The All About Me Exploration
                         
​                                  by:  Kim Hekkema
OVERVIEW:

This project is for a 7th grade Communications in Careers class. Throughout the course, students will be exploring their talents, skills, and learning pathways to evaluate what may be some future career opportunities suitable for them. Students will then take that information and create a product in which they present the information that they have learned during their self-exploration to a panel of professionals who have careers within the Career Clusters that the students personally want to pursue. This is a trimester course; the unit is approximately 10 weeks.   

Michigan Career Development Model for Middle School (Grades 7-8)

• Target 1: Career Clusters/Career Pathways- Introduce Students to Michigan’s 17 Career Clusters
• Target 2: Contextualized Academics- Deliver Core Academic Content through Subject Matter
• Target 3: Career Exploration- Continue to Acquire Knowledge about Careers, Postsecondary, and Employment Opportunities
• Target 5: Career Interest Inventories and Activities- Utilize Career Planning Assessments

How can we communicate our skills to a future employer within our potential career paths/clusters?

• Students shared their projects with classmates and their instructor and received feedback.

       
​ Career Fair Highlights

     
​     “This was a very fun experience! I learned there are lots of different kinds of opportunities for the career cluster I want. I would love to experience this again! We built a digital portfolio and presented it to the people that came in. I learned lots of new things. There are so many career clusters that I want to check out later in the future.”   ~Kendyl 

• Students met directly with panels of professionals from three student-chosen career clusters at a culminating career fair event. This is authentic for students because it gave them the opportunity to experience the real-life task of sharing/pitching their talents, skills, and learning pathways to future prospective employers. The professionals then provided feedback to the students and answered questions. Students will be able to take this information into the future as they explore career opportunities.

• Each student created a final product to present to 3 career cluster panels of professionals at the career fair held near the end of the trimester.  Possibilities included: digital portfolio, printed portfolio, web page, brochure, video, presentation board.

• Students suggested/invited community members to come into class and speak about their careers.​
• For some career cluster panels of professionals, students offered input on community partners to invite.
• Students have a choice in their final products they would like to present to the panels of professionals. Possibilities include: digital portfolio, printed portfolio, web page, brochure, video, presentation board.​​

• Community Business Partners included:  Jawor Brothers Blueberries, Monarch Tree Service, Muskegon Area Career Tech Center,  Operating Engineers 324, CatchMark Technologies, Muskegon Community College, Jennifer Ann’s Boutique & Artisan Shop, Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Sylvan Learning Center, Sparta Animal Clinic, Ravenna Family Dentistry, H3 Salon and Lash Lounge, Moss Ridge Golf Club, Ravenna Fire Department, Muskegon Heights Police Department, Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office​, Five Star Real Estate, ​Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office,  Ravenna Pattern & Manufacturing, Goodwill, WZZM 13 Weather, Army National Guard, Buffalo Wild Wings, Soul Food Eatery, Ravenna Independent, Swanson Pickle Company, & Muskegon Public Schools​.

       STUDENT REFLECTIONS

     
​     “My experience with the career fair was great! I spent time with 3 career cluster panels of people. They were all so kind and informative. I learned so much and I hope that when I’m an employer I could give more kids the experience that they gave me!” ~Gabby N.​

     “I really liked the career fair. I got really good feedback from the people that I talked to. We had to make a Google slides [presentation] about what job we wanted to do when we are older.” ~Andy W.

• Students completed a reflection module in their Mavin records identifying two companies they may be interested in learning more about.
• They created a short reflection video about their experience with the career fair and uploaded that to their Mavin record.
  Students wrote and sent thank you notes to career panel professionals.

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• Project Template
• Project Frame Sequence​
• Project Card                                                         

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Meet the Educator:
Kim Hekkema teaches Communications in Careers at Ravenna Middle School.
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     “I am so grateful for the community involvement that I received for the three career fairs I held throughout the school year. The community participants outnumbered the students at each event! The career fair is an event that the students will not soon forget. It gave them an opportunity to present information highlighting their skills, talents, 
and future career aspirations to potential future employers.”