Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE/ESOL Classroom - SABES

Lessons from the Field
Since the first edition of this curriculum was distributed, we have been fortunate to receive feedback from teachers and
counselors participating in the New England Career Awareness pilot project. The response to the curriculum from teachers
who tested the pilot version has been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers especially enjoy the curriculum’s flexibility, which
allows them to “do their own thing” in the classroom at the same time they feel supported by the “assortment of lessons
using a range of learning strategies, excellent extension activities, and the overall structure which is easy to use.”
One of the clearest lessons is that teachers and counselors working together as a team to implement the curriculum
across a program is an effective strategy. Using the curriculum, teachers and counselors have found new and creative ways
to work together in supporting students’ progress toward career goals. While it takes substantial planning and coordination
time to integrate lessons into the classroom and counseling activities, teachers and counselors report that it is time well
spent. Counselors and programs report using the curriculum in one-on-one meetings with students, often as a follow-up
to classroom career awareness activities.
Another strategy that these teachers and counselors recommended is to start with the section of the curriculum that is most
engaging to your students and then work your way backward or forward to the lessons that will fill gaps in the planning
process. This strategy seems especially effective when working with teens and young adults who may not see the relevance
of career planning. Teachers working with this age group suggest starting with computer and internet related activities
to engage the students in a medium they may know well. Another suggestion is to bring together teens, young adults,
and older adults in intergenerational classrooms where the experience and wisdom of older adults helps overcome the
younger students’ reluctance to plan for the future.
What are the ways you might collaborate with other program staff to prepare for and/or deliver these lessons? In one
program, language arts and computer skills instructors teamed up to work on the lessons involving use of the Internet.
Another instructor set the groundwork for some of the lessons and the counselor followed up by scheduling individual
appointments to help students complete self assessment and goal setting activities. Teachers in another program introduced
a series of lessons tailored to their own class levels and jointly organized a series of program-wide career planning
workshops and guest speakers for all of their students to attend together.
A Note about Cultural Concepts for Teachers
While developing this curriculum, we held several focus groups with ABE and ESOL teachers. These teachers identified a
strong need to have both teachers and students understand the cultural context for career awareness in the United States.
This includes understanding how each person’s worldview is influenced by cultural heritage and life experiences. Without
this understanding and appreciation of differences, the teachers and students may not be able to fully engage with the
curriculum in a way that meets students’ needs. We strongly recommend that teachers read the article “Multicultural
Career Education and Development” in the Appendix. This article provides a brief overview of the role of cultural identity
in career development, summarizes techniques for multicultural career development, and addresses issues in a
multicultural approach.
Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE & ESOL Classroom | Introduction | 14