.. ~ ~'II . :. :. :. T H E IN F OR M AT IO N : SERVICE ::: .:.::. JIDANCE FOR GEORGIA SCHOOLS I STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLAUDE PURCELL SUPERINTENDENT ATLANTA, GEORGIA THE INFORMATION SERVICE WILLIAM L. H... ITCHCOCK r" ,Copyright, May, 1963 . ..." "By Gtlorgia State Department"afEducatlon Atlanta 3, Georgia GEORGIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION JAMES S. PETERS, Chairman HENRY A. STEWART, Vice-Chairman CLAUDE PURCELL, Executive Secretary MEMBERS FffiST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - J. BRANTLEY JOHNSON SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - ROBERT BYRD WRIGHT, JR. l'HffiD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - THOMAS NESBITT, JR. FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - - .JAMES S. PETERS FIFI'H CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - - - - DAVID F. RICE SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - - FRANCIS SHURLING ~ SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTBlCT - - - - HENRY A. STEWART EIGHTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - - LONNIE D. SWEAT NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - - - - - - - ZACK DANIEL TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_~ ~ ._~ ~__ _ _~ 1 Nature and Importance of This Service Educational Information Occupational Information Personal Information Social Information Economic Information Referral Sources Collecting the Information ~ ~ Sources of Informational Materials Selecting the Materials Financing the Informational Service Ordering the Materials Evaluating the Material . ~_~~~________ ~~ _ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~__ ~ ~~_~_~ 4 _ __ 12 ~_~_ ~_~ ~~~_~____ Occupational Information _. ~~~--~----- Career Information Kit Occupational Exploration Kit Chronicle Career Kit Occupations Filing Plan and Bibliography Desk Top Kit Directories Bulletins and Pamphlets Posters and Charts Films and Filmstrips Periodicals Referral Sources Disseminating the Information ~ __ ~ Assembly Program Bulletin Boards Career Conferences College Days Field Trip Films and Filmstrips Hobby and Interest Clubs Librarian and Library News Media Panel Discussions Radio and Television Sociodrama Units of Instruction ~ ~ Summary ~ _~ ~ ~ ~_~~ 18 ~ 22 ~ 52 Bibliography ~ 52 References ~ ~ 53 FOREWORD The mounting pressure on students and educators to get the most out of the education process has brought an awareness of the vital role which is performed by guidance programs in effective secondary education. With greater frequency than ever before, effective secondary education has come to mean the meeting of students' needs, needs which have been determined by analysis of individual skills and aptitudes and have then been correlated with the demands of business. Because the State Department of Education considers guidance basic to education and wishes to help school personnel do a good job in this area, we are publishing a series of booklets which have been prepared by Dr. William L. Hitchcock. These booklets deal with various phases of the guidance program: The Principal and the Guidance Program, The Classroom Teacher and the Guidance Program, The Organization of Guidance Programs, and others of similar nature. These will be released to Georgia schools over a period of time. Publication of this series has been made possible, in large part, through funds from Title V-A of the National Defense Education Act. Usually publications of this nature are the cooperative product of a group. In this instance, this excellent series is the work of one person who is an expert in his field. Dr. Hitchcock is Director of Counselor Education at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro. Claude Purcell State Superintendent of Schools PREFACE The State Board of Education adopted a basic program for the public schools of the State and published this program in a bulletin, Curriculum Framework for Georgia Schools. The Curriculum Framework recognized guidance as being an integral part of the public school program. The introduction to this bulletin had the following statements: A series of curriculum bulletins is contemplated over the period of the next few years. These can well include a separate and more detailed bulletin on each of the subjects treated ill this initial general bulletin. These can be followed by a largescale production of more specific course guides, resource units, and the like. This series of bulletins on guidance and counseling makes an effort to amplify for teachers and administrators the outline contained in the Curriculum Framework entitled "Guidance in the Total School Program." It is the belief of the State Department of Education that we should make guides for teachers and administrators available in all areas of the school program. Teacher guides have been developed in a number of areas, and we continue each year to produce teacher guides. This series should be looked upon by local school people as an effort to give them material which will be helpful in the development of stronger and stronger programs of guidance and counseling. H. S. Shearouse, Director Division of Instruction THE INFORMATIONAL SERVICE INTRODUCTION In our present dynamic society students increasingly are in need of assistance in coping with the complexities that exist in the educational, occupational, social, personal, and economic world. To provide the needed data concerning available opportunities for students and factual, up-to-date information on the areas listed above involves an organized approach of accumulating, evaluating, filing, and disseminating the information on the part of the school. The informational service in the program of organized guidance services is designed for this purpose. NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THIS SERVICE In adjusting adequately to the many concerns confronting the youth of today, it is probable that some type of factual information will be helpful in this endeavor. The schools of today must assume a major role in providing the needed information for use with students in solving their present concerns and helping them in making choices and decisions which will affect their future adjustment. The kind and the amount of information each school should provide will be determined by the emphasis that is placed in helping students with their concerns. It is possible for one school to place greater emphasis on educational and vocational concerns than it WOUld, for instance, on social and personal concerns. It is felt, however, that students will be confronted with concerns in many areas as they move and have their being in the present environment and prepare for their future environment. Since it is inevitable that students will be facing educational, occupational, social, personal, and economic problems, the school should take the responsibility of providing at least a minimum amount of information in these areas. In addition to the printed literature the informational service concerns itself with resource personnel, agencies and organizations who are willing to give of their time and serve as referral sources. Following is a brief description of each kind of information and the importance of each: A. EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION If the school were to survey its student body to find out some of the concerns on which they would like assistance, they would probably identify some of the following concerns: 1. I do not know how to study. 2. I will need financial help to continue my education. 3. I worry about making good grades. 4. I worry about examinations. 5. I am weak in mathematics, English, or science. 6. I am not interested in school. 7. I cannot read rapidly enough. 2 THE INFORMATION SERVICE 8. I have difficulty understanding what I read. 9. What courses should I take now in preparation for my future? 10. What college should I attend? An examination of the literature will reveal that printed information is available on practically all of these problems. The degree of successful adjustment of students to these problems will, in all likelihood, be influenced greatly by the available materials the school has for the teacher and!or counselor to work with in helping the student to resolve these perplexities. B. OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION Helping students who might ask about careers to pursue has many implications for factual information relating to the world of work. In assisting students to make a realistic decision in this area, it is certain that information will be needed on the nature of work, working conditions, qualifications, remunerations, and other qualitative data. Information will also be needed concerning the supply and demand, trends, opportunities, and other quantitative data. All too seldom, without the help of a trained person, does the student know enough about himself or the world of work to make a sound choice? Dissatisfaction, poor earnings, frustration, or failure are all too often the end result. An adequate adjustment made now may prevent a maladjustment in the future. The help the student receives in school on his occupational future will, in all likelihood, be reflected in both time and money saved. C. PERSONAL INFORMATION Students in today's school find thtmselves confronted with ever-expanding relationships, thus making demands upon them never before experienced. To complicate matters, the developmental tasks experienced in growing and maturing are characterized by many uncertainties of a personal and emotional nature. To cope with these concerns and make a wholesome adjustment, the student is in need of direct or indirect assistance. Direct assistance may be secured in a counseling situation with the teacher, counselor, or parent, or friend. The student who is experiencing a personal concern frequently will be hesitant to seek help from others. However, he will use information and receive indirect help if such information is available. Assistance is available in the form of books, booklets, and pamphlets on these personal, physical, psychological, and emotional concerns that lend themselves to direct or indirect use with students. D. SOCIAL INFORMATION The school age youngster would probably give high priority to his ability to achieve satisfying social relationships with his own and opposite sex. "I want to be more popular", "I want to make new friends", "I do not know how to act at social functions", "I have trouble in keeping up a conversation" are frequent manifestations expressed by students. As with the personal concerns, students sometime hesitate to seek direct help with their social difficulties. THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 3 Many schools realizing this are organizing group guidance units to deal with some of the more common concerns which youngsters are experiencing at various levels in their development. Providing for the needs of youngsters in this area is particularly significant when we realize that probably the greatest problems facing our world today are in the area of personal, social, and human relations. Much published material is presently available and should be given ample consideration by the school. E. ECONOMIC INFORMATION Many of our most able students are financially unable to obtain the post-high school education they seek, while others are discouraged by financial obstacles from continuing their education. It is felt that neither of these concerns should defer one from obtaining the desired education at higher levels if there is a will on the part of the seeker. Information is available to help the guidance workers in the public school in working with students who are confronted with either of these perplexities. For the able student needing financial assistance, the school has the responsibility of providing the needed information on financial opportunities in the form of scholarships, fellowships, loans, and employment for students. Realizing the magnitude of this problem, the federal and state governments, agencies, organization:>, and individuals are providing financial aid to deserving youth. An awareness of these opportunities and encouragement to take advantage of these aids are two tasks which much be shouldered by school personnel in carrying out the purposes of the informational service. For the students who are tempted to disrupt their educational training for possible greener financial pastures in the occupational world, the school must assume the role of pointing out the value of education in relation to earnings, prestige, and possible happiness in life. Studies are available and can be made on the local and state levels which may serve a useful purpose in changing attitudes. F. REFERRAL SOURCES No one is capable of effectively dealing with all the problems that come up in school situations. Many organizations, agencies, and individuals with special services and competencies may serve in a guidance capacity at various times. The school should tap these resources through surveying the local community, county, and state for available referral sources. A list of these sources with the services they are able and willing to render, plus other pertinent data should be readily accessible for use when a concern is presented and assistance is needed. This booklet is designed to assist school personnel in developing an adequate guidance library of materials which should be of assistance in expanding and improving the services of guidance for students. The major concerns of the informational service which will be discussed are: 1. Collecting the information. 2. Evaluating the material. 3. Filing the information. 4. Disseminating the information. 