When people hear about career planning, many immediately think of occupational guidance, often focusing on academic advancement and counseling. However, this is just one aspect of career planning. More importantly, it helps students understand their aspirations, interests, and abilities. Traditionally, career planning might have involved setting goals early on and then taking steps toward those goals. But have we ever considered that the time from goal-setting to graduation and entering society could span seven, eight, or even ten years? The world may no longer be the same. Therefore, early-established career goals may no longer fit the ever-changing world. Today's career planning emphasizes self-awareness and adaptability, helping students understand their strengths and the vast array of paths available to them. Let's follow the career planning curriculum at ELCHK Kwai Shing Lutheran Primary School and see how their elementary students face their futures.
In 2021, the Education Bureau established guidelines on the importance of career planning, hoping schools would not simply categorize it as vocational counseling. Teacher Chan of ELCHK Kwai Shing Lutheran Primary School noted that due to the pandemic, many elementary students lacked opportunities for outdoor activities. Additionally, when setting aspirations, students are often restricted by their family's socioeconomic background, which can limit their perspectives. Thus, the school places greater emphasis on career planning, advocating for the integration of curriculum, experiential learning, and reflective learning to promote self-awareness, exploration of academic and employment options, and management of further education. When students learn more soft skills related to career development, they can better equip themselves.
(Principal Tsui Hei Lai of ELCHK Kwai Shing Lutheran Primary School integrates the concept of career planning education into the campus, hoping that students will embark on their secondary school lives with greater confidence.)
Understanding Personality Traits: Cultivating Core Competencies
The Education Bureau's career planning guidelines mainly target students from grade four and above, but Kwei Shing Lutheran School not only has themed learning weeks but also specifically designed student development days for career planning. Experiential activities begin in first grade, covering various grades with different focuses and orientations. For instance, the curriculum for first graders emphasizes helping students adapt to their environment and learn how to learn. Teacher Chan shared the reasoning behind this: "In the post-pandemic era, career planning should combine growth education, especially for first graders who have been profoundly affected by school closures. Their experiences with group learning are shallower than those of previous students, making it harder for them to adapt to primary school life and rhythms. When they enter unfamiliar environments, they have no prior acquaintance with classmates or teachers, and this environmental pressure may negatively impact their learning journey."
Chan and the student development team arranged for first graders to visit the Positive Education Centre and Ark Life Education House, where students would explore, experience, and even collaborate on creative projects on the walls. These rich experiential activities not only help students face challenges together but also cultivate their core competencies and understand their personality traits, which are essential elements of elementary career planning.
(First-grade students participate in an exploratory activity at the Positive Education Centre, collaborating and growing together.)
Eliminating Occupational Stereotypes
Activities for first and second graders focus on self-discovery, while in grades three and four, the school introduces students to more career information. Regarding the integrated teaching approach during themed learning weeks, Principal Chan highlighted a key objective: to reshape students' stereotypes about the workplace through various career experiences. For example, societal opinions sometimes assert that certain professions are only for men or women, or that specific ethnic groups can only engage in certain jobs. Simple experiential activities may not adequately address these issues, so the school utilizes resources from the Education Bureau in their career planning classes, incorporating interviews with professionals from different industries. This helps students realize that minorities can also become professionals such as firefighters or vice principals. Through systematic curriculum design, students gradually come to understand that regardless of their ethnicity or native language, as long as they have the capability, they can pursue any job they desire.
(In the career experience activity, students take on roles such as flight attendants and surgeons to experience their jobs.)
"One Day as a Secondary Student": Beyond Just Exam Scores
In addition to career experience activities, to help students develop concepts of further education and school selection, the school organized a "One Day as a Secondary Student" event for fifth graders, leading them to the that Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School for experience and exploration. Chan indicated that Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School is a unique institution in the area, featuring a digital laboratory and many special courses, hoping the event would broaden students' horizons. "In the past, when discussing further education and school selection, people often only cared about grades and admission rates, rarely spending time understanding the school's culture and background. When students Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School, they discover that secondary school life can be diverse; for example, the school teaches students how to create latte art and has a cat shelter where students care for stray cats. Moreover, the student council at Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School shares personal experiences of secondary school life, helping students gain a more authentic understanding."
Chan emphasized that the purpose of arranging visits and experiential activities is not to force students to immediately set their development direction or choose a school, but to help them understand that pathways and further education are not limited to a single indicator. They must explore and try more to make the most suitable choices. She has observed that many students, after completing their secondary school experience, begin to pay attention to whether their desired schools value holistic development, and many even browse other schools' websites to learn about the activities they offer. This spirit of inquiry and exploration is precisely the result of the school's career planning curriculum.
(Visiting Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School, students learn that secondary education provides not only textbook knowledge but also opportunities to care for animals in the cat shelter, fostering a sense of responsibility.)
Reflective Internalization: Learning in Sync with Parents
Modern education places special emphasis on the internalization of learning; therefore, implementing career planning education and reflective education is also a crucial aspect. Principal Chan mentioned that they primarily use the 4F reflection method: Facts, Feelings, Findings, and Future. This method guides students to reflect and share about activities. After participating in the Student Development Day, students not only complete a thirty-minute reflection class but also have the opportunity to share their feelings during morning assembly. The school even arranges for some students to share their experiences on New Town Radio, providing students with valuable opportunities for growth.
Chan further pointed out that this reflective education benefits not only the students but also the parents. Since career planning requires parental involvement, this reflective education allows students to share their insights and feelings with their parents, potentially changing parents' stereotypical views on their children's further education and career paths, thus fostering more harmonious communication between parents and children.
(Through reflection classes and worksheets, students are helped to internalize their learning and assess their takeaways.)
Through the sharing from ELCHK Kwai Shing Lutheran Primary School, it becomes evident that elementary career planning education is not limited to secondary school interviews and vocational guidance but can incorporate elements of growth education and value education. This enables students to recognize themselves and understand how to seek paths for growth. In the 21st century, the rapid changes in society often catch people off guard; therefore, career planning should not merely be about knowledge sharing but should lead students to broaden their horizons, which is the most essential ability in their career development. If teachers wish to observe more positive educational insights from their peers in the education sector, they can revisit the "Learning and Teaching Expo 2022" seminar on Go eLearning to gain inspiration from diverse teaching methods and learn more about the trends in 21st-century education.