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Exploration Experiences
Exploration Experiences
Exploration experiences go beyond the brief exposure of awareness-building activities either by extending the experience through multiple interactions, or through more rigorous student preparation, reflection, and debrief. Through exploration activities, students make more specific goals for their future, gaining a concrete understanding of the middle school, high school, and postsecondary education and training that will help them prepare for additional work-based learning activities to help them achieve their career goals.
Exploration experiences enhance career development by:
Improving one’s knowledge of career possibilities in a career pathway
Understanding the career and employability skills that it takes to get, keep, and advance in a career
Understanding of personal strengths, interests, talents, and skills
Finding suitability of careers based on preferences, interests, skills, and aptitude
Setting personal and career goals
Exploration Experiences are appropriate for learners at the following levels:
Middle School
High School
Post-Secondary
Adult
Exploration Outcomes
Exploration Outcomes
Expose students to the range of career options available within specific industries
Encourage students to ask questions and learn from multiple employees within a career pathway about getting hired and advancing in various roles
Share information and expectations of a professional workplace
Encourage students to ask questions and learn more about getting hired and advancing in careers
Provide opportunities for students to further explore and understand educational and career options in order to better understand the academic, technical, and employability skill requirements
Reinforce employability skills and employer expectations
Preparing for an Exploration Activity
Preparing for an Exploration Activity
Determine learning objectives for the Awareness experience. Share these learning outcomes with industry/community partner prior to the session or visit.
Share learning objectives with students and design appropriate instructional materials to ensure learning objectives are met
Utilize Perkins Collaborative Resource Network's Employability Skills Framework and the Employability Skills Framework Lesson Planning Checklist to design employability skills lessons. (https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework)
Share an overview of the content and skills that will be covered prior to the Exploration level experience. Discuss any prerequisite content and/or skills students should have prior to the experience.
Review shared industry specific resource material with students
Work with industry/community partner to ensure that examples, vocabulary, and any planned activities are age appropriate
Arrange any media needs with the industry/community partner in advance
Assess site and document that workplace meets safety requirements for an in-person visit (if applicable)
Following-Up after an Exploration Activity
Following-Up after an Exploration Activity
Gather additional student questions/feedback to share with industry/community partner
Have students share reflections, learning, and gratitude with industry/community partner(s)
Debrief with industry/community partner to share feedback and collaborate to improve experience in the future
Arrange for other ways that the school and organization can work together to support student interest and learning
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Exploration Experiences Success Criteria
Exploration Experiences Success Criteria
Equity and Access: Ensure all students have access to high-quality work-based learning experiences within their chosen pathway.
Equity and Access: Ensure all students have access to high-quality work-based learning experiences within their chosen pathway.
All students have access to Exploration level activities
Intentional effort is made for inclusion and representation in Exploration level activity
Alignment: Ensure all student work-based learning experiences are aligned to promoted pathway curriculum at the high school and post-secondary levels.
Alignment: Ensure all student work-based learning experiences are aligned to promoted pathway curriculum at the high school and post-secondary levels.
Educational learning outcomes are aligned with employer expectations
The Exploration level activity prepares students for the application of employer expectations for Preparation level activities
Engagement: Ensure all work-based learning agreements between education and industry partners reflect diverse employer engagements across all promoted pathways and provide high-quality work-based learning experiences for students and employers.
Engagement: Ensure all work-based learning agreements between education and industry partners reflect diverse employer engagements across all promoted pathways and provide high-quality work-based learning experiences for students and employers.
Provide expertise and resources to engage students and encourage their success in a pathway
Participate in post-activity survey(s) and/or reflection(s)
Typically one-time experiences at school or through a huakaʻi or field trip to build student awareness of the wide range of career, college, and community options available to them
Exploration activities go beyond brief exposure of awareness-building experiences by extending the experience through multiple interactions or more rigorous student participation
Preparation level experiences strengthen student content knowledge and skills through coursework linked to extended interaction with community and industry professionals
Training experiences are extended interactions that require the application of the learned technical, employability, and academic knowledge in real-world industry settings
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