4 ... THE INFORMATION SERVICE COLLECTING THE INFORMATION The accumulation of information relating to the concerns of students and available for student, teacher, and counselor use presents a number of problems for the person in charge of this important activity in the guidance process. First, there is the problem of knowing where the available materials may be obtained. Second, there must be a selection process to obtain the necessary materials that are available. Third, the financial matter of purchasing the materials must be considered. Fourth, an organized approach for ordering the materials must be set up by the person in charge of this service. These concerns must be given ample attention by the counselor and/or person charged with the responsibility of this phase of the guidance program. Some suggestions relating to the four major problems of collecting informational materials may be dealt with accordingly. A. Sources Of Informational Materials A vast amount of guidance materials covering the five major areas mentioned earlier are available from the State Department of Education, Federal agencies, commercial agencies, and professional organizations. Below are listed some of these publications, however, in most cases, only the names and addresses of the source will be listed. School systems are urged to request a listing of guidance materials available from each and then select the materials suited to their need. STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION State Office Building Atlanta 3, Georgia Guidance for Georgia Schools. A series of booklets are being published treating pertinent guidance topics. A number of these are now available. Others will be forthcoming in the near future. Curriculum Guides for Georgia Schools. Guides are available in many of the subject areas in the curriculum. Other Information. Information is available on many services and programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation, Vocational and Technical Schools, Educational T. V., Schools for the Handicapped, etc. FEDERAL AGENCIES Superintendent of Documents U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. Price lists with annotations are available for publications in guidance and related areas. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles, prepared by the U. S. Employment Service, is available from this source. U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington 25, D. C. THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 5 Publishes Occupational Outlook Handbook, Occupational Outlook Quarter Iy, and Outlook Summaries. Charts for bulletin board use and career information are also available. Write for available publications and price list. U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Washington 25, D. C. Frequent studies are made that have far reaching implications for school guidance programs. To keep up with the information that comes from this source, ask to be placed on their mailing list. COMMERCIAL AGENCIES Bellman Publishing Company P. O. Box 172 Cambridge 38, Massachusetts Publishes Vocational and Professional monographs and other useful guidance and education publication. B'Nai B'rith Vocational Service 1640 Rhode Island Avenue, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. Occupational briefs, guidance series, cartoon series, occupational orientation charts, and a "what to read" kit are available from this source. Careers Largo, Florida (or) Farmingdale, New York Produces career briefs, reprints, data posters, subject and interest posters. Chronicle Guidance Publications, Inc. Moravia, New York Occupational briefs, reprints of articles, scholarship information, college requirements and cost posters, and charts may be secured from this source. National Association of Manufacturers Educational Department 2 East 48th Street New York 17, New York Information on occupational choice and topics of a guidance nature may be secured free of charge. National Forum 407 South Dearborn Street Chicago 5, Illinois Publishes books which may be used as guides in group guidance units from grade seven through grade twelve. These books deal with timely topics in the educational, personal-social, group life, boy-girl relationships, and career planning areas. 6 ... THE INFORMATION SERViCE New York Life Insurance Company 51 Madison Avenue New York 10, New York "Should Your Child Be A " booklets on various occupations accompanied by charts for bulletin boards displays may be secured free of charge from this source. Occu-Press 489 Fifth Avenue New York 17, New York Publishes booklets on occupations and socio-guidance plays on various problems. Personnel Services, Incorporated P. O. Box 306 Jaffrey, New Hampshire Occupational abstracts may be secured from this source. Science Research Associates 259 East Erie Street Chicago 11, Illinois Publishes occupational briefs, booklets and charts on job families, activity texts, guidance booklets, basic guidance kits, life adjustment and junior life adjustment booklets, posters, and many guidance aids. The Institute of Research 537 South Dearborn Street Chicago 5, Illinois Career research monographs are available from this source. Vocational Guidance Materials, Inc. 212-22 48th Avenue Bayside 64, New York Publishes approximately ten new occupational titles each year. This company has a standing order plan and titles are sent immediately upon publication. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS There are many professional associations who publish from time to time information of an occupational nature relating to their particular field of interest. Some of these are as follows: American Association of Medical Social Workers 1834 K Street, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. American Dental Association 222 East Superior Street Chicago, Illinois American Institute Of Accountants 270 Madison Avenue New York 16, New York "rtiE INFORMATION SERViCE . 1 American Library Association 50 East Huron Street Chicago 11, lllinois American Medical Association 535 North Dearborn Street Chicago 10, lllinois American Physical Therapy Aisociation 1790 Broadway New York 19, New York National Association and Council of Business Schools 1601 16th Street, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. National Council of Technical Schools 912 17th Street, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. INDEXES In addition to these principle sources of information that school systems should be familiar with, the school should subscribe to one or more of the guidance indexes which contain annotations of current publication, addresses, and prices of the information. The following indexes are available: Occupational Index, published quarterly by Personnel Services, Inc. Career Index, published monthly (September-May) by Chronicle Guidance Publications. Career Guidance Index, published eight times yearly by Careers. Counselors' Information Service, published quarterly by B'nai B'rith Vocational Service. DIRECTORIES There are many educational, training, and scholarship directories from which school systems may select according to their need. Following are the companies, their addresses and the directories they publish: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey American College Counselor and Guide. A descriptive guide to American colleges, universities, and medical schools. The College Blue Book P. O. Box 311 Yonkers, New York The College Blue Book. References on institutions of higher and secondary education in the United States. Simon and Schuster, Inc. 1 West 39th Street New York 18, New York Lovejoy's College Guide. References to 2,356 American colleges and universities. 8 . THE INFORMATION SERVICE Lovejoy's Vocational School Guide. A directory of private and public vocational schools throughout the United States. Lovejoy's-Jones College Scholarship Guide. A valuable reference of facts about scholarships, fellowships, grant-in-aids, loans and assistantships. Bellman Publishing Company P. O. Box 172 Cambridge 38, Massachusetts Scholarships, Fellowships, and Loans. Lists organizations offering financial aid to students. Includes information on qualifications, funds available, special fields of interest, and where to apply. CATALOGS AND BULLETINS The school system should have catalogs and/or bulletins from all the colleges, universities and vocational schools in the state. Catalogs from institutions in other states may be accumulated when requested, or if it is known that former graduates have attended institutions out-of-state it may be well to have these bulletins available. FILMS AND FILMSTRIPS There are many films and filmstrips available to school personnel for use with faculty and student groups. For faculty in-service guidance programs a number of films are available in the area of child and adolescent behavior, guidance techniques, and mental health. Many films and filmstrips are available for student use in the educational, vocational, personal, and social areas that would fit in the units taken up in the group guidance units. A listing of sources of films and filmstrips and their addresses are given below. It is recommended that school systems making use of this medium secure catalogs from these sources. Rental and other pertinent information will be given in the catalogs. STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Four film libraries are located throughout the state serving selected counties in and around these locations. The addresses are: Atlanta Film Library 121 Memorial Drive, S. W. Atlanta 3, Georgia Statesboro Film Library Georgia Southern College Statesboro, Georgia Tifton Film Library Abraham Baldwin College Tifton, Georgia Macon Film Library 940 Forsyth Street Macon, Georgia OTHER SOURCES AND ADDRESSES Association Filma 247 Madison Avenue New York, New York THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 9 Coronet Films 65 East South Water Street Chicago 1, Illinois Encyclopedia Britannica Films 1150 Wilmette Avenue Wilmette, Illinois Institute of Life Insurance Educational Division 488 Madison Avenue New York, New York Jam Handy Organization 2821 East Grand Boulevard Detroit 11, Michigan McGraw-Hill Book Company and Society for Visual Education, Inc. Text-Film Department 1345 Diversey Parkway 330 West 42nd Street Chicago 14, Illinois New York 36, New York Distributed by The Calhoun Company 121 Forrest Avenue, N. E. Atlanta 3, Georgia Science Research Associates 259 East Erie Street Chicago 11, Illinois United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Washington 25, D. C. GUIDANCE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE A number of guidance publishers provide a subscription whereby, for an annual fee, the latest publications of guidance materials are sent to the subscriber as soon as they are available. The following companies have such services available: Careers P. O. Box 521 Largo, Florida (or) Farmingdale, New York Chronicle Guidance Publications Moravia, New York Science Research Associates 259 East Erie Street Chicago 11, Illinois GUIDANCE PERIODICALS To keep up with the latest guidance information, as well as sources of guidance and educational information, school systems are urged to have at least the following periodicals in their professionallibrary for faculty use: Personnel Guidance Journal, published monthly (September through May) by American Personnel and Guidance Association, Inc., 1605 New Hampshire Avenue, N. W., Washington 9, D. C. 10 . THE INFORMATION SERVICE Vocational Guidance Quarterly, published quarterly by the National Vocational Guidance Association, a division of American Personnel and Guidance Association, address above. Journal of Counseling Psychology, published monthly (September through May), 10 Student Services Building, Ohio State University, Columbus 10, Ohio. Locating appropriate up-to-date educational, occupational educational, personal, and social information is one of the tasks which persistently faces school counselors, school librarians, and teachers of group guidance units or courses. The above mentioned sources should make the task an easier one. The sources are not all inclusive, but should give the school system a beginning in collecting the necessary information needed for student, teacher, or counselor use. B. Selecting The Materials Some discretion must be employed in selecting the materials to be secured from the sources that were mentioned earlier. As a beginning, for selecting appropriate and useable materials in the concern areas that have been previously mentioned, it is recommended that a number of abstracts describing a core of the most popular professional, service, clerical, skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled jobs be obtained for the occupational file. Every school should have the current Occupational Outlook Handbook which describes many of the typical occupations that youngsters are likely to enter. Initially selecting information suitable for the problems in the educational, personal, and social areas may be determined by the common concerns that are normally experienced by students at the various levels in the administrative unit of the school. As early as possible a questionnaire survey should be administered to the students or a student forum should be held with the present student body to secure information from them on present and future concerns. These results could then be used as a basis for securing the information to meet the needs of the students. Follow-up studies of school leavers will serve as a basis for securing information necessary for the present student body. The results of these studies will point out specifically the difficulties encountered in their educational and vocational endeavors, thus serving as a base on which to build an effective course of study and group guidance units to better meet the future. These are some of the methods that may be used to determine the procedures that may be taken in securing the information that is needed and will be used to serve the students in a useful way. C. Financing The Informational Service This is not a major problem for many schools because ample financial assistance is available for these materials. However, many schools are operating on a shoe string budget and have difficulty in purchasing a very limited library of guidance materials. Much of the material that will be used to organize and maintain the informational service may be purchased with funds from N. D. THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 11 E. A., Title V. The counselor should contact the consultant in the area and discuss the possibility of purchasing these materials. Each school participating under the Act should take full advantage of having the needed information for student, faculty, and counselor use. It is recommended that a percentage of the school budget be set aside for the guidance services. This recommendation was made in the booklet, "Principal and the Guidance Program." It is felt that school systems should move in this direction now so that if State and Federal funds are reduced, or otherwise, the guidance services to youth would not suffer. If the school has a guidance budget, a certain amount should be used to defray the expenses of this service. There is much good free material available and schools should take advantage of this opportunity. The sources mentioned earlier should be tapped for materials that would be of value in the areas of student concern. It is wise to get on the mailing list of the many sources that were listed and others as they are discovered. Many of the local civic organizations and clubs sponsor yearly education projects. Frequently, they are in search of a worthwhile undertaking and will be happy to underwrite it only for the asking. Counselors and other school personnel should let them know about their needs and present a well worked out proposal in need of financial backing. When a class is engaged in an occupational-educational unit, many of the students will secure additional information for: the class projects they are doing. After using the material they will more than likely be happy to place it in the occupational file for general use. In the state the school librarian spends a certain amount of money on each student in average daily attendance. The guidance workers in the school should work very closely with the librarian and seek her assistance in maintaining the guidance library. A few of the approaches which may be used to finance the informational service have been briefly discussed. There are many more sources that could be tapped; therefore, the school should not let a good service to students falter because of the lack of funds in the school budget. D. Ordering The Materials As may have been detected by now, there is a wealth of information available in the educational, occupational, personal and social areas. An organized system of procuring these materials should be worked out by the counselor or person in charge of this responsibility. The amount of clerical help would, of course, have to be considered. A system of ordering materials such as the one described below is suggested which would require a minimum of clerical help and would enable one to keep abreast of the material. 