Author: acte

Simulation: Not Just for Gamers Anymore

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What trend or issue for professional development in CTE do I feel is going to be the most important this year? Simulation! Research shows that simulation is a very effective learning strategy that has many game-changing program and industry benefits. Simulation contributes to better patient outcomes in the medical field with military simulation saving lives and expenses. The positives are profound.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” The military can conduct fewer costly live exercises and instead, put troops in the cockpits and drivers’ seats of more affordable simulators. Airline pilots, train engineers, firefighters and police can effectively learn what to do in life-threatening situations. The auto industry can test safety measures through computerized performance tests and in the culinary world, manufacturers can even simulate the amount of required motions it takes to slice carrots or effectively model food production start to finish. It can optimize cafeteria and food service systems making more efficient food prep and production possible. During the planning phased of software development or in industry production, simulation can also be employed to determine whether a facility may have any faults, particularly with regard to its automation systems. Software has also been developed to virtually test a complete production plant before construction begins including all associated components, technical data, motors, pumps, and gear units. This process can ensure, for example, that a valve is opened before a feed pump starts; otherwise, the pump or the line would run dry and be damaged. Let’s not forget about sales or pharmacy training or any training or virtual testing in general. The sky really is the limit.

One of the strongest support areas of simulation is the medical field. Surgeons can practice complicated surgeries using robots and simulators away from the patient or brush up on techniques before actual procedures. In Nursing, simulation activities improve skills like recognizing a deteriorating patient, triaging emergency patients, managing stroke patients and more. With the use of computerized mannequins that exhibit a wide range of patient conditions, students can develop non-technical or interpersonal skills like patient handoffs or teaching diabetes self-management strategies to patients. Situations might include a mock hospital room, exam room, critical care room, operating room, labor suite, or even a senior citizen’s apartment. Computerized mannequin patients can range in age from neonatal to adult, and can be assigned names and medical histories, along with anatomically correct features like a pulse, specific pupil responses, talking, and even blood. The mannequins respond to student provided care and to medications with real medical equipment like IV pumps and crash carts. Instructors can remain hidden behind one-way mirrors in order to evaluate student performance without being physically present bedside.

Simulation saves businesses money and provides real-life experiences without purchasing expensive equipment. The training can also be repeated with accurate scenarios where students are allowed to make mistakes before being put into live situations. Simulation is transforming how we conduct business, make life decisions, and interact with our world. It is also changing how we educate and enhance performance. Sim worlds aren’t just for gamers anymore.

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Submitted by Melissa Andrews, Associate Director for Career and Technical Education, Illinois Community College Board, Springfield, IL

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A Student Finds His Voice

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Kevin L. is a student who came to Wake Tech Phi Beta Lambda extremely shy and unable to express himself out loud in a group. In the spring of 2015, Kevin placed second in a Marketing competition and was able to compete at the National Leadership Conference in Chicago. In general, he stuttered slightly and delivered a performance that would not land him on stage that weekend. Of course, he gave 100% during this competition, but the real change in him didn’t occur in front of the judges. The real change happened offstage at a workshop that held over 100 people. An advisor was speaking on best practices in running a club and finished her speech to make time for the question and answer portion of the evening. She asked if anyone had anything to say and Kevin slowly raised his hand to say, “I have a question,” and furthermore, “Can I come up there to the front and ask?” He waltzed up to the stage, took the mic from her and asked his question, thanked her, and sat down; all the while my co-advisor and I had practically dislocated our jaws from dropping them so quickly to the floor.

We don’t remember what he asked, or what caused him to speak up that day, but since that time he has been a changed person who is volunteering for more roles and he is taking on higher executive positions in Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) each year. He currently serves as the Secretary and Recruitment Chair and is the rising Vice President for our next season. The reason for his growth could be the time he has spent absorbing positive energy from other leaders or simply learning from trial and error through>#0160;failure, eventually leading to a breakthrough moment of success.>#0160;

At the North Carolina PBL State Leadership Conference in Charlotte last week, Kevin ended up taking first place in the Sales Presentation contest. He worked with his mentor, Jeff Myers, faculty member in the business administration department, and with his PBL advisors for several weeks practicing before the big event. Kevin impressed us all, and after 6 years with PBL>#0160;he has now qualified to complete in National Leadership Conference representing North Carolina in Anaheim CA June 24-27.

