activity planning for career fair presenters
“What should I do with these kids?”
We’re thrilled you’ll be joining us at ____(name of event)____, an all-school event that
will offer 11–14-year-old students a chance to think about the future, explore new avenues, and
engage in hands-on activities related to dozens of careers. This document will help you bring
your career to life for students.
Logistics
As a presenter, you’ll be with us ___(fill in day/time/hours)____. You’ll host __(fill in
number)__ different groups, each with approximately __(fill in number)__ students in sixth,
seventh, and eighth grade. Each session will last about __(fill in number)__ minutes.
In most sessions, presenters with different job roles but similar goals will be presenting together.
For example, in a cluster called “Happy Pets,” there may be a veterinarian, an animal
behaviorist, and a groomer. In some cases, co-presenters will be colleagues; in other cases,
they’ll come from different work environments.
Goals
We’re hoping that kids walk away from your session with a sense of:
•
what you do for work
•
what skills, values, and beliefs are needed to do what you do
•
the connection between your career and education (i.e., how the subjects they now
study connect to what you do)
•
and, if it feels right, a bit of your personal story (how you chose the work and life
that you did)
Keep in mind that the most effective activities will be those that enable kids to be active during
your time together.
Making it hands-on!
Middle grades students learn by doing. Fortunately, the __(name of event)__ lends itself to
engaging, real-world learning. Ideally, students will come to understand your career by trying a
small bit of what your job entails. Here are a few simple ways to make your presentation handson:
1.
Consider bringing props or tangible work tools.
•
A carpenter might bring a plumb line, a standard level, and a laser-level.
•
A lab scientist might bring a microscope and a few slides.
•
A choreographer might bring a video of a routine.
•
A meteorologist might bring a barometer or a link to real-time weather data.
Consider having kids “do what you do.”
2.
There’s no better way for students to understand what your job entails than to put them in
your shoes. A case study or a real-world challenge is a great way to do that.
•
A radiologist could ask students to interpret and diagnose x-rays.
•
A cake decorator might have students practice piping a rosette.
•
A guitarist could have students attempt to match a particular sound by routing
an amp through different sets of pedals.
•
An athletic trainer could have kids practice a basic knee-wrap.
We’re hoping that kids leave the __(name of event)__ with a better idea of what people in
different careers actually do. Therefore, it’s best when students actually try for themselves an
element of your work that you plan to share with them. Using the example above of the athletic
trainer, please consider and reflect on the following activities:
Presenter facilitates an activity in which each student can try the wrap.
Presenter has a student try out the wrap in front of the group.
Presenter demonstrates how to wrap a knee.
Presenter talks concretely about treating injuries.
Presenter talks abstractly about what an athletic trainer does.
Best
Better Yet
Better
Good
Passable
Certainly, some kinds of work are more amenable to hands-on learning than others. For example,
acupuncture is definitely better as a demo — on a teacher!. Still, nearly all job roles have at least
one element that kids can experience first-hand. Think about one aspect of your job you might
have kids try.
Consider having kids tackle a “real-world” problem.
3.
This may be a good approach if your work is less “hands-on” and if there are few
appropriate props.
•
A mediator could bring an example of a real dispute (names changed, of
course), and have students debate or role-play different sides in the conflict.
•
An organizer for the Mardi Gras parade could show kids the parade route and
have them analyze it for potential hazards.
•
An architect could bring in images of several possible sites for a particular
new development; kids could then review each one based on basic criteria and
determine the best site.
Thoughts on planning and collaboration
The thematic nature of __(name of event)__ is quite exciting. It is our hope that students leave
each theme-based session with a sense that each career includes many possible job roles — and
that each of those roles is necessary to make a thriving community and economy.
The challenge of organizing our event thematically, however, is clear: Since each session will be
facilitated by more than one community practitioner, it’s important that presenters connect
beforehand in order to coordinate their time together.
There is no “right” way to do this. There are a few questions, though, that you may want to
address together once the planning has begun:
1.
How might you use the theme that links the various jobs in your session to
your advantage? How might this theme be reinforced?
2.
What will students do during their time with you?
3.
Will you have students do the same thing in each of your four sessions, or will
you have different groups experience different things?
4.
Will students rotate among “stations” within the session, or will you be
facilitating the session together with your co-presenter(s)?
5.
How will you fit everything in? You’ll want to balance your presentation and
activity with time for questions at the end.
The good news is that we’re here to help. Please use any member of the planning committee as a
resource in the coming weeks. As you begin to think about what you’ll do with students, use us
as sounding boards.
Thank you again for your willingness to participate in this event!
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch.