Olaf Olsen

The word agency refers to people’s capacity to make choices and take action on their own behalf. We want students to internalize that they do have the ability to problem solve and complete challenges. 

When we use individual white boards or post-it notes for students to write their response, we know when everyone has had an equal time to respond. Everyone gets an equal thinking opportunity.

When students are curious, they naturally start to ask questions. As more and more people ask questions, the curiosity builds, and questions become more complex and lead to hypothesis generating. Ask open-ended questions in class

It’s important to work to gradually replace a reliance on grades with an emphasis on qualitative, meaningful assessments during productive talk activities. Have students participate more readily in productive talk.

One way to evaluate the various career areas is to develop a pros and cons list about the career. Have students simulate this experience by providing them with a list of careers to research and having them prioritize the career matches based on the information they find. 

In the retention stage, professional development helps students to stay curious and engaged with their positions, preventing boredom and stagnation. There is some much to learn about “professionalism”. Have students write emails.

In the commitment stage, it’s important to keep in mind that, at this stage in their life, some students have never completed a job application and others have completed several. Have student fill out fictitious application in class.

The investigative stage is a time for students to really get a good feel for the career and get a first-person perspective on its requirements and expectations. There should be a ton of research conducted during this phase.

I learned that creating the norm that asking someone to repeat themselves is not offensive and using pictures and data to contribute to the conversation is helpful. This can be applied to my staff meetings and student interactions.

Yep. I copied and pasted this. However, it really spoke to me.

In small groups, students will collaborate to solve problems. The instructor will provide students with problem-solving scenarios and students may use a problem-solving organizer worksheet, which a variety may be found through an Internet search, to discuss the successful problem-solving steps. This activity provides students the opportunity to practice problem-solving, communication, respect, and critical thinking (essential professionalism characteristics) in a collaborative effort. The worksheet prompts students to discuss options, weigh other points of view, evaluate the pros and cons of the options, identify solutions, and document recommendations and… >>>