Summary
In this activity, students will rate their preferred learning style and explore typical vocabulary surrounding postsecondary educational opportunities. This vocabulary exposure will help students be prepared for the 7th-grade campus visit and discussion of possible future pathways.
Essential Question
What opportunities do I have after high school?
Snapshot
Introduction
Students analyze their learning preferences using the Walking Vote strategy.
Knowledge Building
Students learn common vocabulary surrounding postsecondary education options: community college, military, university, and career tech.
Wrap-Up
Students reflect on their learning by recalling vocabulary from the activity and planning for their next campus visit.
Materials List
Activity Slides (attached)
Reflection handout (attached; one half page per student)
Student devices with internet access
What Is infographic (optional; attached)
Learning Goal
Recognize and understand key vocabulary terms related to educational paths after high school.
Introduction
5 Minute(s)
Introduce the activity using the attached Activity Slides. Share the essential question on slide 3 and the learning objectives from slide 4.
Display slide 5 and introduce the Walking Vote instructional strategy. Ask the class to individually choose whether they love or like learning new things. Direct students to indicate their preference by moving to the left or right side of the room, as shown on the slide.
Transition to slide 6 and ask students how they prefer learning: classroom learning (books) or hands-on learning (tools). Have students share their preferences by staying on the same side of the room but moving toward the front or the back of the room, as shown on the slide.
Show slide 7 and inform students that they should now be divided into four groups: Gold, Blue, Purple, or Green, according to their choices from the Walking Vote:
Gold: loves learning new things (love it) and prefers classroom learning (books)
Blue: loves learning new things (love it) and prefers hands-on learning (tools)
Purple: likes learning new things (like it) and prefers classroom learning (books)
Green: likes learning new things (like it) and prefers hands-on learning (tools)
Instruct students to sit with their group for the next part of the activity. Use the flow chart on the hidden slide 8 for a different representation of how the groups were determined.
Knowledge Building
15 Minute(s)
Once students are in a group, display slide 9 and instruct students to visit k20.ou.edu/PSEpathways to access a digital infographic. Direct students to click on the sign that matches their group color:
Purple: Community College
Blue: Military
Gold: University
Green: Career Tech
Move to slide 10 and explain to students that after they read about their topic, they are to discuss within their group the new vocabulary they learned and be ready to share. Let students know they have 2–3 minutes to read silently before beginning the discussion.
Once students are done reading, give groups about two minutes to discuss. Remind students that they need to elect a spokesperson to share for the group.
Display slide 11 and have one student from each group summarize the vocabulary they learned and answer one of the prompts on the slide:
What is a community college?
What is the military?
What is a university?
What is a career tech?
Transition to slide 12 and share with students that they have been learning about postsecondary education options. Use the slide to explain what postsecondary education (PSE) means.
Wrap-Up
5 Minute(s)
Have students return to their seats and display slide 13. Introduce the ABC Graffiti strategy to the class; give each student a copy of the attached Reflection handout. Direct students to think about what they have learned and write a word related to postsecondary education for each letter of the word “CAMPUS.” If students struggle to recall a word for a certain letter, encourage them to revisit their infographics from Knowledge Building phase to use as a resource.
Display slide 14 and have students write a question on their handout that they would like to ask during their next campus visit. Students should keep their handout in a safe place to bring on their next campus visit.
Follow-Up Activities
Complete the 7th Grade Campus Visit Companion Activity: What Jobs Need What Education? during your next campus visit.
Research Rationale
Postsecondary education can be a life-altering experience for students, not just academically. College graduates tend to have more job satisfaction, jobs that offer a greater sense of accomplishment, more independence and opportunities for creativity, and more social interactions in their jobs than non-college graduates (Wolniak & Enberg, 2019). College graduation increases the chances of employment. Over the last 20 years, the unemployment rate for college graduates has been approximately half that of high school graduates (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). College helps students develop skills that prepare them for careers in the tech-driven economy, including nonroutine, abstract skills that aid in problem-solving, multitasking, and creativity (Oreopoulos & Petronijevic, 2013).
Resources
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2022, March 9). High school graduates with no college had unemployment rate of 4.5 percent in February 2022. The Economics Daily. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/high-school-graduates-with-no-college-had-unemployment-rate-of-4-5-percent-in-february-2022.html
K20 Center. (n.d.) ABC graffiti. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/96
K20 Center. (n.d.) Walking vote. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4126
Oreopoulos, P., & Petronijevic, U. (2013). Making College Worth It: A Review of Research on the Returns to Higher Education (No. w19053; p. w19053). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w19053
Wolniak, G.C., & Engberg, M.E. (2019). Do "High-Impact" College Experiences Affect Early Career Outcomes? The Review of Higher Education 42(3), 825-858. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2019.0021