Experience--is it the chicken or the egg?

Experience--is it the chicken or the egg? WE LIVE IN CHALLENGING TIMES--particularly for young people tryingto enter the job market. Many find themselves in a Catch-22; they cannotget a job without "experience" and they cannot get experiencewithout a job. What is a solution to this age-old dilemma? What are you,the teacher, to do? In the early part of the 20th century and beyond,Prosser's 16 theorems guided our work (Prosser and Allen, 1925).But they may not be enough for our students and us today. If your students were born in the 1990s, they can expect to beactive in careers beyond 2060. But they have to get the first job to geton the career ladder. Many young people in the 19th century faced thesame dilemma and began their career as apprentices, first assisting amentor craftsman and then gradually performing the tasks until theydemonstrated the necessary level of skill. The pay was low and the hourswere long but it was a way to get a foot on the first rung of the careerladder. The world of work has morphed from an era of apprentices into a21st century interdependent business chain that depends upon land, laborand capital plus technology, leadership and continuous learning--humancapital--to survive in a rapidly changing, global environment. Americaneducation in Adam Smith's era began as a part of contextualizedpublic education--reading, writing and arithmetic--but science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) had overlaid the"3-Rs" by the late 20th century. Vocational education reformedwith the passage of the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act (1917)through Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.Vocational education emerged in the mid-1950s with a fusion ofscience-based practices, supervised occupational experience, andleadership development. Enrollment in vocational, technical and careereducation grew at increasing rates until the mid 1980s. There have beendecrease-increase enrollment cycles over the past 30 years with totalschool enrollment at an all-time high today. Career and Technical Education's Role Today The present functions of education embrace the cardinal principlesof education (Bureau of Education, 1918) and include personal growth,knowledge, citizenship, careers, ethics and productive use of time. Thedesign of career and technical education (CTE) programs incorporatesthree forms of practice: formal classroom and laboratory; informalsupervised experience; and relational leadership skills. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The program philosophy embraces the axiom, "learning todo--doing to learn--earning to live--living to serve." Another setof principles or descriptors for today's programs says that theprograms must reflect rigor, relevance and relationships. It is easy toattach rigor to the classroom and laboratory instruction, relevance tothe informal out-of-class experiences of our students, and relationshipsto the youth development organizations available to our students. Inreality, however, all three components of the program should havecharacteristics and components that imbue rigor, relevance andrelationships. Forecasting Trends Like a map that connects theory to practice, Shulman (2002)described a framework for learning that includes six elements: (1)engagement and motivation, (2) knowledge and understanding, (3)performance and action, (4) reflection and critique, (5) judgment anddesign, and (6) commitment and identity. This dynamic mix describeseducation. Shulman (2002) noted, "We often talk about our work asattempts to provide mirrors and lenses that can assist others to pause,reflect and see their work differently as they move into a next stage ofactivity." Thus, one step in the solution of the dilemmaintegrating classroom, laboratory, leadership and experiential learninginto a sequenced framework. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As rapid changes occur in the emerging knowledge society thatFriedman (2005) called "Globalization 3.0," there is a need tobalance fundamental and powerful principles with the new knowledge base.CTE provides an environment to achieve such a synergistic balancebetween best theory and best practice. If it is Good for the Gosling, is it Also Good for the Goose? As teachers, we want the best for our students--knowing that"best" means different things for different students. However,the last thing we want is more things on our plate. So, how can weleverage the four stepping-stones of a student's career pathwayinto a single, manageable program and still have a life? Remember Shulman's (2007) six elements to learning? Goodclassroom and laboratory instruction is the foundation stone for studentand teacher success. It leads to knowledge and understanding (element2). Student engagement leads to intrinsic motivation (element 1) thatconnects to meaningful experience. As a teacher, if you can accomplishthat, life is good. A sequenced growth plan of supervised