Submitted by:

Marny Rhodes_214 Marny J. Rhodes
Instructor, Business and Marketing
PBL Lead Advisor
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC

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Diane Albahrawy_214 Diane B. Albahrawy
Associate Professor, Business Law and Ethics
Faculty Advisor
Perkins Coordinator
Director, Administrative Services, NC Phi Beta Lambda
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC

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Leadership Through Action

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JAYME BECKHAM_214“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”>#0160;—John Quincy Adams

“Leadership through action.” That phrase resonates for me profoundly as an assistant principal in the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS). Other important related phrases might include “leadership by example,” “leadership through innovation,” or “leadership through creation.” But no matter how one coins the phrase, the message remains the same: Strong leaders are people of action, who set good examples for those around them, think creatively, and inspire innovation. These qualities are important across the board – from Fortune 500 companies all the way to small local businesses and mom and pop shops – the size, net worth, mission or prestige of an institution is irrelevant when it comes to factoring its need for good leadership. John Quincy Adams spoke about leadership in terms of inspiration, and that’s how I see leadership every day in the CTHSS; from students, teachers, pupil personnel, and our administrative team, leadership shines through what we do, who we are, and what we represent.

Leadership is so important in CTE because it’s inherent in our mission and our purpose. We prepare students to be both college and career ready, while at the same time we make sure they are proficient in trade specific skills and competencies to ensure they are viable candidates for field employment immediately after high school. Beyond that, we teach students about employability skills like workplace ethics, professionalism, confidentiality, punctuality, organization, interpersonal communication, reflective practices, and yes, leadership. It is profoundly important that our students understand not only how to conduct themselves in the workplace and how to be “good” at their jobs, but also how to be strong leaders in their place of work and in their communities. Unlike most traditional high schools, technical high schools have the responsibility of preparing students dually for college and/or careers, and the majority of our student body enters directly into the latter after graduation. If they don’t know how to be leaders and how to inspire those around them, then we have not fully met their needs.

Moreover, students in CTE fields have more responsibility in their school day than most other students. CTE students are responsible for OSHA and safety training, for handling expensive and dangerous equipment and machinery, for completing projects against industry standards, and for meeting the transient and progressive demands of our ever growing workforce; our students need to be responsible leaders at young ages in order to be entrusted with these responsibilities, and our teachers are the ones who form our students into leaders by setting good examples, being inspirational, and finding innovative ways to teach curricula to build competency.

Our students are capable of so much at such young ages. I have the honor of seeing high school aged students perform incredible feats each and every day. I have the privilege of being a “customer” to many of these students who are practicing their skills, and I get to watch them grow and lead with confidence and enthusiasm. Our students and teachers inspire those around them, myself included, to dream more, do more, learn more, and become more. To me, that makes them the best type of leaders there are.

Submitted by: Jayme Beckham, Assistant Principal at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, CT

International Benchmarking in CTE

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RON MCCAGE_214While the United States is seen as a global leader in post-secondary education and training, it has lost its once unquestioned leadership position in elementary and secondary education and now struggles to compete with many other “developed countries” as demonstrated by its international test scores. As a result, education and training leaders at all levels have turned to international benchmarking to as one way of determining how to prepare the nation>#39;s future workforce for a global society and economy.

International benchmarking—the alignment of standards, instruction, professional development, and assessment to those of the highest-performing countries—was mentioned in the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Amendments of 2006 as a possible means to broaden the objective of Career and Technical Education (CTE), that is, where appropriate, to link CTE skill standards to world-class standards.

In any country, the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders, with leadership from employers, is critical to the success of the development of occupational/skill standards. In most European countries, there are four parties at the table in determining the definition, approval and management of their skill standards systems and qualifications frameworks: representatives from business and industry (often company specific and tied to their apprenticeship protocol), education and training subject matter experts, labor organizations, and government agencies. In Europe, more emphasis is placed on defining the ‘end product’ – their CTE programs strive to prepare students for mastery of an occupation that becomes their career with clear cut options for climbing the ladder within their version of a career pathway.

