About This Guide
This guide is devoted to the integration of humanities coursework with career exploration. Programs highlighted here represent variations of two basic formats: the study of humanities as a way to enrich our work lives and the study of humanities as career fields in their own right. Each falls somewhere along a continuum: Some are small units, some semesterlong projects, and others model schoolwide reform.
Many of the teachers involved in these programs are finding ways to bridge subject-matter disciplines and help students see how successful employment today requires graduates with new and different kinds of skills—most of which are taught through the humanities. Schools successfully implementing these approaches are doing so with the active involvement of practitioners in the field. Sometimes this means community experts coming into classrooms; other times it means students going out on job shadows and internships to see for themselves how the humanities are an essential part of the school-to-work equation. You will read about students joining in humanities activities as participants, not spectators, whether they are working to bring children’s literature alive to elementary students or working with state officials on land-use policies.
In addition to the profiles, we have included a number of resources, including planning documents, related Web sites, and recommended reading. The Global Economics section contains ideas for a series of lessons and units. Most of the texts and curricula included in the Relevant Resources were nominated by teachers who are currently using them in the field. The projects and resources featured thrive on the power of collaboration and integration between departments, schools, businesses, and communities.
The work-based learning coordinator and the English teacher share a concern about literacy requirements of high-performance work places. Industry and government share a concern about young people’s ability to function in a complex economy. Business leaders and school administrators share a concern about students’ work ethic. Our aim is to remind educators of their interdependence and mutual goals.
Whatever your objective, read on for concrete examples. And look for colleagues on your campus and experts in your community who want to help students see these connections.
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