Text
Mason, Husted. (1997)Cooperative Occupational Education and Work Experience Including Internships, Apprenticeships, and Tech-Prep. Fifth Edition. The Interstate, Danville, Illinois.
References
Meyer, Crawford, Klaurens (1975). Coordination in Cooperative Vocational Education. Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.
Child Labor Requirements in Nonagricultural Occupations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Child Labor Bulletin No. 101. Washington, DC. 1976.
Lakein, Alan. (1973) How To Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. New York: A Signet Book.
Maltz, Maxwell. (1960) Psychocybernetics. New York: Pocket Books.
Course Objectives
Assignments
Assume that you are reporting to Norwood High School as a cooperative vocational instructor. Describe the socioeconomic situation in which the school (located in your county or area) is classified. Identify the area by name
Discuss the work experience and observation of the world of work opportunities available in your specific school; specifically, School-To-Work related activities. Describe the basic differences and opportunities for work-based experiences through school programs in your middle schools, high schools, alternative schools, correction centers, community college, and universities or colleges. (Identify the specific schools which you are including in your report). Compare these to the readings in the text.
Describe specific goals to improve the initiatives during the next 10 years.
Locate and cite a minimum of one Internet address where you can obtain materials to explain School-To-Work and cooperative education terms to parents, business personnel, educators, and students.
The Texas Education Agency homepage would be a good place to start.
Section 2: Structure of Curriculum Patterns
Recommended time frame: Completion by October 7, 1997
Readings: Chapters 4 - 6 and two of the following Chapters: 7, 8, 9
2. Case Problem:
Assume you are a "State Auditor" and are charged with assuring the legislature that cooperative education programs are placing students in jobs that will lead to "high skill--high wage" opportunities, jobs that are emerging in new technical fields, and/or jobs that are related to the student's career goals. Describe the type of information management system or tools you would look for in assessing a specific program. How would you evaluate each of the above? What recommendations would you make to coordinators in organizing their information about students, placement, and relationship to career goals and/or aspirations.
3. Case Problem:
You have been asked by your supervisor to develop a "job description and announcement" for a new position in your school for a coordinator to work with students enrolled in a cooperative program. Submit a draft of the job description and announcement you will present to the administrator and search committee for the position. (It should not exceed 1 page.)
4. Case Problem:
Obtain a map of your local community including the business areas. Identify the businesses and location on the map that you would anticipate using as training stations for your students. With that information, devise a time, and driving efficiency plan for coordinating the students enrolled in your program. (Estimate the mileage and time required from one location to another, project the number of students to be coordinated in each region, project a plan for a 6-week period to coop each of the students on your list.)
5. Case Problem:
Develop a plan for an advisory committee for the cooperative program you plan to supervise. Identify specific persons by name, business, and job title you plan to invite. Justify the make-up of your advisory committee. Develop a list of your top ten needs for assistance from the advisory committee members. Tentatively set dates for four advisory committee meetings during the academic year. Develop tentative agendas for each of the four advisory committee meetings.
6. Case Problem:
Outline the differences between the roles of the teacher-coordinator in any two of the following categories: secondary, adult training and development, post-secondary and collegiate.
Interview a teacher coordinator at any of the above levels to interview and/or visit. Find out their top five to ten strategies for success or best practices and report them in a memo to the class. Be sure to identify the coordinator, their school, and program in the report.
Section 3: The System of Instruction and Coordination
Recommended time frame: Completion by October 28, 1997
Readings: Chapters 10-16 and one from Section 4 appropriate to the individual enrolled in the class.
7. Assignment:
Develop a comprehensive individualized education plan for instruction in the classroom, related vocational student organization competitive activity opportunities, and expected performance in the training station for a student with a career goal in one of the following:
Travel and tourism industry
Business administration
Retail management
Food service management
Building construction
Auto mechanics
Doctor's office
Dental Assistant
Other (to be named by the student)
You may use DECA, FBLA, BPA, or VICA as the student organization for the case you select. Be sure to use the proper organization for your area of study.
Divide the comprehensive individualized education plan into 6 week sections of an academic year. Include the Essential Elements in the plan which directly relate to the student. Include a training plan coordinated with an employer for the year with a list of the specific job related tasks to be demonstrated during each 6 weeks period. Include evaluation forms for each quarter which show the assessment of job tasks identified for that period and employability skills required by the training sponsor for each period.
Develop a student management plan that shows the student his/her major assignments, related vocational student association activities, and job specific training expectations for one grading period.
8. Assignment:
Develop a comprehensive class management plan for instruction in the classroom, related vocational student organization activities, and expected performance level by students enrolled in a first year cooperative secondary program. (The forms and examples in this section will be valuable in this assignment.)
9. Assignment:
Place yourself in one of the many roles that a coordinator must plan in the cooperative program. Using the problem solving strategy, describe how you would handle each of the following cases. (State the problem, identify alternatives, evaluate the alternatives, select a solution, evaluate the solution selected.)
Grading
Most students want to do their best and meet the highest expectations both for themselves and the professor. If the quality of an assignment does not meet the expectations for an A, you may elect to "redo" the assignment one time for a reevaluation and average of the two grades. For actual grade distributions, please see Grading.