1. Mimeograph the following information on 5 by 8 cards for each company, organization, or agency: 12 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE SOURCE ADDRESS INFORMATION MATERIALS CARD . . . ._ TITLE OF PUBUCATION COST DATE ORDERED DATE RECEIVED FORM 1 2. To conserve space, etc., the back of the card may also be used by mimeographing TITLE OF PUBLICATION, COST, DATE ORDERED AND DATE RECEIVED. 3. At the time of ordering (for example, a booklet from the U. S. Department of Labor), the card could be filled out as follows: U. S.Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington 25, D. C. Mathematics and Your Career Free 1-6-63 After receiving the publication, pull the card and place the date received in the space provided and replace the card in the file. Later on, if an announcement of the same publication is received one could check the card to determine if the school had the publication or if it had been ordered. This would prevent duplicating materials which could be expensive if practiced over a period of time. EVALUATING THE MATERIAL Prior to placing informational material in the file where students will have access to it, some check or evaluation of the material THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 13 must be made to determine its fitness for use. It has been noted in the past that many youngsters have been misinformed too often, particularly in the area of educational and occupational information. This is also true to a lesser degree in the personal, social, and economic areas. Studies have been made in which students with intelligence handicaps are planning to enter various occupations, are preparing to enter vocations involving subjects in which their grades are low; are expecting to become physicians when their grades are not high enough for admission to medical school; believe they will earn much more money than the actual practitioner earns; are fuzzy concerning training requirements, and supply and demand of workers. It is possible that, with adequate and up-to-date information, this could be prevented. A great amount of the information that is secured from reputable publishers is reliable and can be used by students without too much checking. Some organizations and agencies, however, are attempting to recruit and are not too concerned with the methods used nor the information published in their publications. For example, a publication entitled, "Every Boy Can Be a Professional Baseball Player" was examined by the writer. The contents of the publication were misleading, biased, and non-authentic. Such a publication should never be placed in the occupational file for student use. Trained personnel in the area of occupational information can usually spot this type of material. However, some of the people preparing these publications are cagey in their journalistic prowess and the misinformation easily escapes the trained eye on casual examination. It is, therefore, essential that some machinery be set up for critically examining the contents of the information in some of the publications before they are placed in the information file for student use. To do effective job of evaluating materials, a check-list or point value form should be used to judge the adequacy of the publication. The National Vocational Guidance Association prepared a check-list for evaluating occupational publications (1, p. 319-24). It is as follows: 14 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE EVALUATIVE CHECKLIST A. GENERAL PUBLICATION DATA 1. Title 2. Author(s) 3. Publisher 4. Date of Publication _ Address __ _ 5. Number of pages Price _ B. CONTENTS Evaluation of the contents. Check the most appropriate description for each content item: D. N. A. - does not apply; A - adequate; I - inadequate; 0 - omitted. D. N. A. A 0 Content Items ------- --- -.-------------- ----------- ---------- History of the occupation Duties and nature of the work Need for workers - trends and outlook Qualifications PreparaUon - general education, special training, experience Methods of entering and advancement Related occupations Earnings - wage range, other benefits Working condtitions, hours, hazards Typical places of employment Advantages and disadvantages Sources of additional information Scope of information presented (local, state, national) C. STYLE AND FORMAT 1. Evaluation of the style and format. Check the most appropriate description: D. N. A. - does not apply; S - satisfactory; U - unsatisfactory; 0 - omitted. D. N. A. S uo Clear and concise Interesting Vocabulary adapted to intended readers D. N. A. I; THE INFORMATION SERVICE . 15 uo Pictorial illustrations Charts, graphs, tables (properly titled and interpreted) Table of contents or index Cover color and design Suggested readings 2. Type of binding. Check those that apply: --------- thin paper cover ---.----------_ heavy paper cover _ does not apply ___________ spiral binding ___ ordinary cloth binding __ other (specify) 3. Type of format. Check one: _ sheet - one page ___ leaflet - sheet of small pages folded, not stapled booklet - a little book, paper cover, stitched/stapled ____ pamphlet - book of few pages, stitched/stapled book - larger, hard cover, bound D. CLASSIFICATION AND LISTING 1. Type of publication. Check one: A Career fiction B Biography _Occupational or industrial description C. Occupational ~wno- J D graph _ Occupational brief K E_ Occupational abstract L Recruitment literature Poster and chart Article or reprint F Occupational guide M Community survey, G Job Series economic report, H Business and industrial job analysis descriptive literature N -. Other (specify) ... _ 2. Recommendation for listing. Check one: 1 2. 3 __....._. 4. Highly recommended Recommended Useful Not recommended 3. Coding (as it is to appear when listed) _ 4. Comments and/or opinions of publication: Reviewed by Date FORM.2 .__. _ ._ 16 . THE INFORMATION SERViCE The following point value evaluation form is suggested as an instrument that may be used to initially evaluate occupational material and also to re-evalute at a later date: POINT VALUE EVALUATION FORM Publication Title Code Number Date Evaluated Date Re-Evaluated _ A. CRITERIA 1. Authenticity 2. Objectivity 3. Recency 4. Completeness 5. Suitability 6. Cost 7. Format 8. Style 9. Illustrations Total I PPOoSiSnitbs ~1 Rating Re-Evaluation comments. I 3 , 4! I 5 ,iI 5 5 i I I I i i 2 i 2 I 2 2 r--..;--- - -f----- 30 B. CONTENT 1. Nature of Work 8 2. Working Conditions 7 3. Employment Outlook 5 4. Qualifications 5 5. Requirements 10 6. Remunerations 10 7. Standards of Entry 5 8. Locality of Employment 5 9. Advancement Opportunities 7 10. Related Occupations 8 Total 70 I I I I ! -~ FORM 3 If the point value in the criteria section totals less than 15 points and content section less than 35 points, the evaluator should critically examine the publication before placing it in the file for THE INFORMATION SERVICE . . . 17 student use. To assist the evaluator, a description of the items should be duplicated to insure an adequate understanding of the form. The following could serve this function: DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATIVE TERMS CRITERIA 1. Authenticity. Is the information accurate? Are the publishers reputable? Was the information secured by the armchair or job analysis approach? 2. Objectivity. Is the information specific or is it reported in general terms? 3. Recency. Information over two years old should be checked thoroughly in the content section. 4. Completeness. Is the information comprehensive in that data is given concerning all items in the content heading? 5. Suitability. Is the information appropriate to the level of the students who will be using it? 6. Cost. The nature of the material will determine whether the cost of the publication is prohibitive. 7. Format. Is the material presented in an attractive and pleasing manner? 8. Style. Does the writer present the information in an interesting, clear, and concise manner? 9. Illustrations. Are tables, graphs, pictures, and cartoons used? CONTENT 1. Nature of the Work. Is the occupation defined? Are specific tasks of the job included? 2. Working Conditions. Is information given concerning hours of work, seasonal work or not. work hazards, supervision, etc? 3. Employment Outlook. Is information included on present, as well as future, supply and demand of workers in the field? 4. Qualifications Desired. Does the publication include data on desira- ble personal, physical, and mental qualities of the prospective employee? 5. Requirements. Does the writer specify the amount of general and special education desired. apprenticeship training, and length of training period? Is information given concerning the effect of unions and legislation on the job? 6. Remunerations. Is information giving concerning salary, vacation, retirement, insurance, sick benefits, etc.? 7. Standards for Entry. Are entrance requirements spelled out? Is information given on licensing, equipment, and/or tools needed for jobs? 8. Locality of Employment. Is the job affected as to geographical locality? 9. Advancement Opportunities. Does the publication contain specific information on lines of promotion and the avenues of moving up the ladder, such as research, writing, additional training, etc.? 10. Related Occupations. In case unforseen circumstances develop, are related jobs listed that the worker may enter with little or no additional training? FORM 4 18 ... THE INFORMATION SSRVICE Evaluating informational materials will consume some time on the part of the guidance personnel, but is felt that the time will be well spent. Preventing a student from making a major decision based on misinformation is sufficient reward for the effort involved. Students will be able to detect inadequacies in the literature and should be oriented along these lines. The check forms described above will enable the school to perform a more rigorous job of evaluating informational literature. FILING THE INFORMATION Merely ~aving the information in the school does not guarantee that it is serving a useful purpose. After collecting and evaluating the information, the school must devise some plan of taking care of it in an organized manner. An organized plan of housing the guidance materials will insure accessibility and greater use of the materials by students and teachers. If the school has ample physical space in or near the guidance office, it is recommended that a large room, known as the "Information File Room," be set aside to house some of the information. If this is not possible, a cooperative working relationship between the librarian and counselor should be established and the information be organized in such a way as to be accessible and usable for student and faculty. With this in mind, the following suggestions are made for the organization of the guidance materials library. OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION A greater amount of the occupational information is in the form of abstracts, briefs, leaflets, and monographs. These publications may be placed in manila folders and housed in an upright file. There are two principal methods of filing such information. 1. The Alphabetical Plan (Home Made) This is a plan in which o~cupational information is filed alphabetically according to occupations. This is simple and very satisfactory as a beginning plan. However, as information is accumu- lated it will not prove satisfactory. If a school system plans a com- prehensive guidance library, the author recommends a system based on the classification as found in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, or a carefUlly worked out alphabetical plan. 2. Subject Classification Plan. This is a coded system of filing based on the ten classifications as found in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. They are: 0-0 through 0-3 Professional Occupations 0-4 through 0-6 Semiprofessional Occupations 0-7 through 0-9 Managerial and Officials Occupations 1-0 through 1-4 Clerical and Kindred Occupations 1-5 through 1-9 Sales and Kindred Occupations 2-0 Domestic Service Occupations 2-2 through 2-5 Personal Service Occupations 2-6 Protective Service Occupations 2-8 through 2-9 Building Service Workers and Porters THE INFORMATION SUVICE ... 19 3-0 through 3-4 3-8 3-9 4 and 5 6 and 7 8 and 9 Agricultural, Horticultural and Kindred Occupations Fishery Occupations Forestry (Except Logging), and Hunting and Trapping Occupations Skilled Occupations Semiskilled Occupations Unskilled Occupations The school system wishing to use this approach without purchasing a commercial filing kit may follow this procedure: 1. Secure an upright or horizontal steel file or boxes for housing the information. 2. Secure an ample supply of manila folders. 3. Secure an ample sUPlllyof gummed labels. (Optional) 4. Using the classificatIon system above, set up the major divisions in separate compartments as 0-00.01 through 0-39.99 Professional Occupations. 5. On receiving the publication, read and examine it carefully. 