Exemplar #4

Core Curriculum: Career Exploration

Standards Met: 19, 20, 24
Introduction
The fourth exemplar I have chosen to include in my portfolio is
my Career Exploration core curriculum lesson that I developed for my
Learning, Achievement, and Instruction class and implemented at my
fieldwork site, Mission Hills High School (MHHS). The goal of this
presentation was to help students discover how to research careers
based on their interests, discover the education and training
requirements associated with their top career choices, and identify
steps they could be taking now to help them move towards potential
careers. The reason I chose to include this project is because it was
the first time that I was able to develop and present my own work to a
large scale of students at the high school level and I learned valuable
teaching and classroom management skills that I will be able to utilize
throughout my career as a professional school counselor. This lesson
also aligns with the Academic Development and Career Development
domains of the American School Counselor Association National
Standards for Students.
Standard 19: Academic Development
A:B2.7 Identify post-secondary options consistent with interests,
achievement, aptitude and abilities

One of the main components of this curriculum consisted of an

activity where the students took an online Interest Profiler Survey
that matched the students interests with potential careers. By
doing this activity, students were not only exposed to a new
realm of potential career opportunities, but these opportunities
were all ones specific to each individual.

A:C1.6 Understand how school success and academic achievement

enhance future career and vocational opportunities

In another component of this lesson, students spent some time

researching the education and training requirements, average
salary, and other necessary skills for their top three career
matches. By having the students participate in this activity,
students were able to gain a more concrete understanding about
the importance of doing well in high school and how valuable an
education can be in attaining an emotionally and financially
satisfying career.

A:B1.7 Become a self-directed and independent learner

This curriculum is designed to promote the academic

development of 9th grade students because it provides the
students with tools that will enhance their ability to seek out and
utilize resources autonomously so that they can become global
members of society when they graduate from high school.
Standard 20: Career Development

C:A1.1 Develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career

information

As mentioned above, the students were given time to research

specific career paths relative to their interests so that they can
understand the requirements of potential careers and establish
an educational plan that will create opportunities to pursue these
paths.

C:A1.7 Understand the importance of planning

It is never too early for students to starting thinking about their

postsecondary goals. This lesson was given to 9th grade students
with the intention of having them start to think about the steps
they can be taking now to help them move towards their career
goals (i.e. developing a plan to take coursework that is consistent
with their interests and will be most meaningful for them to be
successful once they graduate).

Standard 24: Learning, Achievement & Instruction

Due to the fact that large classroom instruction is one of the
most efficient ways for school counselors to provide direct counseling
services to students, it is important that they possess the skills
necessary to develop and implement effective guidance curriculum.
For my Career Exploration curriculum, I first developed a lesson plan
that included the learning objectives, materials, procedures, and ASCA
National Standards for Students that were addressed in the lesson
along with a pre-and post-test that could be used to measure the
lessons effectiveness. For the lesson itself, I created a PowerPoint
presentation that consisted of a brief lecture and opportunities for
discussion followed by an interactive activity that allowed students to
use technology and work collaboratively with their peers. I then went
into five 9th grade history classestwo Special Education classes, two
Regular Education classes, and one Honors classand delivered this
curriculum with another counselor. By developing this curriculum,
implementing it multiple times, and adjusting it to accommodate
students with a wide range of learning needs and styles, I have been
able to demonstrate by ability to plan lessons and effectively utilize
various instructional strategies, engagement practices, and classroom
management techniques.
Conclusion
Developing and implementing my Career Exploration core
curriculum allowed me to walk away with an abundance of teaching,
engagement, and classroom management skills that I have continued
to implement and improve upon over the course of the year at my
fieldwork site. I now also have the ability to utilize technology-based
career development programs as a means to meet the academic and
career development needs of students in a school setting. Overall, I
learned how essential it is for school counselors to possess both

teaching and career advisement skills so that they can efficiently help
students plan for their futures.