Providing Students the WHY

Teachers don’t need to look far to hear a disengaged student asking, “When will I ever use this in real life?” Many students wonder if what they are learning in school is relevant to their futures. Essentially, these students are asking how what they are learning is connected to the future workforce they will enter. The World of Work makes the connection between education and future employment come to life.

It provides teachers with the curriculum and experiences necessary to blend traditional education with skills needed in the workforce, engaging students and getting them excited about the possibilities in their future.

Career Development, a Human Process

Career development is a human process, and teachers play one of the biggest roles in that process. With the help of the World of Work, teachers help their students make connections between the material they learn in school and future employment they can aspire to.

Imagine your students being excited about math, language arts, or history as they explore career options like being a paramedic, engineer, or news reporter. As teachers are provided with the best tools to help students along that process, students become more interested and teachers feel more supported and encouraged as they help every child on their path to a future of gainful employment.

“Every child has unique strengths, interests and values that are needed in the world. How does a child aspire to a career they don’t know exists? We had a plenty of “What” to do in education and now the World of Work provides the “Why”. We are providing students context when we expose them to the World of Work, every grade, every year.”

David Miyashiro, Ed.D., Superintendent, CVUSD

1. Exploration

During the Exploration level of the World of Work, students learn about a new job or industry. Through physical and digital resources to learn about that job or industry, students are able to explore the details of a career they may have never thought of or known about before.

2. Simulation

In the Simulation level, students get hands-on experience engaging in activities related to the job or industry they learned about during level one, building upon the knowledge gained previously to obtain skills and values necessary to be successful in the field.

3. Meet A Pro

During the exciting Meet A Pro level, students and teachers join in on Meet A Pro chats, which are virtual tours or field trips where multiple classrooms can experience meeting an industry professional. During these live chats, a pro can give students real life context and application for what they are learning.

4. Practice

Once students reach level 4, they are ready to practice the career they have been learning about. Students use the connections they made to their own world through levels 1-3 to practice what they have learned through their play, school projects, homework, time with friends and family, volunteer work, and much more!