6. Look up the occupation in the D. O. T. Volume I, and check to see if the description coincides with the description in the publication. 7. If so, copy the code number on the publication. 8. Type the code number and occupational title on the gummed label and place on the manila folder as: 0-01.20 ACCOUNTANT (General) 9. Place the publication in the manila file folder. 10. Place the folder in the file according to the code number. There are a number of commercially produced occupational information kits available from a number of the producers of information mentioned previously in this booklet. A brief description of these filing plans follows: CAREER INFORMATION KIT This career kit, produced by Science Research Associates, contains 199 indexed folders with occupational information included in each folder. The kit also contains a manual and guide on how to use the kit in career choice and job finding. Kit with metal file cabinet Kit in corrugated case $225.00 165.00 OCCUPATIONAL EXPLORATION KIT This kit, also produced by Science Research Associates, is very helpful in matching occupations with level of ability and interest of students. It is a very effective motivating instrument to use with students in career planning. Kit $75.00 20 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE CHRONICLE CAREER KIT This career kit, produced by Chronicle Guidance PUblications, is another file based on the D. O. T. classification. It contains approximately 300 re-inforced folders with printed job titles, 6 direction cards on how to use the kit, approximately 200 occupational briefs and 200 reprints of career articles, 10 jobservation posters, 10 occupation-subject posters, and 10 career adjustment posters. Kit with steel file $275.50 Kit with fibre file 140.00 OCCUPATIONS FILING PLAN AND BIBLIOGRAPHY This plan, by Wilma Bennett and produced by Sterling Powers Publishing Company, 748 South Paseo Street, Covina, California, is an alphabetical plan. It contains 829 gummed labels divided as follows. 270 Red labels for fields of work 501 Blue labels for cross references 58 Black labels for supplementary information. The labels plus the bibliography $10.00. DESK TOP KIT This kit, produced by Careers, contains 550 pieces of career materials, 150 index cards, metal containers, and 1 year's subscrip- tion to their guidance service, plus 28 posters and 16 career guidance indexes. Kit plus materials mentioned $82.50. The filing plans mentioned thus far in this section will be sufficient for filing a major portion of the occupational literature and some educational materials. In the guidance library, however, there will be books, directories, bulletins, pamphlets, posters, charts, film, film strips, and periodicals which should also be filed in an orga- nized way. To care for these in an orderly manner the following suggestions are made in order that they may be fully utilized: Books A professional library of guidance books for faculty use in the school's in-service programs and for individual professional improvement should become a part of every school's library. For convenience, these may be housed on book shelves in the faculty lounge or in a separate space in the library which affords some comfort for teachers to browse through the books of interest to them. There are many books. that are useful in helping students with their personal and social concerns. These may be placed in the file room or in the library for their use. It would be good if the books could be cataloged in the various areas of student concern. such as educational or academic, personal, social, economic, or occupational. DIRECTORIES Directories, as were mentioned previously in this booklet, should be placed in or near the school counselor's office in order that they will be readily accessible when work is being done with the students. Ordinarily, the library has these, but they are used primari- tHE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 21 ly in counseling situations, so they should be checked out by the counselor and kept in an accessible place for use. BULLETINS AND PAMPHLETS The bulletin box plan or shelf should be adequate for the organization of these materials. If these materials are housed in this way, they should be cataloged according to the areas used in the filing of books for students. The file room, where students have the opportunity of sitting and studying these materials at tables, would be an appropriate place for filing this type of informational literature. The college bulletins should be placed where the greatest use will accrue. If occupatonal-educational units are held at various grade levels, these b:.etins and/or catalogs should be placed on a mobile cart which may be moved from room to room and used by the students in these units. POSTERS AND CHARTS A majority of the commercial posters and charts may be folded in order to facilitate filing in manila folders. Some of the charts that are produced by members of the faculty and students may not be folded, and there is greater difficulty in filing and preserving these for future use. Since it is possible that much of these materials could be used from time to time, they should be preserved. It is recommended that the school look into the possibility of developing an instructional materials center. The center could be used for housing materials of this nature, tests and testing materials, and the audio-visual materials and equipment. A center such as described could be located in the library where adequate supervision could be given, particularly to restricted materials. FILMS AND FILMSTRIPS At the present time very few schools have their own films; however, some schools are gradually developing their own film library. A number of schools are accumulating a good library of filmstrips. In many of the states, schools may cooperate with the state department film library. The librarian, audio-visual or instructional materials coordinator in the school usually will handle the ordering and shipping of these films. For those schools who are accumulating their own film and filmstrip, it is recommended that they be housed in the instructional materials center with the charts and posters. Here the person in charge of the center could catalog the materials and be responsible for checking these out to the faculty and students. 22 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE PERIODICALS l'~ormally the librarian will receive and handle the periodical literature for the entire school. It is recommended, in orner to secure a wider reading of these journals throughout the faculty, that a "read and route" system be developed. This approach would enable the total faculty to keep abreast of what is happening in areas of their interest and gain a better understanding of related areas. At the end of the year these publications should be bound and kept for future reference. REFERRAL SOURCES Every school system should have available a file of information on sources that may be used in concerns of students which cannot be adequately met by the school. This information may be filed in a loose leaf notebook or in a card file for easy reference. A form for recording this information may be as follows: REFERRAL SOURCE Name Address Telephone Number Service: -- ----------------------------_ Fee _ FORM 5 DISSEMINATING THE INFORMATION The value of the informational materials is directly proportional to student use of the information. The problem of getting the accumlated information before the students in a way in which the~ will use it wisely is one of major concern. Schools involved in providing for this particular need of their students must approach this concern of disseminating information in an organized manner. Decisions in the dissemination of informational data to students revolve around the four questions of "how", "where", "when", and "by whom". The dissemination of information is a total school undertaking in which the total faculty assumes responsibility. Each teacher should THE INFORMATION SERVICE .. 23 emphasize the implications of the various types of information as it relates to their instructional areas. There is the possibility of some of the special clubs and organizations, such as the science, F F A, FHA, etc., providing the information peculiar to their interests. Some schools provide for the dissemination of information through their homeroom programs. Many schools rely on the counselor to take full responsibility for this task through the individual counseling sessions with students. There are other schools who depend on the "Days", college and career, to shoulder this responsibility. All of those plans are excellent; however, in the past the coordination has been weak in that there is too little preparation, too much duplication, and too little communication. If the information is to be provided in the regular classroom, occupations class, the homeroom, or through the special clu.s, it is evident that these teachers should approach this important project in an organized manner. The "Information File Room" and the "Instructional Mate rials Center" have been mentioned previously as facilities for housing the information. It was recommended that the school counselor and librarian be in charge of these facilities respectively. Perhaps these two, along with the remaining members of the guidance committee, could assume the responsibility of organizing and coordinating the dissemination of information in the school. The important objective is to get the essential information to the students in order that they may be assisted in the concerns they are experiencing. A number of the methods and techniques which may be used to make the information meaningful to the students will be discussed. It is recommended that a balance in the use of these methods and techniques be practiced in order to keep student interest high and also add spice to the activity. ASSEMBLY PROGRAM At the present time there seems to be a move away from hold- ing periodic assemblies in schools. Many schools, however, still have weekly or monthly assembly programs. This medium of disseminating information offers many opportunities. The real advantage of this approach rests in the fact that assembly programs reach more students. It is very probably, however, that follow-up discussions will have to be made in smaller groups to insure that all understood what took place and are not misinformed. Assemblies may be used to bring speakers before the student body to deliver a timely message of concern to all. A panel of experts in various fields dealing with educational, occupatIonal, social, or personal concerns would lend itself to this approach. Skits produced by various groups and designed to. convey information of interest to the total group could be presented III an assembly program. For example, job opportunities in the local com munity, job finding techniques, ~he value of school ~ubjects in r~la. tion to future occupations, plannmg for college, cheatmg on examma tions, studying effectively, personal gr~oming, fi~ancin~ a college education are only a few topical suggestIons for skIts WhICh may be of interest to the total student body. 24 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN BOARDS The guidance bulletin board can be of considerable value in disseminating pertinent information if used effectively or can become a morgue of informational materials if left to chance. Effectively used, like the show window of the merchant, a guidance bulletin board can attract business, sell goods, educate customers, and reflect the attitudes and thinking of those responsible for it. It is recommended that a separate bulletin board be provided exclusively for guidance purposes. In locating the guidance bulletin board to gain the greatest value from it, the board should be placed in a popular place in relation to student traffic, be well lighted, and colorful in that it attracts attention. To assist in carrying out these desired principles, a further recommendation is made to select a bulletin board committee of students to work with the counselor and librarian. This committee should be carefully selected from among those students who are ingenuous and those talented artistically. This body of students should seek suggestions from the student body in planning and preparing the various displays. The separate bulletin board for guidance purposes would possibly serve the greatest need if it were partitioned with the largest section (A shown below) being set aside for displays which would be changed frequently. A smaller section of the board could be used to post information on scholarships, job openings, training opportunities, and important dates such as College Entrance Examination Board schedule, etc. (B, C, D, E as shown below). The bulletin board may be sectioned as follows: GUIDANCE BULLETIN BOARD B C A I,-- I D E ---------------.;.------~--_._----.....: Figure 1 THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 25 On many occasions exhibits placed on a table below the bulletin board serve a useful purpose by helping the viewers to gain some tangible feeling from the information being displayed. An exhibit of the end products resulting from the theme being emphasized on the bulletin board display or tools used in any occupation would make the information more meaningful to students. In planning the schedule of bulletin board displays, the committee should work out a timely schedule of presenting information that attracts attention. The information section of the bulletin board should be changed frequently - probably every week or more often. Other principles of the bulletin board that should be kept in mind in gaining the greatest value from this technique of disseminating information is to select material for stimulation rather than providing complete information. The materials should be timely and up-to-date. It is important to use color for emphasis. The guidance bulletin board is normally employed as an attention getting or motivational device, pointing out alternatives or possibilities, and conveying pertinent information. When the pur- pose is to motivate and stimulate students to think and act, it is desirable to employ color and have an eye-catching theme. The following suggestion may stimulate students to start thinking about their future: ~ WHAT'S AHEAD? WHERE AM I GTT CONSIDER YOUR ABILITIES INTERESTS APTITUDES ACHIEVEMENTS PERSONALX'!'