Grade 9 - Career Development (Career Exploration)

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

identify factors that influence the changing career patterns of women and men
identify mentors and resources to support career plans
identify volunteer and leisure activities that relate to their career goals
identify the courses needed to meet their career plans
identify factors that affect the availability of career opportunities

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Career Development (Career Exploration) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Form small groups and have each group interview someone in a non-traditional occupation to find out such information as:
- why the person chose this line of work
- what particular barriers or challenges she or he had to overcome
- what advice the person would give someone else starting out in the same occupation
Ask groups to report the results of their interviews to the class. Have students identify commonalities in the experience of respondents and suggest reasons why men and women might restrict their occupational choices unnecessarily.
Present case studies of women and men who have entered fields traditionally associated with the other gender. Invite students to suggest reasons men and women might have for selecting various non-traditional occupations.
Brainstorm with students definitions for the term mentor (e.g., a person who guides or encourages another to learn something new). Give examples of mentors, including examples of electronic mentoring. Then ask them to identify mentors in their own lives (within the family, school, and community) and explain how these have been sources of support and encouragement.
Encourage students to become mentors for younger children. Help them establish guidelines for the mentorship pairing.
Invite guest speakers to discuss volunteer opportunities for young people.
As students make their course selections for the coming year, have them create rationale statements for their choices of electives, showing how they connect with their stated educational and career goals (e.g., by enabling them to develop complementary or prerequisite abilities).
Invite guests from Human Resources Development Canada to speak to students about recent changes in the labour market and factors causing those changes.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Have students interview recent graduates working in various occupations about how they chose their fields and what their workplaces are like. As students present their findings, look for evidence that they are able to identify:

who helped the respondents make decisions about what careers to pursue
educational and experience requirements for the occupations
whether the occupations have been subject to cultural, gender, or ability stereotyping
factors that influence availability of careers in the respondents' areas

Discuss the roles of mentors and others who might provide students with support as they explore various careers. Ask questions such as:

How could a mentor help you pursue this career?
Who do you know in this field who could serve as a mentor or support you?
How could you find mentors or supporters in the community? What community organizations and businesses might employ people in this field?

Assign each student to research and present information to the class on a career that interests her or him. Develop a rating scale for self-, peer, and teacher assessment (e.g., 3outstanding, 2satisfactory, 1weak) to assess the extent to which the student has provided detailed and accurate information about each of the following:

a typical day on the job
the skills and training required to become qualified for the career
volunteer and leisure activities related to the career
mentors and resources that can provide support
how technological change has affected the career and might affect it in the future
factors that have influenced the involvement of men and women in this career
future employment opportunities in the career

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

Heart Beats
B.C. Life Skills
Transitions: A Practical Guide to the Workplace
Who We Are/Nos vies, nos racines
The Transition Years
Strategies for Career and Life Management
Career Choices
Resource Kit on Volunteering: Volunteers Are People Like You
Choices Junior

Revised: January 25, 1999

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