Vocational Education
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clscott ...@aol.com (CLScott101)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/leads/stories_two/woodshop_20010... It is my opinion that the most neglected part of education today is Voc Ed because every high school in the country is trying to be college prep. The above is an article about local programs, but it is the same nationwide. Most students do not go to college, nor should they. But, they need an education that is relevent to their future careers. I became aware of this when I taught injured construction workers who were retraining as construction estimators. Most had hated high school, and some dropped out because it was so irrelevent to anything in their lives. Yet, they were very bright, loved geometry when I taught it, took to the computer naturally because it is hands on.
It would not be difficult to design a voc ed curriculum that would be relevent to their future. Then, in their senior year (which is a waste to most students, whether college prep or voc ed) they could be in the cl***room one-half day and on-the-job one half.
-Connie S
fern5 ...@aol.com (Fern5827)
Very true. A society needs plumbers as much or more than lawyers.
Liability in shop cl***es is one reason they were eliminated.
Besides, if we educate more paper pushers, we will suffer more regulations.
Polar sme...@mindspring.com
Good thoughts, Connie -- but the danger in going back to the former concept of "tracking" is that certain individuals will be consigned to a trade-school track rather than receiving the broad, general education that makes good citizens.
Horror stories abound of youths from minority or poor backgrounds who were bluntly told by their teachers that they should learn a trade because they will never qualify for a professional or academic career. What talent we must have lost due to this blind, prejudiced tracking!
What is most necessary to any curriculum is critical thinking.
Rather than ingest and regurgitate (teach to the test), youths should be taught to think for themselves; to analyze whatever comes their way, whether it's products or ideas that somebody or some company or some government is trying to sell them.
Just my .02
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Polar
Glenn Pooler glenn.poo...@att.net
It's worth a lot more than that. It's the fundamental measure of any education proposal. If there were any doubt, let anyone try to argue against it; for argument is its strongest defender.
Glenn.Poo...@att.net Rochester Minnesota USA
clscott ...@aol.com (CLScott101)
Mostly, I don't think "critical thinking" is being taught much in any schools.
My concern is that by placing so much emphasis on college prep, it makes those who are not going to college feel unworthy. I happen to think a good plumber or computer maintenance technician or nursing ***istant is in an honorable profession and should be treated as such.
One of the schoosl with which I am ***ociated is trying to develop a program for nursing ***istants. The purpose will be not only to educate them to do tasks in a professional manner, but to give them the feeling that their profession is a worthy one. That isn't felt now and as a result the turnover is tremendous further isolating those who must be in ***isted living facilities. The same is true for child care.
A truck driver can earn as much as an engineer. But our society doesn't value the skills of the driver as much as the engineer.
-Connie S
"Jerry O" jokam...@maui.net
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/leads/stories_two/woodshop_20010... It seems to me that unlike the times we lived and worked, today what is a good paying job, may not be around through a persons working life. As a result, continuing education is critical for success. But it seems to me, that those who do not have a good educational foundation, are going to face big hurdles in this area. I don't know what core skills are needed, but without those core skills, going back to school is going to be a major problem.
My concern about too much emphasis on vocational training are two fold: (1) that vocation they were trained in, may not be around, and (2) emphasis on vocational training, may not give them the core knowledge they would need to be retrained should they need to go back to school.
Polar sme...@mindspring.com
I heartily agree with you! I hope my message was not misconstrued to undervalue those professions/crafts!
However, to deprive them of a broad liberal education as well as the vocational training, is to limit their ability to function as contributing members of the body social and political.
It is important not to think of liberal and vocational educations as mutually exclusive!
[...]
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Polar
Karl Pearson pi...@svpal.org
: It is my opinion that the most neglected part of education today is Voc Ed : because every high school in the country is trying to be college prep. The : above is an article about local programs, but it is the same nationwide. snip I agree with Connie very strongly. Although the trades do a good job at training, we've done better in the past at equipping kids via vocational eduction to be ready to become skilled metalworkers, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, and all the other specialties on which society depends. And we've probably all had some experience with such folks who weren't altogether competent, possibly because of missing or faulty education/training.
From my high school days back in M***achusetts (a long, long time ago) I remember that we had a trade school in a separate facility with students who were considered our (college prep or business cl***) equals. And a lot of people in town depended on them for skilled work even before graduation.
We're becoming more dependent than ever on people who know how to use their hands (and computer help) to keep things running and fix the broken goods -- in the few instances these days where it's more economical to repair than replace. (And that leads to another big concern about our throw-away culture and overloaded landfills -- or creeks, woods, and front yards with their rusting cars, refrigerators, stoves, and bedframes.)
-- Karl Pearson
Doris Carter Ford dcf...@bluestem.prairienet.org
: : It is my opinion that the most neglected part of education today is Voc Ed : : because every high school in the country is trying to be college prep. The : : above is an article about local programs, but it is the same nationwide. : snip : I agree with Connie very strongly. Although the trades do a good job at : training, we've done better in the past at equipping kids via vocational : eduction to be ready to become skilled metalworkers, plumbers, : electricians, mechanics, and all the other specialties on which society : depends. And we've probably all had some experience with such folks who : weren't altogether competent, possibly because of missing or faulty : education/training.
: From my high school days back in M***achusetts (a long, long time ago) I : remember that we had a trade school in a separate facility with students : who were considered our (college prep or business cl***) equals. And a lot : of people in town depended on them for skilled work even before : graduation.
: We're becoming more dependent than ever on people who know how to use : their hands (and computer help) to keep things running and fix the broken : goods -- in the few instances these days where it's more economical to : repair than replace. (And that leads to another big concern about our : throw-away culture and overloaded landfills -- or creeks, woods, and front : yards with their rusting cars, refrigerators, stoves, and bedframes.) : -- Karl Pearson Just as the colleges have become white-collar trade schools most of the Junior colleges offer trade school couses. BUT everyone is expected to have the basic high school diploma Then and only then they move on the apprinticeship status in some trades..into jr college/trade schoo; courses or private "career schools".
The time period in which I attended a Junior College was toward the end of the Viet-naam era. I saw a number of realities that have been verified since by others with wider knowledge and exposure than mine.
One in that time period some professors were deliberatly p***ing minority males in order to protect them from the draft, giving grades better\\ than earned in order to help them along. My impression it that this was a temporal situation which changed back after the 'action' was over. The only thing you hear of now is the typical 'fixing' thinga for jocks...which has gone on forever depending on the talent of the jock not the race.
two At the undergraduate level in colleges they aren't even making an effort to teach thinking...just memorize and p*** the exams. Glorified white collar trade schools.
Doris F.
Rumpelstiltskin PleaseDonotReplyByEm...@nowhere.com
On Fri, 26 Jan 2001 04:57:31 +0000 (UTC), Doris Carter Ford "Trade School" is pretty much how I regard my EE degree. The only way my college experience contributed to my "education" was my second minor in English literature, IMV. Since I came out of school hating engineering, the real "Trade" benefit I got was my first minor in Math.
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