“Not Your Father’s Voc. Ed.” What Career Technical Education Can Offer Gifted Students

1. “Not Your Father’s Voc. Ed.”What Career Technical Education Can Offer Gifted Students Mike Brunelle, Director Career Technical Preparation Sacramento City Unified School District

2. CTE – Not Voc. Ed. • Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 • Split between Academics and Applied Learning • Career Technical Education • Different Approach • Uses high-level academic knowledge • Allows students to apply their knowledge • Allows students to attempt real world problems

3. Career Technical Education • Not pedagogically based • Differentiated Instruction is the norm • Student centered • Encourages creativity and innovation • Tankers • Tee Shirt Cannons • Allows students to “break out” of school • Fosters adult relationships • Authentic assessment

4. Career Technical Education Cont. • Encourages higher order thinking skills by presenting real life problems and challenges • Effectively uses inquiry through one or more disciplines • Students are given part of the picture and they can make up their own conclusion • There is always more than one right answer

5. Gifted Students in CTE? • Not all gifted students are identified • They don’t always find fulfillment in academic core classes • Dr. Willard Daggett, on innovators and creative thinkers… • Some students “bloom” in CTE courses

6. Opportunities • Work Based Learning • Student Organizations, Skills USA, FBLA,etc. • Competitions – Skills USA, First Robotics, Local Competitions (Intel) • Courses that are articulated with CSU and Community College • Employment

7. Recruiting • Show the work • Demonstrations • Displays • Work with the Counselors • Marketing • Teachers • Parents • Word of Mouth

8. High Tech Trends • The trend toward high technology means expansion of CTE into classes such as • Biotechnology • Animation • Engineering • Nanotechnology • Renewable Energy • Our students today may be working in careers that do not exist yet

9. The End