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Getting Ready for High School Vocational Choices Learning Activities
by Donna Cleman, Counselor
Oak Avenue Intermediate School
Seventh Grade Teachers:
Here's something fun to do with your kids after they finish the spelling test on Thursday. It fits into the career domain of our guidance program.
National Standards for School Counseling Programs: Career Domain
All students will acquire and demonstrate competencies in planning and preparing for a career that relates to their career/occupational goals and objectives and to their assessed aptitudes, attitudes and interests.
Grade 8 Benchmark Competencies (From TCUSD Comprehensive Guidance Program):
- Understand personal interests as they relate to career areas.
- Understand the relationship between work and learning.
- Have a focus list of ten occupations to explore in the future.
Background Info:
In this activity, we'll look at your skills and interests in a different way. In Dr. John Holland's theory of vocational choice, he proposes that people choose jobs where they can be around other people who are like them. People who choose to work in an environment similar to their personality type are more likely to be satisfied and successful. In Making Vocational Choices , Dr. Holland identifies six "Codes" that describe people and occupations.
One piece I have added in the past makes it little more interactive and fun.
- I have the students choose their Holland Code individually.
- Then the room is divided into six areas.
- They are asked to go to the area of the first letter of their code. Once there, they choose a leader. The group brainstorms ten occupations that they are interested in. The leader writes them down. First team to get ten occupations wins.
- Then they go to the second letter of their code. They choose another leader and the task is to write five additional jobs. First team done wins.
- Then they move again to their third code and do the same thing.
- If there is still time left, they can look around and see if they moved to the three tables with anyone else. Those students could have a discussion about their own career choice, or career interests.
I have attached copies of the activity to make it easier for the students to choose their own code.
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