While the very nature and content of Occupational/Skill Standards dictates that the primary input and validation come from employers, this is not always the case. In the U.S., educators (as opposed to employers) are often the prime movers in the occupational standards development movement. Furthermore, skill standards often reflect what is being taught as opposed to what should be taught; historically, U.S. educators have used skill standards to define instruction, whereas most of the developed countries we compete with have used them to define assessment or “qualifications.” This makes it more difficult for us to make comparisons with other developed countries whose standards are more occupational in nature. The United States does excel in the development of third party industry-driven occupational certification systems such as ASE, AWS and NIMS.

As long as the U.S. education system continues to place more emphasis on academic course-taking, there will be less time at the secondary level for the taking of important electives in Career and Technical Education, Arts and Music. The real elephant in the room that has to be addressed when comparing the U.S. to other countries is just how “vocational” or “technical” we really want to be in terms of defining outcomes. In other words, do we want to graduate students who know about occupations within a broad career pathway that’s articulated to the next level, or students who can demonstrate that they can carry out workplace related activities before they are deemed “qualified?” In observing the significant investments European nations have made in apprenticeship systems and/or workplace programs that often start early in high school, it appears our competitors have chosen the latter.>#0160;

Ron McCage, now retired,>#0160;previously served as the Executive Director (September 1980-February 2007) and President (February 2007-September 2012) of the Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS) (formerly VTECS), a not-for-profit organization that specializes in performance based instructional design and assessment strategies for career and technical education. He developed a full-length report on international benchmarking in CTE five years ago for CTECS and the State of Arizona. His research included a thorough review of CTE systems in fifteen countries, with special attention given to Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

International CTE Innovation

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JAYME BECKHAM_214Platt Tech and Abbott Tech meet Vigo, Spain and Guangdong, China

The Connecticut Technical High School system prides itself on innovation, diversity, and broadening its cultural and technical horizons. We understand at the building and district levels that CTE is a global market, and we can all learn from one another. For this reason, we continuously seek out and take advantage of opportunities to network and partner with our international counterparts so we can not only learn what others are doing in the CTE fields, but also to showcase what we do here in Connecticut. One of our district’s tenets is that we want to be “The Best Career Technical Education System in the Country,” and we understand that reaching that goal depends on how much we learn from others globally, and how we utilize that knowledge to help us grow. In this article, I will highlight two experiences, of which I had the privilege of being a part, where the CT Technical High School System collaborated internationally.

In April of 2016, Platt Technical High School located in Milford, CT, had the unique and eye opening opportunity to host a visit from three women who were CTE instructors from the IES Politecnico in Vigo, Spain. Ms. Maria Theresa, Ms. Maria Jones, and Ms. Antonia Garcia were able to meet with Platt Tech’s administrative team, as well as many students and teachers as they toured the school and observed our trade technologies and students at work. Vigo is an industrial town near the northeastern coast of Spain. There are approximately 300,000 people who live in the city. Vigo’s vocational school system, including IES Politecnico, is renowned, offering programs that allow students to enter the workforce, attend university, or continue to pursue their CTE field after graduation. The instructors from Spain came to CTHSS to learn about our school and programs, and see CTE in action by watching our students build, create, and innovate. In turn, Platt Tech was able to gain insight into what CTE programs look like in Vigo, Spain. It was a mutually beneficial and enlightening experience.

The second opportunity of which I was a part came in the fall of 2016 at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, CT. Scholars from Guangdong, which is a coastal province of southeast China bordering Hong Kong and Macau, came to Abbott Tech to tour our school and speak with our instructors and students about what CTE looks like in Connecticut. The Guangdong scholars were treated to a delicious lunch in Henry Abbott Tech’s “Thyme Café,” and then were given a tour of our building and CTE facilities where they met with students and faculty to gain knowledge about what we do here. Many of Abbott’s students made gifts for the Guangdong visitors and showcased the projects they were working on in their career technologies. The Guangdong scholars were very complimentary of the work we are doing at Abbott Tech, and the overall mission of CTE in the Connecticut Technical High School System. Through a translator, Guangdong students were able to share some of what they do in CTE with our teachers and students; the reciprocal collaboration was inspiring.

