February 24 Transition Tidbits

 Does Career Connection Learning Matter?

Well, you already know the answer to this. If not, obviously we wouldn't be sharing and the Transition Tidbits would be obsolete. With that said how much does it matter. The article below shares some great stats to show just how important career-connected learning is. For instance, 47% of High School Students surveyed said these types of activities made them aware of a job they did not know existed. Another 60% of respondents said activities such as internships and externships helped them with their post-school plans. So what activities are we talking about? Some examples from the article are; studying careers during a class, taking a field trip, doing a mock interview, and even attending a career fair. Now the big question is, how does this impact our work? First, it shows the importance of having high-quality transition activities in our Transition Plans. Second, it highlights the importance of outside agencies, such as Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, and getting students out working in the community. 

Career-Connected Learning Yields Positive Impact on Learner's Future Plans

Check out our spotlight video below

Khan Academy

You probably have used Khan Academy many times, especially for academic support for your students. Did you know they have some options that can be great for postsecondary transition planning as well? Thanks to my wife, who uses those features, for highlighting them for us. After clicking on the link, scroll down to the life skills section. Next, click on careers. You will then have the option of 15 different units focused on careers. Some topics include; navigating your career, serving your community, starting a business, building and fixing things, and so much more. As you can see each unit focuses on a specific field and allows for the exploration of jobs within that field. Within each unit are lessons with reading materials and videos for students. These can be great resources for transition activities. Teachers can teach students a method to be used to reflect and then students can follow that method and reflect on if this is the right job for them. This is a great way to build self-determination skills in our students. Check out the financial literacy section as well for some great lessons that can be great for all 3 areas of our transition plans but especially independent living. 

Where R U Now? 

Ohio is not the only state with some great transition resources. This is a simple checklist from Virginia. Staying with the importance of self-determination topic, this is a great way to get students to reflect on their status and then plan how to improve themselves. This page has four areas; academic, personal, present, and in the future. Students check the statements in each box that represent where they are currently. Then, in the present box, students are asked three reflective questions about what they are currently going to do to change where they are. This resource is a great transition activity as the intervention specialist can model how to be reflective and then the students can do it on their own.