!' PlAN YOUR FUTURE GOALS II Y OUR C 0 U N S E LO R MAY ASS 1ST YOU FIGURE 2 26 . . . THE INFORMATION SERViCE In pointing out opportunities or alternatives for example, in the occupational area, a broad field may be mentioned and then a listing of the jobs that are related to the field. THE CAREER FACES OF MAnIEMATICS ACCOUNTANT STATISTICIAN TEACHER RESEARCHER ACTUARY CAREER DATA IN COUNSELOR'S OFFICE Figure 3 In using the board to convey pertinent information, it should be complete to the extent that it does not mislead the student. If it is not possible to include the complete details of the information, reference should be made as to where the additional data may be obtained. An example: MORE SCHOOLING MORE WAMPUM $435,000.00 COLLEGE GRADUATE $258,000.00 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE EXPECTED LIFETIME EARNINGS OF M\LES $182,000.00 ELEMENTARY GRADUATE .,~. Figure 4 There are many values which may be expected from the effective utilization of the guidance bulletin board. It should assist in: THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 27 1. A better understanding of the guidance activities by students and faculty. 2. Motivating students to seek additional information and counseling from the counselor and teachers. 3. Informing students authentically of factual data concerning various aspects of occupational information and educational opportunities. 4. Stimulating students to begin thinking seriously about their educational and vocational future. 5. Publicizing student accomplishments. 6. Keeping students abreast of important dates such as scholar- ship examinations, entrance tests, etc. 7. Promoting certain phases of the guidance program. 8. Stimulating students to utilize their time in school wisely. CAREER CONFERENCES This technique is widely used by schools throughout the country as a means of helping boys and girls to gain significant information about occupations in which they are tentatively planning to enter. A period of time, usually a day, is set aside in the regular school program where students meet with career consultants and discuss various facets of a particular occupation or occupations. Here, firsthand information of jobs is given to students by the career consultants and students are given a chance to ask pertinent questions about the occupation. Many guidance workers have come to the point in their thinking concerning career day, that one day is not sufficient time for such an important experience. Some schools have suggested that such experiences be offered over a period of time during the year. This could be ona weekly basis where certain occupational fields would be emphasized. Some of these schools also are scheduling the career conferences at night after school hours, and are well pleased with this approach. For one thing, this apnroach is more convenient for the career consultants as well as it offers students an opportunity to bring their parents. Another approach that has proven successful in a number of schools is to ask the consultant to bring alon!! any former students of the school who are employed in their establishment. These people may be used on panels to answer Questions posed by the students. In order for the career conference to serve a useful purpose, it is well to keep the following in mind: 1. The conference should be thought of as a part of the total school's ~idance program, not as an activity that stands alone. That is, it should be coordinated with or come as a culminating experience to some unit of instruction in the area of occupational understanding. This would, in all likelihood, insure student readiness for such an experience and result in greater values for them. 2. Adequate planning with the consultants is also imnortant in addition to the planning what is done with the students. Structuring to the point of giving to the consultants in outline form the kinds of information they should convey to the students is necessarv. This approach will elim"inate, to a degree, the propaganda and selling of 28 .. THE INFORMATION SERViCE an occupation as well as insuring that all salient information concerning the job will be included. The following procedural steps should be taken in planning and administering a career conference: 1. Sell the idea. The principal, counselors, and teachers who are responsible for the conference should acquaint the total faculty with the purpose of the career conference and their role in getting students ready for the experience. In addition to faculty involvement, parents can serve as a motivating force in this endeavor. The school could send a letter to the parents with a list of the possible occupations that would be discussed at the conference. They could be asked to discuss two or three of these occupations with their children in light of their future plans. The main goal is to stimulate the students to begin thinking seriously about their future. 2. Select the occupations to be discussed. The usual practice is to request each student to select, in order of preference, three occupations they are most interested in and would like to obtain firsthand information about. The occupation~; are then tabulated to determine the need for consultants on the basis of the number of students who are interested. The next step is to determine the availability of consultants in the selected occupations from the local community or region. In cases where occupations of interest to students are not represented and it would be impossible to obtain a consultant, other methods would have to be emp'loyed. In such cases there are films and filmstrips that may be avaIlable for use on the particular occupation. Personal correspondence with a person in the field may supplement the information that is available in the occupational file to the extent that an adequate coverage of the job can be made. 3. Invite the career consultants. It is good practice to let students do this insofar as is possible. Invitations should be extended well in advance of the conference with suggestions and instructions to the consultants. These suggestions may be formulated in working with the students as to the kinds of information they need about a job. The kinds of information would include such specifics as the nature of the work, conditions of work, requirements, training, supply and demand, opportunities for advancement, remunerations, advantages and disadvantages, and related occupations. 4. Set up conference schedule. The desired information comprising the master schedule should include the following for each group: A. Occupation B. Consultant's Name C. Room Number D. Faculty Sponsor E. Student Sponsor F. Time of Conference 5. Formulate the student's schedule. Each student participating in the conference should be provided with a schedule including the following information: A. Occupational Discussion Group to Attend B. Room Number C. Time of Conference THE INFORMATION SERVICE ... 29 6. Other detail duties prior to the conference. It is recommended that the student sponsor be the person to introduce the speaker and act as leader of the group. If it is the practice to hold as assembly prior to the conference for welcoming and introducing the consultants to the total group, this should be planned. It is possible to have a short speech, for example, on "Planning Wisely for the Future" or "Choosing an Occupation" and also to briefly review the program plans prior to having the small group discussions. 7. Evaluate the conference. In the past, career conferences have been criticized in many ways. It is felt that these critical blasts were made not because of the technique itself, but because of the lack of adequate planning, administration, and evaluation of the conference. To eliminate the criticisms and improve the effectiveness of this experience for students, the school should give ample thought to evaluation and follow-up. In order to gain a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the conferences plus suggestions for improving future confj:ences, the students, consultants, and faculty members should participate in the evaluation. Forms such as the following may be used in this endeavor: CAREER CONFERENCE EVALUATION FOR STUDENTS Yes No 1. Was the conference a valuable experience for you? 2. Did the consultants give specific information? 3. Was your thinking on your chosen occupation modified in any way as a result of the information you received? If so, in what way? . _ 4. As a result of the information you received, will your school program of work or your attitude to- ward school be influenced in any way? If yes, in what way? . _ 5. List any suggestions you have for improving future career conferences. . _ Signature ___ _ __ __ _ _ Grade __. . __. .__. . . .. _. _ FORM 6 30 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE CAREER CONFERENCE EVALUATION FOR CONSULTANTS 1. Was the conference well organized? Yes No 2. Were the students ready for the experience? 3. Were the students interested? 4. What, in your opinion, was the highlight of the conference? _ 5. Do you have suggestions for improving future conferences? _ Signature FORM 7 CAREER CONFERENCE EVALUATION FOR FACULTY SPONSOR Yes No 1. Did the consultant relate well with the students? 2. Were the students interested in the presentation? 3. Did the students participate in the questioning session? 4. Was the information authentic? 5. Was the information presented in an interesting manner? 6. List suggestions for improving future career conferences. --- Signature Group Number _ FORM 8 THE INFORMATION SERVICE 31 In summary, the school, and particularly the guidance workers, should seriously consider the importance of the career conference and the cost when considered from the standpoint of the consultant's time. It may be seen from this consideration that such an experience warrants the best efforts of the total school in planning and administering such a program. To build and maintain good relations with businesses and industries, the full cooperation and participation of the total school personnel in this endeavor must be encouraged. COLLEGE DAYS The public schools of today have a major responsibility for assisting students to select a career, to determine the availability of further educational training, to work out plans for this training, and to help them make this important step in their future educational training. To accomplish these goals, the college day is employed to get educational information to students and to parents concerning the students' educational future. Representatives from colleges and other schools are invited to discuss with students, and possibly parents, pertinent information about the offering of their institutions, thus enabling students to make wise choices in terms of future educational needs. The school counselor must maintain close contact with college admissions officials and not entirely depend on the college day for the needed information. If possible, a visit to college campuses should be made by school counselors to gain this firsthand informa tion. If this is not possible, the counselor should have individual conferences with college representatives on the day they visit the school. In helping the college bound student, the school counselor should have information on admissions policies, financial aid and scholarship information, entrance test requirements, deadline dates for applications, information on housing, college expenses, and social life on the campus. Many colleges are now preparing separate brochures with specific information about their institutions which are very helpful for counselors. At the present time in Georgia the individual school has very little to do in the way of organizing the college day since this activity is sponsored by the departments of the State Education Association. The host school makes the arrangements as far as administering the day's activity. The remaining suggestions are made for the organization and administration of a college day by an in dividual school, and these suggestions should also prove helpful for the host schools in administering the college day program. As with the career conference, the success of the college experience can be measured in terms of prior planning that has taken place. If planned carefully, a wealth of valuable information can be disseminated. Therefore, the following procedures are suggested: 1. Preparing for the Day. If possible, have an inspirational speaker to address those students who will have the opportunity to attend the college day activities. "Selecting a College" or some other motivational topic would be suitable for providing a readiness for this experience. This approach should serve as a supplement for the 32 . THE INFORMATION SERVICE prior activities that will be carried on by the school counselor and teachers in the school. An ample supply of college catalogs and literature should be made available to students through the library and counselor's office in order that some tentative choices may be made as to the type of college in which the students are interested. Emphasis concerning future educational decisions should be made through the use of bulletin board displays and exhibits. A survey of the colleges in which students are interested should be conducted to determine the colleges that should be represented. Since it is possibly advisable for students to look into a minimum of three colleges request them to list their first, second, and third choices of colleges. In order that the desired information may be secured, it is highly advisable to discuss and formulate a list of questions the students would like to have answered. Iilis pre-structuring of the college day conference will insure that the representatives will bring to the students authentic data. A surgested list of topics may be as follows: 1. Brief history of the institution 2. General information concerning the institution a. Public or private b. Geographical location c. Student population d. Physical facilities and equipment 3. Training offered a. Curriculum offered b. Degrees available 4. Campus life a. Organizations b. Activities, sports, etc. c. Living facilities 5. Methods of admission a. Entrance requirements b. Special examinations c. How and when to apply 6. Expenses a. Tuition b. Fees c. Living expenses 7. Student aid available a. Scholarships b. Loans c. Employment. 