse?1?intr.v. con��versed, con��vers��ing, con��vers��es1. To engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, or feelings; talk. See Synonyms at speak.2. , if CTE teachers are provided with the curriculum forphysics, algebra algebra,branch of mathematics concerned with operations on sets of numbers or other elements that are often represented by symbols. Algebra is a generalization of arithmetic and gains much of its power from dealing symbolically with elements and operations (such as or social studies and told of the need for theirstudents to be able to use these disciplines in applied ways, CTEteachers may be more able to seek out partnerships with academicteachers. Effectively structuring activities between academic and CTEteachers is a necessity if both groups are to overcome their concernsabout being able to cover the required content. This can be a potentialtime constraint In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. in the beginning of the process, However, if this isdone correctly, teachers may be able to make this up, and cover morecontent than previously accomplished. CTE teachers will spend less timewith remediation of academics, and academic teachers may find aclassroom full of CTE students actually motivated to learn. Why Doesn't Integration Occur? What are the Barriers? Just as there are many reasons for integration to occur, there areequal (or more) reasons as to why it doesn't occur. Teachers teachin a vacuum. Once the students arrive, they close their classroom doorsand teach their content. They do not always see connections betweenacademics and CTE, and may perceive integration as relinquishing re��lin��quish?tr.v. re��lin��quished, re��lin��quish��ing, re��lin��quish��es1. To retire from; give up or abandon.2. To put aside or desist from (something practiced, professed, or intended).3. controlover what they teach. This first set of barriers may be tied to the ways in whichteachers are prepared in colleges and universities. Teacher educationprograms typically focus on a given academic or CTE area such as matheducation, science education or business education. Many times (andprimarily in larger institutions), there are separate methods,curriculum, testing/assessment and other teaching pedagogy courses ineach area, which reinforces the separation of, rather than theintegration of career-technical and academic education. Teachers areprepared to teach a separate, dissimilar curriculum. There are content issues that prevent integration activities. Bothacademic and CTE teachers have curriculum that may he driven by acombination of local, state and national standards. For CTE teachers,the concern may be, "How will I cover the technical content if moretime is spent on academics?" while academic teachers may ask,"How can I prepare my students for their mandated state tests if Ihave to work with the CTE teacher?" Some educators see integrationas actually "watering down" academics rather than enhancingthem. There are a host of logistical lo��gis��tic? also lo��gis��ti��caladj.1. Of or relating to symbolic logic.2. Of or relating to logistics.[Medieval Latin logisticus, of calculation issues. Building layout may not beconducive con��du��cive?adj.Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity.See Synonyms at favorable. to integration activities. In many comprehensive high schools,many CTE labs are "out of mind, out of sight "Out of Mind, Out of Sight," also known as "Invisible Girl," is the eleventh and penultimate episode in the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Plot synopsis " at the back ofthe building, making contact with academic teachers difficult. The needfor scheduling flexibility is difficult for some schools to manage,especially in large high schools or career centers. Trying to match upteachers' schedules for common planning time is perhaps the biggestchallenge. This is where administrative support is key. A buildingprincipal must be willing to try different strategies, includingshifting teacher responsibilities, hiring additional staff or reworkingbell schedules to make time and space available for teacher planning. These logistical issues can be addressed in an academy setting oran area career center that has students for a full day, but they may benext to impossible to overcome for standalone stand��a��lone?adj.Self-contained and usually independently operating: a standalone computer terminal.career centers wherestudents only attend for their CTE program and go back to their"home school" for academic classes. Finally, there are time constraints for the teachers involved incurriculum integration. In addition to the struggle to find commonplanning time, teachers have a lack of time--period! It is extra work,and developing integrated activities is a challenge that will likelyrequire work well outside any normal school day. So, teachers must hewilling to make sacrifices of their own. Why We Should Do It Curricular integration, especially when it is applied inconjunction with career academies or other "school within aschool" approaches, can help remove the isolation that can occur inlarge schools. Large high schools have faced criticisms for being large,impersonal im��per��son��al?adj.1. Lacking personality; not being a person: an impersonal force.2. a. Showing no emotion or personality: an aloof, impersonal manner. institutions that simply warehouse students and move themthrough years of courses. Curricular integration can foster the growthof learning teams in which teachers get