In each instance, CT Technical High School students and faculty were exposed to CTE internationally, and were able to see that Technical Education is of global prestige and importance. We were able to share ideas and practices with the instructors from Spain and scholars from Guangdong, and in turn they shared with us valuable resources and information regarding how CTE plays an important role in their countries and cultures. By ensuring we have access to global applications of CTE, and collaborate internationally, we can continue to provide a holistic and rich CTE experience for our students and teachers.

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Submitted by: Jayme Beckham, Assistant Principal at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, CT

STEM Saves Lives: The Rise of Biotechnology

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From the early controversial cloning of animals to the recent developments that allow the brain to fully control robotic limbs, biotechnological advances are a clear indication of the role technology plays in furthering medicine. The same pattern is holding true for career and technical education (CTE).

In general, enhanced application of technologies in STEM fields are driving a greater demand for qualified specialists in some areas more than others. In particular, the application of technology in medicine has produced some of the greatest breakthrough discoveries of recent years that have saved countless lives and provided a higher quality of life for many. Specialization, however, requires competency, and no other segment of education is better able to provide competency-based education than CTE.

The unraveling of discoveries afforded through biotechnologies is reflected in the competency-based program offerings in CTE. Numerous CTE institutions either have taken steps—or are currently pursuing—ways to streamline health and technology programs consistent with the labor market to ensure the preparation of a qualified workforce. As the demand for a qualified workforce in STEM fields continues to rise, CTE is responding appropriately by supplying competent individuals to meet that demand. In fact, CTE institutions (spurred by legislation in many states) are encouraged to attract students in areas with most growth and foster work-based learning relationships with businesses in those industries.

The impact of biotechnology is dramatically changing how CTE is delivering competencies in health sciences. The matching of school and work activities is preparing students to sharpen their skills in college and/or apply them in career employment. Regardless of the direction students pursue, the growing breadth and depth of student competencies in biotechnology is only going to increase their opportunities for employment in health science fields as the applications for biotechnologies become virtually limitless.

Submitted by Indrit Vucaj
Graduate Teaching Assistant
School of Teaching and Curriculum Leadership
College of Education
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma

CTE Across the Years

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ACTE is celebrating 100 years of CTE with the anniversary of the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917. This legislation authorized federal funds for supporting secondary vocational training, beginning a century of investment in progress in career and technical education. The legislation has changed over the years, and so has the CTE classroom. I wanted to share my journey as an educator having experienced these changes within the CTE field over the past 30 years.

1980s
I entered my first year of college in 1984, the same year that vocational legislation was renamed the ‘Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act,’ which went on to fund the expansion, improvement and modernization of quality programs to meet the needs of the workforce and promote economic growth.

1990s
After obtaining a degree in Occupational Education, my first job teaching was as an adult education instructor providing competency-based instruction to adults wanting to complete their high school education. When I started my first teaching job in 1990, Congress also reauthorized Perkins with new amendments that provided greater opportunities to students through increased integration of academic, vocational and tech prep programs.

1998 brought the passage of Perkins III, which provided flexibility to develop career and technology education programs while making them more accountable for student performance. The act also focused on funding formulas, tech prep, and school-to-work. 1998 is also the year that I became a school-to-work coordinator in the heart of Texas.

2000s
2006 and Perkins IV aimed at focusing on the academic achievement of career and technical education students, strengthening the connections between secondary and postsecondary education, and improving state and local accountability. 2006 is the year I became a career facilitator in a local school district working with 8th grade students to create four-year plans and working with high school students developing dual credit opportunities and completing six-year tech prep plans.

