by Irene Chiang
[Abstract]
This career guidance proposal is for the newly appointed school counselor of Reichenbach Elementary School to present to the School, for the purpose of developing new approaches to career guidance and education. This proposal will discuss childhood cognitive and psychosocial development, as well as career development tasks for this age group. Next, this proposal will present three interventions or career guidance and counseling activities that the counselor plans to utilize in order to achieve her goals. The expected outcome, process and procedures for using such newly developed interventions or activities will also be discusses in this proposal.
CAREER GUIDANCE PROPOSAL FOR REICHENBACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Career guidance and education has been a major issue for American educational institutes, including elementary schools. The process of understanding the world of work and making practical plans actually starts as early as from childhood, and this is also one of the most important goals of education. In order to better serve the aforementioned purpose, this proposal will discuss the relevant issues about childhood development, and introduce new career guidance or counseling exercises and activities for the School to better assist students in seeking career interests and goals.
DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUE
Cognitive Development
According to Piaget, school-aged children move from pre-operational stage to concrete operational stage, a period children are close to developing abstract thinking. They solve problems by generalizing from real life experiences, and imagine points of view other than their own. They can classify, order, and think systematically, but they are unable to hypothesize. Instead, they focus on one element at a time. They view the world as being governed by rules, and they have a strong sense of justice (Reeves, 2005).
Psychosocial Development
Based on developmental theory of Erikson, school-aged children are in the stage of “industry versus inferiority.” They have freedom to make and organize things, and such freedom leads to the sense of being industrious. They use persistence, creativity and feedback to solve problems they encounter, and become confident in their own abilities to do so. They take pride in work, and are able to establish a balance between work and play. However, if there are repeated failures, such repetition will lead to a sense of inferiority. Just as school-aged children begin to build up self-esteem and self-concept, they also begin to develop identity of gender and sex roles (Reeves, 2005).
Career Development Task and Needs of Children
According to Ginzberg (1951), elementary school students are in the “fantasy” stage, which means the major development task for them is accomplished through play and imagination (Reeves, 2005). Next, from the socioeconomic perspective of Super (1972), children in this age group are in the “growth” stage, and “self-concept is an underlying factor in Super’s model” (Johnson, 2001). Vocational self-concept is part of a person’s total self-concept, and it is developed through physical and mental growth, including: (1) observation of work, identification with working adults, and forming a general understanding of environment and experiences; (2) assimilation of differences and similarities between self and others. In additions, vocational self-concept is also implemented in careers that provide efficient means of self-expression (Reeves, 2005).
Based on career development theory of Gottfredson (1981), school-aged children are in the stages of “orientation to sex roles” (ages 6-8) and “orientation to social valuation” (ages 9-13). The former involves children’s development of rigid gender self-concept, and they also become aware of social class during this period. In the latter stage, children are able to work with abstractions and aware of social class and economic factors. They are aware of abilities and emotions as well (Reeves, 2005).
Impact of Developmental Tasks and Needs on Guidance or Counseling
During early school years, children develop a view of themselves as workers. They evaluate their potential for achievement and the importance that achievement has for them, acquire skills that determine success in school and works later, and establish foundations for development of interests and values. Moreover, they form attitudes that affect occupational and social adjustment, and gain knowledge of the world of work, as well as how a person best fits into that world. As children become more aware of themselves, according to Gottfredson’s process of circumscription and compromise, they tend to narrow career options by eliminating those that are no longer acceptable, and compromise by limiting factors in the social or economic environment to modify career choices (Reeves, 2005).
Because school-aged children begin to see themselves as workers, the guidance or counseling activities or exercise for children in this period should focus on the establishment of self-concept and self-confidence through accomplishing different tasks. Such process will help children better understand and cultivate their own interests and potentials, and it is also crucial for them to have a positive attitude toward things they have achieved. In additions, for 9-year-old children, they do not have the idea of responsibility and do not understand things that they cannot see (Reeves, 2005), so guidance or counseling activities should provide as many varieties as possible for them to discover different possibilities, meanwhile assisting them in the cultivation of a sense of responsibility and overcoming gender stereotype.
PROPOSED CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING ACTIVITES
Lectures Given by Parents/Relatives of the Students
The idea is to invite parents or adult relatives of students who study here as outside speakers to give career-related lectures, for the purpose of helping students obtain a better understanding toward aspects of various types of professions, including education and training needed, knowledge and skills required, and current conditions in the job market.
A. Objectives
1. Use parents or relatives as role models that the students will find easier to identify with.
2. Offer testimonies from people who work in real-life professions to give a more accurate picture of the world of work.
3. Assist in the reduction of gender role stereotype by inviting male and female speakers from various professional fields.
4. Encourage and stimulate parents’ and / or relatives’ willingness to participate in career guidance activities.
B. Expected outcomes
1. Students obtain a more precise conception of occupational issues through face-to-face Q-& A sessions during each lecture.