to know the needs of eachstudent. The increased emphasis on academics and the requisite tests andexams students have to complete illustrate who is "driving thebus" in today's high Today's HighThe intra-day high trading price.Notes:In other words, this is the highest price that a stock traded at during the course of the day. More often than not this is higher than the closing price.See also: Today's Low schools. For survival and prosperity, itis essential that CTE programs participate in interdisciplinary effortssuch as curricular integration, to become more connected to the academicareas where resources are being allocated. Otherwise, CTE programs maycease to be a significant part of high school curriculum in general. A recent study by the National Research Center for Career andTechnical Education highlighted the potential value of curriculumintegration and provided several case study examples of the strategiesschools were employing to achieve curriculum integration. While perhapsmore research needs to be done regarding its effectiveness, it is clearthat for many schools, curriculum integration has become an effectivestrategy for enhancing student achievement. Picture This This simple example can illustrate both the breadth and depth thatcan be achieved through brainstorming academic content from a technicalskill. Ask the question, "How many technical and academic knowledgeand skill proficiencies can be achieved by the process of shooting anddeveloping a photograph? The activities in parentheses See parenthesis. parentheses - See left parenthesis, right parenthesis. are just asampling of potential areas that can be addressed. Technical Proficiencies * Demonstrates operation of a camera * Determines exposure of photographic film/paper * Develops photographic film/paper * Demonstrates matting/mounting of photos * Demonstrates safety skills Science Content Proficiencies * Describes fundamental principles of chemistry (What chemicalreactions This is the 18th episode of television drama Men in Trees. It originally aired on June 25, 2007 on the TV2 network in New Zealand as a continuation of season 1. RecapMarin and Cash have a stew cook off, she admits his is better than hers. occur during film development?) * Defines principles of physics (What is the role of the light andcolor spectrum in photography?) Math Content Proficiencies * Uses reasoning to solve problems (If exposure time is increased,what happens to the picture?) * Recognizes connections between mathematics and its applications(What is the mathematical relationship between shutter speed In a still camera, the length of time that the shutter is open, exposing the film (analog) or CCD or CMOS sensor (digital) to light for a single image. In a camcorder, the shutter speed is the frame speed; for example, 24, 30 or 60 frames per second (fps). See exposure and shutter lag. andaperture An orifice. It often refers to an opening in which light is allowed to pass in optical systems such as cameras and lasers. See f-stop and numerical aperture. opening?) * Uses computational skills and concepts to solve problems (How arepercentages calculated in order to enlarge TO ENLARGE. To extend; as, to enlarge a rule to plead, is to extend the time during which a defendant may plead. To enlarge, means also to set at liberty; as, the prisoner was enlarged on giving bail. or reduce photographs?) Language Arts Proficiencies * Selects and applies effective strategies for reading (Who are thesignificant inventors/events in the field of photography?) * Selects and uses developmentally appropriate strategies forwriting (This can be accomplished through writing a research paper on avariety of photography-related topics.) * Communicates orally with people of all ages (This can beaccomplished through an oral presentation of the written report.) Social Studies Proficiencies * Develops a historical perspective (What are the significantevents in the history of photography?) * Assesses the impact of technology on the society'sdevelopment (What is the impact of photography on our society?) * Identifies public policies (Are there environmental issues withthe proper disposal of photographic chemicals and materials?) Other Content Proficiencies to Consider in This Example: * Arts (research and report on the historical, cultural, social andpolitical foundations of photography) * Technology (multimedia tools, computer literacy Understanding computers and related systems. It includes a working vocabulary of computer and information system components, the fundamental principles of computer processing and a perspective for how non-technical people interact with technical people. , softwareapplications) * Library (media literacy Media literacy is the process of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres and forms. It uses an inquiry-based instructional model that encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, see and read. skills, library-based technologies forresearch) Almost everyone has taken a photograph at some time in his or herlife, so this activity is offered as an example of the integration ofacademics and technical skills to which anyone might relate. Chris Zirkle is an assistant professor In the College of Educationat Ohio State University Ohio State University,main campus at Columbus; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1870, opened 1873 as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, renamed 1878. There are also campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. .