Career Education: Implications for Preparing Teachers of the Handicapped.

Overview & Synopsis

Career Education, which emphasizes individual development in all life roles (personal, social, economic), holds unique promise for educating the handicapped. Almost any model of career education is adaptable for use with handicapped children, and blending career education with the academic program of a handicapped child can become a significant aid to mainstreaming. All teachers of the handicapped should then be trained to use and adapt career education techniques and materials in mainstream settings. Nystrom (1977) developed a model for use in educating teachers which delineates the design of instruction in terms of descriptions of (1) the learner; (2) general instructional objectives with specific techniques, media, and support services; (3) evaluation criteria and methods; and (4) specialized support materials and equipment. Project RETOOL at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provides continuing education for teacher educators through workshops whose objectives are to inform teacher educators engaged in preparation of teachers of the handicapped about career education for the handicapped, to assist them in providing career education to their students, and to promote exchange of career education information among teacher educators. A summer career education workshop provided Tennessee public school teachers, counselors, and principals with a model for integrating career education into the curriculum. (YLB)