Chapter ElevenChapter Eleven Career Counseling: Career Counseling:

Kindergarten Through Eighth Kindergarten Through Eighth GradeGrade

Rebecca M. Dedmond

Pat Schwallie-Giddis

Shelby E. Strong

Career Counseling: Foundations, Perspectives, and Applications edited by David Capuzzi and Mark Stauffer

Career Planning K-8Career Planning K-8

Career planning has progressed through the years and is widely accepted as a developmental, sequential process that involves all students-all genders, all ethnicities, all ages.

Career Planning K-8 (cont.)Career Planning K-8 (cont.)

Learning to identify the relationship between academic content learned in school and how it applies to life and career choices is the cornerstone of the career planning system for K-8.

Career Planning SystemCareer Planning System

Framework of Competencies NOICC National Career Development

Guidelines Project (2004)

ASCA National Model for School Counseling

National Standards for Students (2004)

Developmental TheoristsDevelopmental Theorists

EriksonFirst three stages prior to Kindergarten

1. Trust vs. mistrust

2. Autonomy vs. shame self-doubt

3. Initiative vs. guilt

Fourth stage around six

Industry vs. inferiority

VygotskyVygotskyChildren’s development and learning is the product of

living in a social context.

Adults are mentors

Zone of Proximal Development

“gap between what a learner can achieve on his or her own and what he or she can accomplish with the help of the mentor.”

Developmental Theorists (cont.)Developmental Theorists (cont.)

Career TheoristsCareer TheoristsSuperSuper

Fantasy (4-10 Years): “Needs remain dominant aspects of the person’s life, and role playing in fantasy takes place” (Liptak, 2001, p. 73)

Interest (11-12 Years): “Likes are the major determinant of the person’s aspirations and activities. The person avoids activities that are not interesting” (Liptak, 2001, p. 73).

Capacity (13-14 Years): “Abilities take precedence in life, and the person begins to consider a variety of career requirements including training and salary” (Liptak, 2001, p. 73).

curiosity exploration information time perspective self-concept

key figures interests locus of control planfulness

SuperSuper9 Dimensions that lead to effective problem-solving and

decision-making:

Career Theorists (cont.)Career Theorists (cont.)

“occupational choice is a developmental process; it is not a single decision, but a series of decisions made over a period of years. Each step in the process has a meaningful relation to those which precede and follow it.”(1951, as cited in Liptak, 2001, p. 70)

Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad, and Herma

Career Theorists (cont.)Career Theorists (cont.)

First Stage (up to 11): Fantasy

• Engagement in play

The second stage (through middle school): Tentative stage

1st substage: interests

2nd substage: capacity

Career Theorists (cont.)Career Theorists (cont.)

Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad, and Herma

Circumscription and compromise

• Children make compromises in their career aspirations in relation to gender stereotyping and sex-typed learning experiences.

• Children eliminate, moderate, and restrict choices.

Career Theorists (cont.)Career Theorists (cont.)Gottfredson

NCDA InterventionsNCDA Interventions

1. Making the classroom a workplace.

2. Teaching/Reinforcing Productive Work Habits.

3. Helping students understand the career applications of school subject matter.

4. Using community resource persons to emphasize both work and occupations.

5. Emphasizing career awareness but not specific occupational choice.

6. Reducing bias and stereotyping in career awareness.

NCDA Interventions (cont.)NCDA Interventions (cont.)

Classroom Instructional Classroom Instructional StrategiesStrategies

Real Game series

Kuder Career Planning System

Career Genogram

Career Clusters

Alternative Curriculum DesignAlternative Curriculum Design

• Volunteering

• Service learning

Other Learning Strategies Other Learning Strategies and Interventionsand Interventions

Individual planning Career portfolios Career information Computerized career information Referral

Other Learning Strategies Other Learning Strategies and Interventions (cont.)and Interventions (cont.)

Work-based activities Student appraisal inventories Entrepreneurial opportunities Student reflection and analysis

Systemic ApproachesSystemic Approaches

Assessing Needs

To meet competencies with limited resources, needs assessment helps determine where resources should be used.

Process of Needs AssessmentWorkplace Needs

Systemic Approaches (cont.)Systemic Approaches (cont.)

• Advisory Councils

• Articulating the vision

• Roles and Responsibilities of the School Team

Career Planning SystemCareer Planning System

Role of counselors

Career counselor competencies

Role of educators

Student Benefits

Career Planning SystemCareer Planning System (cont.) (cont.)

Evaluation

• Career planning program evaluation

• Student follow-up

School PartnershipsSchool Partnerships

• Parent Involvement

• Business and community partners working with students

• Business and community partners working with educators

ReferencesReferences

Liptak, J. (2001). Treatment planning in career counseling. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole.

National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC), U. S. Department of Labor. (2004). The national career development guidelines project. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor.

National Career Development Guidelines Framework. (2004). Available at http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/Home_Page.

American School Counselor Association. (2004). ASCA National Standards for Students. Alexandria, VA: Author.