2010s and Beyond
In July 2017, I will begin my service to ACTE as the Vice President of ACTE Region IV. This year, I hope to see Congress restore the cuts that were made to CTE funding, which has become a critical issue for schools. Even in years when funding decreases, we remain under pressure to continue to develop, improve, and expand the use of technology in our CTE classrooms. As long as schools continue to initiate and modernize quality CTE programs, CTE will continue to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage and high-demand occupations that lead to self-sufficiency and productive citizenship. I look forward to seeing the legislative process in action as the Congressional session proceeds over the next year and beyond.

Reference: Scott, J. L., >amp; Sarkees-Wircenski, M. (2004). Overview of Career and Technical Education (3rd ed.). Homewood, IL: American Technical. Retrieved from: http://cte.unt.edu/about/cte-history-of-legislation

Christine Holecek
ACTE Region IV Vice President-Elect
Education Specialist, CTE and College >amp; Career Readiness
Education Service Center Region 12
Waco, Texas

District-Wide Pride in CTE

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One of the most eye-opening and rewarding experiences I’ve had so far as an assistant principal in the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) was when we conducted a district-wide professional development event for all our schools’ faculty and home office administration. We are a district of 17 high schools across the state of Connecticut with one home office. We service approximately 11,200 students and employ over 1,000 teachers and pupil personnel, in addition to each building’s administrative team and our home office staff. So, gathering all those professionals together in one place for an organized professional development event is no small feat. However, our district performed the task with flying colors, and on November 3rd of 2015 all of CTHSS was gathered at the XL Convention Center in Hartford, CT for what would be an informative, inspiring, and collegial PD opportunity.

In remembering this event, however, I do not recall the name of the motivational speaker who addressed us, or even the many titles and topics of the PD courses that I attended or that were being offered. I remember it was all extremely high-quality, and I know there were many takeaways, but those are not the highlights of the day that stuck out to me. Instead, what I remember most are the displays and showcases that each school had created. Before the PD, our superintendent Dr. Nivea Torres asked each school to compile artifacts from their different Career Technology departments and create a showcase booth whereby the rest of the districts’ faculty could view and get a sense of each school. At the time, I worked at Platt Tech in Milford, CT and I was put in charge of this great task. I went around to all our career technologies and asked each instructor and their students to provide an artifact that speaks to what they do and who they are. The first response I got from everyone was, “Just ONE artifact??” And even though I knew it would be impossible for each shop to capture its essence is just one artifact, I knew I had limited space with which to work, so my reply was, “Yes, and make it good!”

It was an honor to collect these artifacts and display them at Platt’s booth on the day of the district-wide PD. However, what was even more inspiring was being able to walk around and view all the other schools and their booths and to see what other students and career technologies around the district were doing. It was truly awesome to see all the “cool” things that CTHSS students were doing: building robots, designing web layouts, manufacturing items, 3D printing, creating TV shows, building electrical circuits, building houses, installing HVAC and plumbing into residences, fixing and maintaining automobiles, styling hair and performing cosmetology, creating blueprints, printing materials….the list is truly endless. And all this was captured at our district-wide PD; it was beyond inspiring.

The memory that stuck with me the most was the moment I saw Abbott Tech’s display (one of Platt’s regional sister schools) and thinking to myself, “Wow, that school really has it going on.” Their display was the best of them all, and it placed top among the 17 schools. I said to myself on that day that I’d be proud to be a part of the Abbott family, and just a short year later, I was lucky enough to find myself among them.

CTE schools should take every opportunity to showcase themselves, display student work, and come together as a family to share practices, technologies, and artifacts. We all have so much to learn from one another, and I give a lot of credit to our CT district for coming together and celebrating the work we do on behalf of our industries and our students.

Submitted by Ms. Jayme Beckham, Assistant Principal at Henry Abbott Technical High School, Danbury, CT

My Drive for CTE

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As I reflect on my teaching career as a Marketing Education and DECA Advisor for the past six years at North High School in Akron, Ohio, I consider my DRIVE for Career Technical Education (CTE) and how it got me where I am today.   As a former human resources executive in the automotive industry, I often tend to have an automotive pathway mindset.

D = Decision

R = Routine

I = Information

V = Vision

E = Everything

So let’s begin the journey.  Seven years ago, I made a DECISION to become a substitute teacher with Akron Public Schools (APS).  This was not the most glamorous position, but I had a passion for helping young people become career-ready.  This one decision led to a full-time employment opportunity as a replacement for a retiring Marketing Education and DECA Advisor at North High School.