2. Planning for the College Day. In deciding on the time to schedule this conference, it would be well to give ample thought to a time when parents could attend. After considering the personnel who will attend college day or night, schedule the date and time. .The results of the student survey would serve as the base for THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 33 selecting colleges to send representatives. Include both large and small colleges in which the students are interested and write them in ample time requesting that they send a representative. When the school receives word that the college will be represented, send them the formulated list of questions you would like for them to answer and other pertinent data pertaining to the conference. Arranging for the physical facilities is in no way a menial task. To determine the number of sessions each representative will have, it will be necessary to have an accurate count of the students choices. After this has been completed, the number of rooms can be accurately determined. From this information, compile a master schedule which lists: room number, college, time, student sponsor, faculty sponsor. The student sponsor should act as guide for the college representative and introduce the person to the group. Each student should be provided with a schedule of the group meeting he will attend. This schedule would normally include the room number, college, and time. It is re~ommended that appropriate displays be provided on the bulletin boards throughout the school. A decorations committee or exhibits committee could be appointed to work with the college day committee in arranging for the displays. 3. The College Day Program. An assembly may be necessary to briefly discuss the plans of the program and welcome the partici pants. Possibly a short welcoming address by the superintendent of schools and a review of the plans by the principal or the chairman of the college day committee would suffice. Each student sponsor would then escort the college represen tatives to their rooms and introduce them to the group. The college representative should talk for a period of time and then conduct a question and answer period. This procedure would continue until the students had visited and discussed with the college representative their chosen colleges. 4. Follow-up and Evaluation. Letters of appreciation should be sent to the college representatives thanking them for their assistance and requesting their suggestions for improving future conferences. If forms for evaluations are present, similar to the ones recommended for the career conference, they should be sent to the representatives. These forms should be completed by students and faculty members. If forms are not available, there should be some plan to s:!et student and faculty reactions as well as suggestions for improving future conferences. In addition to encouraging students to continue studying the available information the school has in the guidance office or in the library, it may be possible to arrange for students to visit the college campuses. This activity is gaining in popularity and serves as an excellent orientation activity for students who have participated in the college day experience. FIELD TRIP The field trip is a planned excursion outside the classroom. 34 ... THE INFORMATION SERVICE Aside from the actual physical experience on the job, in the college, or wherever the situation, the field trip offers the next best opportunity for students to really get the feel of this possible next step. This is an experience in which the theoretical discussions and explanations of classroom instruction may be linked to the practical as it is happening in real life situations. The real value of the experience lies in the fact that the students' thinking, attitude, and understanding may be clarified and/or modified as a result of the field trip. This technique in the informational service is practiced at all levels in the school today, but with different purposes in mind. At the elementary school level the primary reason for resorting to the field trip is to acquaint the youngsters with what is going on about them and lead them to an appreciation of these things. The major purpose of this technique at the junior high school level is exploratory in nature in hopes that it will have a motivational effect on the students. It is also possible at this level that students may be evaluating some specific phase of what is being observed in relation to their future. The prime consideration of this experience for students at the high school level is to observe specifics of the real life situations and make comparisons of these with what they already know to see if these are in harmony with each other. In addition to fact finding, they are concerned with the verification of these facts. A field trip for the sake of a field trip cannot be expected to accomplish the desired results. In planning the field trip, a number of factors should be kept in mind if the greatest value is to accrue from this experience. 1. Adequate planning is necessary. The teacher and/or counselor should not plan an excursion unless thev have first vh;ited the establishment and are well informed on what is available to be observed. This is necessary in order for the trip to be meaningful in that it will be a learning experience for the students. . 2. The objectives of the trip should be clearly defined and un derstood bv the students. The purposes of taking the trip should be discussed thoroughly in order for the students to know specifically what to look for or ask about. If the trio is designed for gaining occlipational and/Or edu~ational informatIon, the information desired can more than likely be anticioated. Reviewing these points before the visit will decrease the possibility of pertinent information being overlooked. 3. Allot ample time for the visit so as not to be rushed. One of the major difficulties encountered in using this technique is that teachers and counselors do not work out an adequate time table with the business or industry. Too mu~h ground is covered in too little time. This points up the fact that the one in chan~e of the trip should work with the personnel in the establishment to correlate the time with the things to be seen. Frequently, the guide moves too rapidly through the tour and if the group is large many do not hear the explanations. Students Should be warned about this and enl"ouraged to keep up with the group. Possibly one should be given the job of rear guard to keep the group compact. In this way they would be in on the THE INFORMATION SERVICE! . . . 35 explanations and not miss out on the basic information that is given by the guide. 4. Evaluate the trip. On returning to the school, a follow-up discussion should be held to bring about a thorough understanding of what was attained. This discussion should follow the objectives which were formulated prior to the trip. Such an evaluation offers an opportunity to clear up any points on which students maybe misinformed and supplement the information that was gained. This technique can be of immeasurable value in disseminating information to students, particularly in the occupational and educational area. At any level, the purpose must be clearly defined, adequate plans developed, ground to be covered limited, and follow-up made in order for field trips to be effective. FILMS AND FILMSTRIPS In education, as in other walks of life, it is impossible to make provision for first-hand experiences. Much of the experiences must be second-handed. Films and filmstrips are being used more and more as disseminators of information in the school setting. One of the major advantages of these media over some of the other practices that have been mentioned is that of creating immediate interest. Another advantage of the film and filmstrip is the possibility of bringing to the classroom a vivid presentation that is entirely remote geographically. For example, a student may be interested in an occupation that is not represented in his section of the country. It would be possible for him to gain a wealth of information through the use of films describing this occupation. These media will fit into the scheme of the Instructional unit at almost any stage. They may be used in the very early stages of an instructional unit to motivate or set the stage for what is to follow. At any stage during the unit they may be used to impart information. They also fit into the picture in the summing up phase of the unit to review what has been done. In the areas of student concerns, which were mentioned earlier in this booklet, there are films and filmstrips available. Georgia is fortunate in having one of the largest film libraries in the world. A review of their catalog will reveal many film listings in the occupational, educational, social, personal, and financial areas which will correlate with the various group guidance units that are a part of the instructional program. Films and filmstrips can very easily result in an entertaining device if not properly used. Wise use of these techniques will result in the user first previewing it to determine its suitability. A discussion of why the film or filmstrip is being used and what to expect from it should precede the showing to the group. Immediately after seeing the presentation it should be discussed and plans for further activities outlined. Used with discretion, these techniques can serve a very useful purpose in supplementing and complimenting other techniques in the dissemination of information. 36 . .. THE INFORMATION SERViCE HOBBY AND INTEREST CLUBS In practically all schools today there are many clubs and organizations. A great majority of the students are associated with these groups. In many of these clubs there are guidance-minded teachers who sponsor these organizations. Since a majority of these clubs are autonomous, it permits a wide variety of activities not common to the activities experienced in the regular classroom. Many guidance activities are possible through these groups. A guidance-minded sponsor could encourage the adoption of projects through which the members could gain much information concerning the educational and vocational relationships to the interest area. Many hobby and interest clubs would lend themselves to the dissemination of occupational and educational information. Group discussions could be held in which actual practitioners could act as the leader or anchor person. Suggested readings could be encouraged which would widen the members' understanding of the total field. It would be possible to bring in leaders in the area as visiting speakers to convey pertinent ideas to the members of the group. Visual aids, such as film or filmstrip, could be pointed out to the group with the encouragement of utilizing these aids to gain a fuller understanding in the total field of art, science, distributive education, future teacher, dramatics, or whatever club it may be. Using these hobby and interest clubs as a means of disseminating pertinent information offers a unique opportunity for guidance workers in the school to perform a useful service for students. LIBRARIAN AND LIBRARY The librarian is a key figure in the guidance program, particularly in the informational service area. By working closely with this person, materials could be cared for and displayed attractiveiy where students would be likely to observe and study the information included in these materials. In some schools the bulk of the information for guidance purposes is housed in the library. In such situations, the school counselor should work very closely with the librarian in gathering, organizing, and providing these materials for student use. In schools fortunate enough to have an informational room where guidance materials are kept, there must also be a close working relationship between the librarian and the school counselor. The librarian should be encouraged to assist in the accumulation of the materials since she will receive many of the announcements of the new materials. The background of training possessed by the librarian places her in an opportune position of being able to present the mformation in a pleasing and meaningful manner. Her ideas and knowledge of the guidance informational service must be capped and utilized for the welfare of the students. Some schools have or are in the process of developing a materials center. This is highly recommended for housing instructional and guidance materials in an organized manner so as to be THE INFORMATION SERVICE 37 readily accessible for total school use. Usually this is a cooperative endeavor centered around the librarian. In addition to the faculty cooperation and participation in organizing and maintaining the ma terials center, students may be encouraged in helping to make it a total school materials center. Through providing the center with materials which were prepared as an assignment for future use by others and assisting as the librarian's helper in maintaining the center are ways in which students may help. School counselors should remember that the librarian can be a valuable asset to the total guidance program and particularly in the informational service. Get her on the team. NEWS MEDIA The school's guidance program cannot afford not to use the many opportunities the news media offers to tell the guidance story. Three separate opportunities will be mentioned which are available for guidance workers to use in disseminating information. These are the school paper, the local newspaper, and the guidance newsletter. A. The School Paper The school paper is an excellent medium through which students may receive a wealth of information. In addition to the special events which are normally reported in the form of announcements, the school paper affords ample opportunities for informing students of the nature of the total guidance programs. Timely articles in the paper dealing with the trends, outlook, and opportunities in the world of work would be of real value to students who are presently engaged in seriously planning their future. In like manner, various topics of pertinent interest dealing with educational information would lend itself to the medium. It is highly recommended that the school counselor secure permission from the editors of the school paper to have a section in each issue for guidance news. This could be known as the "Guidance Corner" or "From the Counselor's Desk" or some other caption that identifies the source of the information. This approach has met with much favorable comment from students, and counselors have noticed that it results in a better informed student body. Another practice which has met with a great deal of success in the area of orientation is to dedicate one or two issues of the school paper to new students. This practice could be correlated with the other orientation activities taking place, such as the visitation programs, etc. The major purpose of these issues would be to inform new students of the life in high school - helping them to find their place and assist in their adjustment in this new setting. B. LOCAL NEWSPAPER The communications gap between the home and the school is still too wide. The concerted effort that has been made in organized