If you’re a classroom teacher and you teach part-time VLACS students, read on.
VLACS and the classroom go hand in hand, especially when it comes to incorporating VLACS’s career-related opportunities in the classroom.
When VLACS began over a decade ago, an invisible rift opened: classroom teachers at brick and mortar schools often viewed part-time VLACS students and their VLACS experiences as separate from the classroom. VLACS happened “over there.” While students in traditional school settings may have had opportunities to do their VLACS work in school, there was little to no overlap between experiences. That’s changing.
There are myriad opportunities for classroom teachers not only to support VLACS students in their classrooms but to do it in a way that amplifies their own practice. That’s right: you can incorporate what your part-time VLACS students bring to the table.
Here are a few possibilities:
1. You’ve noticed that one of your students is a phenomenal writer, so you ask if she’s interested in learning how writing skills are important in different industries, like communications, journalism, marketing, and advertising. You suggest that the student check out VLACS career options. The student finds a Journalism Experience that will offer her the chance to try an internship. You give her the opportunity to write about her internship experiences as part of your course.
2. Your school’s coding program tops out at a level that your student has already surpassed. You coordinate with your guidance department and the student’s parents or guardians so that she can earn elective credit at school by taking advanced coding courses with VLACS. You then guide your student through various coding options, including one with a career pathway. The student selects a 3D modeling Experience that allows her to apply her advanced coding skills in an internship at a local graphics studio.
3. Budding entrepreneurs in your classroom? VLACS can help by connecting your students with entrepreneurs through badging and experiences. Students can take a half-credit Entrepreneurship course to get the basics or jump right into an internship or other experience to get the feel. Students work with VLACS instructors, but there’s plenty of opportunities for classroom teachers to get involved and allow students to share their VLACS experiences with their peers. To earn a digital badge, the student will meet the competencies that the badge requires.
Here’s the bottom line: classroom teachers have a lot on their plate. VLACS careers give classroom teachers an opportunity to let students share their experiences in creative ways that inspire and engage students.