2. Reduce misconceptions on gender stereotype regarding career choice.
3. Improve the interaction among the School, parents / relatives and students.
4. Increase interests from parents and / or relatives of students to participate in career guidance programs.
C. Process and procedures
1. Publicize the program as the parents’ role in their children’s educational and career future. If only “career” is mentioned, parents who expect their children to go to college might not be interested in participating (Herbert, 1986).
2. When promoting this career guidance activity, use phases such as “now is the time to start your child on her / his successful future” (Herbert, 1986) to help parents realize the how important it is to explore occupational issue in an early stage.
3. Pay attention to the diversity of invited guests regarding their ethnic origins and career types, and choose those who are representative of breaking occupational gender stereotype.
4. Schedule lectures to be given.
5. This activity can be a class-based activity (the lecturer is the parent / relative of a student in that class), or a regular campus-wide program.
6. Feedback and evaluation.
7. Arrange counseling sessions if any student needs further guidance.
References: Herbert, D. (1986). Career guidance, families and school counselors. Highlights: an ERIC/CAPS digest. Ann Arbor: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.ED279991)
Role-Playing
According to Piaget, children learn new and complicate things through play, and their level of cognition determines how the play games (Lin, 2001). The idea is to help children to understand different occupations through the exercise of role-playing, and recognize what it takes to become certain professionals.
A. Objectives
1. Utilize dramatic method to offer students the opportunity to play a certain role or character of a profession.
2. Students project themselves into a given situation and act accordantly under the guidance of teacher or counselor.
3. Enable students to express the characteristics, thoughts, skills and sensitivity of various occupation roles with movement, spoken words and props.
4. Encourage and stimulate the motivation and willingness of students to participate in career role-playing.
B. Expected outcomes
1. Students obtain a more precise conception of various careers in an interesting and interactive way through actual participation of role-playing.
2. Reduce misconceptions on occupational gender stereotype by having female students play roles of traditionally male-dominant professions, and vice versa.
3. Improve interaction between the teacher / counselor and students, and among students themselves.
4. Increase interests from parents and / or relatives of students to participate in career guidance programs.
C. Process and procedures
1. Explain the purpose the process of role-playing to students, and make sure they understand the content and situation being acted upon.
2. Divide students into small groups, and give them sufficient time to discuss and prepare for performance.
3. Encourage students to make a creative presentation, such as finding props or certain kinds of clothes, and gathering related information of the occupation being portrayed. Make the preparation their homework.
4. Actual performance of each group.
5. Discussion, feedback and evaluation (Lin, 2001).
References: Lin, S. (2001). Lin, S. (2001). Role-Playing. In Foundation of Performing (chap.2). Retrieved May 12, 2005 from http://home.kimo.com.tw/smokejoy2001/3.htm.
Shadowing
Children learn through observation and imitation, and repeated field trip without hands-on experiences may sometimes make student participants feel bored. As a result, it is possible for them to gradually lose interests on such activities. By providing children the opportunity to shadow an adult professional in a business or organizational setting, they are able to perform actual occupational tasks on-site.
A. Objectives
1. Provide opportunities and actual setting for students to perform career shadowing.
2. Students project themselves into a real-life situation and act accordantly under the guidance and supervision of the adult role models.
3. Enable students to understand and learn skills and attitudes required for various occupations within a working environment.
4. Encourage and stimulate the interests and motivation of students to participate in career shadowing activities.
B. Expected outcomes
1. Students obtain a clear realization of qualifications, skills and tasks involved in certain types of careers by following professional examples in an occupational setting.
2. Enhance students’ understanding of the world of work via actual visitation and task performing.
3. Students gain a sense of self-awareness and self-confidence through shadowing.
4. Increase interests and motivation from community and / or business individuals and organizations to participate in career guidance programs.
5. Establish and improve the interaction and relationship between the School and the community.
C. Process and procedures
1. Selection of the workplace and evaluation of tasks involved and safety issues.
2. Schedule field trips to corporations or organizations.
3. Inform the teacher and students about the purpose of on-site shadowing of professionals, rules of conduct, and safety regulations.
4. On-site shadowing of professionals.
5. Discussion and Q-&-A sessions.
6. Feedback and evaluation.
7. Arrange counseling sessions if any student needs further guidance.
[References]
Herbert, D. (1986). Career guidance, families and school counselors. Highlights: an ERIC/CAPS digest. Ann Arbor: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.ED279991)
Lin, S. (2001). Role-Playing. In Foundation of Performing (chap.2). Retrieved May 12, 2005 from http://home.kimo.com.tw/smokejoy2001/3.htm
Reeves, K. (2005). Childhood: years of identification & differentiation – part 1 . Lecture notes.
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