As I developed a ROUTINE for teaching my subject matter on a daily basis along with taking CTE courses at Kent State University, I gained the necessary competencies to be successful in the classroom. Students learn best in CTE through a hands-on approach that gives them opportunities to implement what they learn; the same was true for me in perfecting my new teaching career. I had to routinely implement the instructional strategies I learned from my professors in the classroom, which are critical for a new teacher to adapt early on.

The INFORMATION gained from my teacher-mentor and State/National ACTE conferences would propel my teaching competencies to another level.  The information I learned from attending various workshops at state and national ACTE conferences was vital in my development as a new CTE teacher.  At these conferences, you learn best practices from some of the best CTE instructors in the world.  Without these opportunities to develop, I would not be the teacher that I am today.

When I began working at APS as a substitute teacher, I had a VISION of being a successful teacher and a strong desire to make our leadership team proud of my work.  We call it being ‘APS Proud’! I gave my new career EVERYTHING I had.  As a result of my passion to prepare students to be career- and postsecondary-ready, I have been rewarded in so many ways. The ultimate achievement for me thus far was being invited to the White House by President Obama on May 3, 2016 to be recognized as the National 2015 ACTE New Teacher of the Year.

As I further reflect on the 100 year anniversary of the Smith-Hughes Act, adopted in 1917 for vocational education in agricultural, industrial trades and home economics, I am thankful for the pioneers who have gone before us and the DRIVE that they had to pave the way.

Eric Mathews at a White House event held in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Week 2016 to honor great educators from across the country.

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Eric Mathews
2015 ACTE New Teacher of the Year
Marketing Education Instructor >amp; DECA Advisor
North High School
Akron, OH

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College and Career Readiness . . . For ALL

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“Career and Technical Education (CTE) is for students who aren’t college-bound.”

“CTE isn’t really education, it’s job training.”

“CTE is training for entry-level job skills, not for post-secondary education.”

The list of misperceptions could continue to go on – and we all have heard them.

In an educational world in which college and career readiness is at the forefront of determining the success of not only students, but also school districts as a whole, I am here to tell you that CTE is at the HEART of preparing young minds to be college and career ready.  Despite the multitude of misperceptions and myths, it is through intentional, career-focused program development that CTE can offer the 21st century student a jump start towards his/her future like no other educational initiative around today.

In order for CTE buildings to truly capture the power behind helping students prepare for their post-secondary plans, it is essential that college and career readiness is approached using a systemic, data-driven program that is student-centered and is grounded on the concept of equity and access for ALL students.  When this systemic approach is done accurately, a culture and climate of college/career readiness begins to develop so that helping students successfully navigate their future career goals becomes the standard mode of operation for everyone involved.

Opportunities are constantly being created in CTE to put today’s students in a position to get a head start on their college and career preparation.  This preparation emphasizes all aspects of student success because the technical skills are just as important to understand as the soft skills, and the resume-building is just as an important first step as the interview preparation, and the experience that comes with on-the-job training is just as important as the network that is developed through these experiences.  Again, the list could go on and on.

Through a CTE college/career readiness approach we have students who will graduate high school with college credits and/or degrees.  We have students who will earn certifications that will allow them to instantly be employed so they can work while attending college classes.  We have students who will gain real-life experiences through work-based opportunities that will develop their network and appreciation for their future profession.  These are just some of the educational trends that will have the biggest impact on 21st century students.

The opportunities that CTE can now offer students has changed the face of education.  Seniors are graduating high school with degrees, certifications and experiences that are going to better prepare them for their post-secondary plans because they have already started developing their career paths with potentially less debt, and more experience.  By offering these opportunities, many students who once felt as though they were not college material come to realize that they are capable of earning a college certification or degree.  This change in mindset is just the beginning of how 21st century students will begin to view, and approach, education differently.

Terri Tchorzynski
2017 National School Counselor of the Year
Calhoun Area Career Center
Battle Creek, MI