The new career pathway model at DHS has resulted in many exciting, career-based field trip opportunities for students. One of the best examples of this comes from the Education and Human Development pathway, which mainly focuses on teaching and human development. Most recently, students in this pathway got the chance to gain real-world experiences with children by visiting Little People Learning Center,spending time observing the environment and working with young children.

This hands-on experience gave students a better understanding of what working in the education field might actually be like. It helped them reflect on potential career paths and even start thinking more clearly about college choices in the future.

The main academic focus of this trip was to explore the different learning styles, something students have been studying in their Essentials of Education and Human Development course. This class introduces the foundations of teaching and child development, and fieldwork like this helps students connect what they’re learning to real-world practice.

In class, students have learned about a variety of teaching styles, and student Emma Magnotta shared how this trip helped her see “how learning can be personalized for each individual student”. She specifically pointed out cognitive learning, hands-on learning, and self-directed learning as some of the primary practices she saw being used, many of which she remembers studying in class.

The success of this trip suggests there will be more career-focused opportunities ahead. For example, an upcoming visit to a nursing home will allow students to learn more about the human development side of the pathway.

These opportunities are not just limited to the Education and Human Development pathway. While not every pathway has direct field experiences yet, teachers are continuing to look for ways to bring real-world learning into the classroom as part of the academy model.