guidance programs in the past few years has widened this gap in the home's understanding of the guidance activities and the role 38 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE of the school counselor. Articles describing the nature and functions of the guidance services and activities should aid in bringing about a better understanding on the part of the parents and community. The role of school personnel in carrying out these functions would also be of great benefit in attaining this goal. Many of the special events would be of interest to parents, and the local paper would be of value in the communication process. Such events as the career and college experiences, in which many parents would be intensely interested, would lend themselves to this medium. Although parents may not be too interested in much of the total occupational information the school receives, certain bits of this information may serve a useful purpose in the hands of the parents and should be included. An informed citizenry will likely lend support in many ways to the school and this is better made possible through effective use of the local paper. C. GUIDANCE NEWSLETTER Keeping the school faculty informed of the services and activities of the guidance program is made possible through the use of a periodic newsletter. In addition to having the guidance newsletter for teacher distribution only, it is possible to gear it to serve a larger public by publishing news of interest to students and parents. In larger schools this approach is particularly useful in communicat ing pertinent information. The newsletter could be printed and mimeographed on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper. When folded this would be a four page newsletter with the capacity of approximately 2,000 words. The cost of such a publication would not be prohibitive. If the guidance newsletter is restricted for faculty distribution only, the content may include such things as: 1. A philosophy of guidance at Podunk High School 2. Action of the guidance committee 3. Services of an organized program of guidance 4. Functions of the services of guidance 5. Roles of school personnel in guidance 6. Referral agencies in the school community 7. Why we have a testing program 8. Using test results 9. Interpretation of tests to students 10. The guidance bulletin board 11. Using the results of guidance techniques 12. Evaluation of guidance 13. Special articles on many aspects of the school such as: a. Motivation b. Research reports c. Abstracts of interesting articles 14. Occupational implications of various subject areas THE INFORMATION SERVICI! . . . 39 15. School records and guidance 16. You list the others. If the newsletter distribution includes students and parents plus teachers the content may include: 1. Educational and vocational goals 2. Work habits in school 3. Study habits 4. ~,"'hool-Community relations in education 5. Importance of school subjects 6. Grades and their importance 7. School regulations and policies 8. Social manners and etiquette 9. How to land that job? 10. Loans and scholarships 11. College costs 12. Work permits - Labor laws 13. Should I go to college? 14. Job satisfaction 15. ways to be fired or not promoted 16. Total family planning 17. Parent concern for school life of youngster 18. Military obligations 19. Jokes and quotes 20. You list the others. All three approaches described above offer many opportunities for using visual symbols, charts, and graphs in vividly reporting pertinent information to all concerned. Using the three types of news media mentioned as supplementary approaches to disseminating information will help tremendously in telling the guidance story. PANEL DISCUSSIONS This practice of disseminating information takes many forms. For instance, in an occupation unit the students may select a number of jobs of common interest to all. Invite people now on the job as a panel to be questioned by the students. Also, it is possible to ask each panel member to give a short talk on some phase of the job after which students may question the total panel. Another practice which may prove to be a valuable experience for the group is carried on by the students. Each student selects an occupation and makes a thorough study of it from reviewing the available literature and talking to people in the field. A brief summary of the job is given and the remainder of the students question the panelists. Other areas of student concern could be handled through the use of panel discussions. Common problems in the social, educa- 40 . THE INFORMATION SERVICE tional, personal, and financial area lend themselves to a similar treatment as was described for the occupational concerns. When students are used as panel members, adequate planning and preparation should precede the actual panel discussion. Also, in this approach, the teacher or counselor has to be alert and not permit misinformation to go unchallenged. RADIO AND TELEVISION Radio and television as teaching media are still in the stage of infancy. As techniques for disseminating pertinent guidance information, these media have not yet scratched the surface in comparison to their potential. During the next few years many opportunities will be available for guidance workers to effectively use radio and television in their on-going guidance program. Radio and television should not be thought of as a replacement of the very human relationship of the classroom instructional program, but as a supplemental approach to dealing with group, as well as individual, concerns in many areas. Not only will these techniques be of assistance in helping students to make adjustments occupationally, but they will be invaluable in adjustments in the social, personal, educational, and financial areas as well. Following are a few suggested topics which may be considered in using these techniques: 1. Educational Concerns a. Good Study Habits b. Who Shall Go To College? c. Why Stay in School d. A Good Start in School 2. Occupational Concerns a. My Future b. The World of Work c. Qualities of Workers in Various Fields d. Getting the Right Job 3. Personal and Social Concerns a. Getting Along with Others b. Growing Up c. Etiquette in Everyday Living d. Knowing Self 4. Financial Concerns a. Scholarships and Loans b. College Costs c. Part-time Jobs d. Life-time Earning in Relation to Education These are a few of the topical programs which may be effectively used in school situations to enrich and further the work that is normally done in school situations. The present thinking, planning, and preparation of school THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 41 counselors and other school personnel will insure that these approaches, as aids in the guidance of school youth, will be ushered into reality with a minimum of confusion and difficulty. SOCIODRAMA The sociodrama as a technique for gathering pertinent information and helping the counselor or teacher to gain a deeper understanding of the students' feelings was discussed in another booklet in this series. As a technique for disseminating information, the sociodrama can be equally valuable. In the area of occupational concerns, high school students experience many tangible difficulties. Through the use of a dramatic situation, the counselor or teacher is enabled to get at the reasons behind the student's choice of a life's work. They are also able to ascertain whether adequate information has been gathered by the student on his chosen occupation. In this area of concern, sociodrama is equally effective as a technique of disseminating information from selection of the occupation to applying for the job. The sociodrama may lend itself well to many areas of concern. Some suggested topics that could be enacted in these areas are: 1. Educational Concerns a. Why Take a Certain Course b. The Importance of Grades c. Studying Effectively d. Should I Go to College? e. Selecting the College f. Dropping out of School 2. Social Concerns a. Dating during the Week b. Picking up a Date c. How to Act on a Date d. Etiquette at a Dinner e. Getting along with School-Mates f. You name the others 3. Personal Concerns a. The Effects of Alcohol b. Budgeting c. Allowances d. Early Marriages e. Healthy Living f. Use of Leisure Time 4. Financial Concerns a. Work or School b. Part-Time Work 42 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE c. Financing a College Education d. Scholarships and Loans e. Working One's Way through College f. The Value of Education The sociodrama is a technique of disseminating pertinent information which may be used penodically in the school. It will add spice in the procedure of getting information as well as helping students to get a feel of real down-to-earth practical situations that are and will be faced in life. UNITS OF INSTRUCTION Many schools are now offering organized units of instruction that are aesigned to motivate and brmg to students authentic information which will assist them now and in the future. These units of instruction are offered throughout the school and in many instructional areas. The majority of the units offered as a defmite part of the instructional program are usually found in the social studies or EnglIsh curriculum. They are also offered in other areas. There should be a coordinated approach wherever they are offered to eliminate duplication and to more effectively use the competencies of the school staff. The grade level at which these units should be offered will vary, depending on the unit and the purposes to be attained. Educators now have information available to enable them to place meaningful experiences at about the time a large number of students will need and want to deal with particular topics. This point will be dealt with fully in the booklet on group guidance which will be forthcoming. The remainder of this sectIOn will be devoted to an organized occupational-educational unit which may be used at the junior and senior high school level. Although occupational and educational information will be disseminated to students throughout their school experience, it is recommended that this unit be offered twice in an organized manner. It is felt by offering the unit the latter part of the junior hi2:h school and again the latter stages of the senior high school, students will profit immeasurably. During the latter part of the junior high school, students must make some realistic choices concerning the educational program that they are to follow in high school. Their thinking about their future occupational plans and the educational program that should be followed in preparation of a life's work will be enhanced through such a unit of work at this level. At this level the unit may be organized to attain the following four objectives: 1. To orient students to the high school course offerings, 2. To assist students in understanding their personal charac- teristics, 3. To orient students to the world of work, THE INFORMATION SERViCE . .. 43 4. To use this information in planning their educational program for senior high schools. To attain the objectives, the suggested outline of activities may be of assistance to those staff members who are charged with this responsibility. AN EDUCATIONALOCCUPATIONAL UNIT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL A. COURSE OFFERING ORIENTATION 1. Overall look at the various curricula a. Requirements in each curriculum 2. Examine course content a. Nature of each course b. Level of difficulty of the various courses 3. Characteristics of successful students a. Desirable abilities of successful students b. Achievements of successful students c. Special aptitudes of successful students d. Study patterns of successful students 4. Where does the course lead? a. To the job b. Further occupational training c. Further educational training B. UNDERSTANDING MYSELF 1. Accumulate pertinent information through use of various techniques a. My abilities b. My interests c. My achievements d. My special talents e. My personality f. My health 2. Organize this information in individual folders a. Profile sheet for test information b. Self-report documents 3. Study the information a. As instructor discusses Joe Doe cases, follow and relate self to cases where information is similar b. Schedule individual conferences with teachers and counselor for personal interpretation of data C. WORLD OF WORK 1. Analysis of workers in the various occupations a. Bureau of labor breakdown b. Occupations represented in the immediate community c. Occupations represented in the state d. Occupations represented in the region 44 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE 2. Study a field of occupations a. Select an occupational field as science, clerical, etc. b. Determine the specific jobs in this field c. Determine the general requirements necessary to enter this occupational field 3. Select a number of jobs from this field a. Make a study of these jobs b. If possible, observe practitioners at work in these jobs c. Prepare a paper on findings D. PLAN HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM 1. 'I entatively map out senior high program of work a. In light of tentative future goals, select course of work that most nearly correlates with the future plans 2. Discuss program of work with teachers, counselor, and parents a. Modify if necessary h. Have it approved 3. Determine any possible difficulties which may be encountered a. Look at self in relation to course of work 4. Formulate program (remedial) to alleviate any weakness that is found a. Individual conferences with teachers and counselors FORM 9 In a nutshell, these are some suggested activities that may be carried on at this level. No mention was made of any instructional materials to administer such a unit. A survey of the materials listed earlier in this publication should enable one to select ample books, booklets, occupatIOnal materials, films, filmstrips, etc., to effectively carryon this unit. It is suggested that the school prepare materials suitable for students to use in the first objective of this unit, "Course Offering Orientation." As can be seen, the unit at this level is more or less exploratory in nature. This is as it should oe in order to assist those students who have made no future plans, as well as those who have definite ideas as to their future. It is possible during an exploratory unit to motivate those students who have not thought too much about tomorrow. For those who have made definite plans, the unit, as a result of the information gained, may help in clarifying or even modifying present goals. In both cases it would seem that the greater the understanding, the greater the utilization of this understanding in future endeavors. During the latter stages of the senior high school, preferably along toward the end of the eleventh grade, a similar but somewhat more concentrated unit in educational and occupational planning is recommended. At this point the student should be seriously thinking about his future. For those planning to enter the labor market, the time is pressing when a realistic choice must be made. For those THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. 