experienceoutside the classroom and laboratory connects the lesson with thework--element 3, performance and action. As a part of graded class work,students can begin with an early shadowing interview with a craftsmanmuch like Adam Smith's mentor-apprentice. As these experiences are completed, you as the teacher must helpstudents to pause for a moment in their activities so that they canreflect on those activities and analyze them (element 4) so that theybecome true learning experiences. These initial experiences can evolveinto a formal placement agreement allowing the student to acquire bonafide experiences that count in the workplace. Also, students exercisejudgment and create designs (element 5) as they engage in deeper andmore meaningful experiences with more responsibility, critical thinkingand decision-making requirements. Some students will expand theirresponsibilities and take on entrepreneurial jobs that lead to money forfurther education or for their own business. Some may pursue researchand experimentation. This leads to and demonstrates commitment andidentity (element 6). Employers are looking for employees with solid personal traits aswell as technical knowledge and skills. Leadership skills--problemsolving, personal ethics, time management, interpersonal skills, andorganizational skills--are needed for success in today's economy.Our youth CTE organizations--DECA, FBLA, FC-CLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA,TSA--provide opportunities for leadership development, service learningand career exploration. More work for you? Yes, but as an"adviser-manager," you will find a wealth of communityvolunteers who will assist you and your students in activities. A Changing World We live in a changing world that sometimes, like the transformationof seasons, seduces us into summer complacency. Yet, when confrontedwith rapid change, enduring principles of nature and nurture remain.Increasingly, CTE is recognized as a critical element for personalsuccess and well-being. At the same time, education is being morphedfrom group to individual learning experiences. Technology will play anincreasing role in work and education. Collectively, we understand andvalue practice as a means of improving performance and the need for asequential experience that builds from engagement to commitment andidentity. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Our knowledge base is growing exponentially. Drucker (2003) coinedthe term knowledge worker in 1959; today knowledge workers outnumber allother types of workers in America by a four to one margin. Henderson(2005) forecasted, "Knowledge has become the new premium fuel foreconomic growth in the 21st century" (p. 1). The future of thefusion of knowledge, experience and career development is bright if wecan leverage the three functions--formal classroom and laboratory;informal supervised experiences; and relational leadership. The threefunctions allow and even ensure rigor, relevance and relationships.There is a community of willing boosters that are interested in yourstudents' success. References Bureau of Education. (1918). "Cardinal Principles of SecondaryEducation: A Report of the Commission on the Reorganization of SecondaryEducation." Bulletin No. 35. Washington, D.C.: United StatesGovernmen Printing Office. Retrieved April 2, 2009, fromhttp://tmh.floonet.net/articles/cardprin.html. Carlile, P. R., & Christensen, C. M. (2005). "The Cyclesof Theory Building in Management Research." A working paper.Retrieved April 2, 2009, fromwww.innosight.com/documents/Theory%20Building.pdf. Dewey, J. (1938, 1997). Experience and Education. New York:Macmillan. Drucker, P. F. (2003). The Age of Discontinuity. New York:Transaction Publishers. Freidman, T. L. (2005). The World is Fiat. A Brief History of theTwenty-first Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Freidman, T. L. (2008). Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a GreenRevolution--and How it Can Renew America. New York: Farrar, Straus andGiroux. Henderson, J. (2005). "Rural America's Emerging KnowledgeEconomy." Retrieved April 2, 2009, 2009, from www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/articles/ others/HenAug05.htm. Prosser, C. A., & Allen, C.J. (1925). Vocational Education in aDemocracy. New York: Century. Shulman, L. (2002, November/December). "Making Differences: ATable of Learning. Change," 34(6), 36-44. Shulman, L. (2007). "Making differences: A Table ofLearning." The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.Retrieved April 2, 2009, from www.carnegiefoundation.org/publications/sub.asp?key=452&subkey=612. ACTE Interested in exploring this topic further? Discuss it with yourcolleagues on the ACTE forums at www.acteonline.org/forum.aspx. Glen C. Shinn Ph.D., is a professor at Texas A&M University,College Station, Texas. He can be contacted at g-shinn@tamu.edu. Gary E. Briers Ph.D., is a professor at Texas A&M University,College Station, Texas. He can be contacted at g-briers@tamu.edu.