45 who plan further education, a well thought through decision is at hand. In both cases, many final decisions will be made and many students will follow through to realization of these decisions. Others will change the decisions they made at this time due to many factors. Nevertheless, a well-organized unit will stand them in good stead in facing their future aware of many possible eventualities in the educational and vocational world. The major objectives of such a unit could be: 1. To accumulate, study, understand, and use factual information about self; 2. To gather, study, understand, and use factual information about one's chosen occupation; 3. To compare the qualities of self with the requirements of the occupation to determine how well one fits; 4. To make plans and formulate a program for realizing these. In preparing for such a unit, it would of necessity place quite a load of responsibility on the shoulders of those charged with this task. In offering some suggestions and activities which may be of assistance in making these experiences meaningful and interesting for students, the following are proposed: first, the title proposed for the unit is "Operation Preparation" and the following activities are suggested: OPERATION PREPARATION AN OCCUPATIONALEDUCATIONAL UNIT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL A. INTRODUCING THE UNIT (Sub Unit No.1) 1. Discuss the objectives of the unit and the reasons for such a unit in their program. a. Possibility - Invite business leader and/or collegll admissions person to discuss the need for planning. 2. Review the world of work. a. The current "Occupational Outlook Handbook" and the latest materials from the Department of Labor, plus other related information from other sources should be on hand. 1. Use bulletin board and other techniques to present this imI rtant data to students. 3. Review the available training opportunities. a. Materials from colleges, trade, and vocational-technical schools should be assembled for student use. 1. Use effective techniques in getting information to students. 46 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE 4. Discuss the importance and necessity of making the next step (occupationally and educationally.) 5. Lead students to make a choice of their future occupation or the field in which they are most interested at the present time. a. A bulletin board display of these choices could serve to promote interest. Have students to secure a small snapshot and paste this on a card with their name and occupational choicp. An example of this is shown in the next figure. FIGURE 5 6. Have students to start an occupational-educational notebook. a. Artk~(s and illustrations from newspapers and magazines relating to i he student's chosen occupation and dealing with training and trai 'ing opportunities may be included in the notebook. Instructional Materials Need: In addition to the materials previously mentioned, there are films and filmstrips which may be of assistance in introducing the unit. Booklets, brochures, books, pamphlets, and other materials should be assembled and made readily accessible to students. B. SELF UNDERSTANDING (Sub Unit No.2) 1. Discussion of this sub.unit with students. a. What is self understanding? THE INFORMATION SERVICE . . . 47 1. The importance of knowing self. b. What information is needed to better understand self? 1. A bulletin board display such as the one below may be of help in keeping in the forefront the major points to be remembered by students in this sub-unit. FIGURE 6 c. How may this information be accumulated? 1. The above bulletin board lists a number of the discovery techniques. 2. Accumulation of the Information. a. Each student should be issued a folder in which he will keep the accumulated information. The folder should be kept by the teacher and passed out only when students are using it. b. Have students complete prepared personal history questionnaire and place in folder. If this has been done previously have them bring it up to date. c. Have students write a structured autobiography. If in their regular cumulative folder there is a recent one, have them make any revisions necessary and place in folder. 48 . THE INFORMATIQN SERVICE d. Discuss interests and the importance of interests in relation to future endeavors. 1. Administer an interest inventory. (Note: If recent results of tests are available, use them. If not, follow the steps as outlined when applicable.) 2. Score and record these results on individual profile sheet. Students can do this with the interest inventory. 3. Using Joe Doe cases, discuss the results while students follow the interpretations and make application to their own results. e. Follow the same procedure in the administration of ability, achievement, and aptitude tests and a personality inventory. The person in charge of the unit can decide whether it is wise to have students score their own tests. f. Have students to study carefully the accumulated information as a whole. 1. Use Joe Doe cases in interpreting the information in the group while students make application in understanding themselves. Using a variety of results, interpret these in light of a concern Joe Doe is experiencing. For example, one Joe Doe could be a below average student, one above average, and one high average with different interest and personality patterns. Hypothetical concerns could then be posed and the data interpreted in relation to these. Students could then ask questions which would throw additional light on the pro. blem, thereby, helping the group in relating their own scores to real concerns. Many questions would possibly be too personalfor group interpretation; therefore, provisions should be made for individual counseling sessions in which students would have the opportunity of discussing these privately with the counselor or teacher. Instructional Materials Needed: Filmstrips are available on many of the areas of testing which would be invaluable in introducing each area. There are many books, booklets, etc., which would be helpful in making this sub-unit interesting and meaningful to students. If possible, have available reference materials relating specifically to the areas of testing and have students prepare reports on each area as a basis for discussion. Terms appropriate to each area of testing plus the uses of the test results may be emphasized here. C. OCCUPATIONAL UNDERSTANDING (Sub-Unit No.3) 1. Introduce the unit by discussing: a. The importance of knowing the job. b. What information does one need to know about an occupation? 1. Using a bulletin board display similar to the one following may encourage students to do the research necessary for understanding the job. THE INFORMATION SERVICE . . . 49 FIGURE 7 c. Where may the information be secured'? 1. This information is also included on the bulletin board so that students may know the sources in the school and the community to tap for the needed data. 2. Orient students to the school facilities and the community resources. a. Visit the occupational and educational file room in the school and demonstrate to the students the proper way to use the career kits, etc. b. Tour the library to ascertain the availability of materials on occupations. c. Point out the community resources that will be available and how these may be used individually and the ways they will be used in group activities, such as field trips, which will be made to businesses and industries. 3. Assign student projects. a. Each student is required to make a thorough study of his occupational selection, including the following information: 1. Nature of work 2. Working conditions 3. Supply and demand 4. Trends 50 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE 5. Qualifications 6. Preparations 7. Requirements 8. Methods of entering 9. Advancement possibilities 10. Geographical location 11. Remunerations 12. Related occupations b. Discuss each of the twelve points, making certain that students fully understand each. 4. Coordinate the job study with the career day experience. a. In addition to utilizing the printed information that is available in the school, firsthand information from career consultants would add to the effectiveness of this sub-unit. If this approach is possible, it would be wise to set up the career activities during the time the students are working on this project. Instructional Materials Needed: There are some films and filmstrips appropriate for this sub-unit. Other materials should include a career information kit, the Occupational Outlook Handbook, Handbook of Job Facts, and other materials of an occupational nature. D. REALISTIC CHOICE (Sub-Unit No.4) 1. Discuss with students the importance of comparing their personal qualities with the requirements of the job to determine their fitness for this work. The following bulletin board may be used: FIGUrt'E i THE INFORMATION SERVICE . .. Sl a. Use the balance sheet aproach to assist students in making this comparison. Also, get them to carefully consider the personal advantages and disadvantages of the career they have chosen. b. Make provisions for individual counseling to assist students in this endeavor. 2. Plan the next step. a. Through group and individual conferences, encourage students to map out their plans for attaining the goals they have set for themselves. 3. Assist students in carrying out their plans. a. Discuss job application techniques with the group. 1. How to conduct self during interview. 2. How to dress for the interview. 3. Use sociodrama in helping students to develop skills in applying for a job. b. Assist those students who plan to seek additional educational training in 1. Making application, 2. Applying for scholarships, 3. Completing the requirements for entrance (taking the examinations, sending in transcripts, etc.). 4. Work experience activities. a. As a culminating activity in this part of the unit, set up a day when students will have actual on-the-job experience. b. Contact businesses and industries and seek their cooperation in this activity. c. Set aside one day when students will carry out this art: ;fy. d. Let students apply for the jobs themselves. e. Prepare necessary forms for evaluating the day on-the-job for both the employer and the employee. FORM 10 To be effective, a unit such as the one just outlined would require adequate preparation on the part of those responsible for its administration. The time involved for the administration of the unit would be determined in part by the amount of information already present in the student's cumulative folder. From twenty to forty hours for the junior high school unit and from forty to sixty hours for the senior high school unit should be ample. Much of the work involved in the occupational understanding section of both units would be out-of-class activities. The potential results which would normally accrue in terms of future student adjustment would far outweigh the time spent in carrying out these units. 52 . . . THE INFORMATION SERVICE SUMMARY Assisting the student in making realistic choices and decisions as he plans now and for the future is a res.l?0nsibility of primary concern to the pUblic schools. Through the mformational service, in the program of organized guidance services, provisions are being made in varying degrees to have up-to-date information available and accessible for students to use in planning now and for the future. In the future, school will have to assume a greater responsibility in helping students to be aware of the changes that. are taking place in our dynamic society and aid them in the necessary adjustments that are prevalent in order that they may take their proper places in this society. The information included in this booklet should be of assistance to counselors and others in knowing where to obtain pertinent information, organizing the information in such a way as to be readily accessible for use, and making sure that the information is being used by students. BIBLIOGRAPHY Occupational Research Division, National Vocational Guidance As~ociation. "Standards for Use in Preparing and Evaluating Occupational Literature". Occupations, The Vocational Guidance Journal, XXVIII (February, 1950). PP. 319-324. THe INFORMATION SERVICE . 53 REFERENCES Baer, M. T. and E. C. Roeber, Occupational Information - Its Nature and Use. Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1951. 495 p. Forrester, Gertrude, Methods of Vocational Guidance. Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1954.467 p. Greenleaf, Walter J., Occupations and Careers. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1955. 580 p. Hoppock, Robert, Occupational Information. New York: McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1957. 534 p. Mahoney, Harold J., Occupational Information for Counselors. New York: World Book Company, 1952. 70 p. Myers, George E., Principles and Techniques of Vocational Guidance. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1941.377 p. Norris, Willa, F. R. Zeran and Raymond Hatch, The Informational Service in Guidance. Chicago: Rand McNally and Company, 1960. 598 p. Robinson, Francis J., Effective Study. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961. 297 p. Rood, Allan, Job Strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961. 281 p. Sanderson, Hebert, Basic Concepts in Vocational Guidance. New York~ McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1954. 338 p. Shartle, C. L., Occupational Information. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall Book Company, 1954. 338 p. Smith, Leonard J., Career Planning. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1959. 263p. Super, Donald E., Appraising Vocational Fitness. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1957. 727 p. ____________________________, The Psychology of Careers. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1957.352 p. Thomas, Lawrence G., The Occupational Structure and Education. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall Book Company, 1956. 502 p. S4 . THE INFORMATION SERVICE . . ....... .. ........:: .. ~o I I DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION COUNSELING 1 TESTING SERVICES