Best Practices highlighting great innovation and achievements
within their programs
Florida Career Pathways Network serves as a
platform for educational practitioners and leaders to collaborate on
initiatives that are targeted to prepare students at the secondary and
postsecondary level for the 21st century high-tech, high-skill and high-paying
jobs. FCPN supports excellence in the planning, implementation, evaluation and
improvement of career pathways, career and technical education, and
education-related reform initiatives across Florida. Its cohort of members and
partners who include educators, administrators, and employers have been
effective in pooling an extensive array of information aimed at providing a
network of communication and resources for new and existing programs.
FLATE
is closely involved and has been a longtime member of the organization. As part
of its ongoing involvement with statewide Career & Technical (CTE)
programs, every year FLATE attends the FCPN symposium to share ideas and best
practices. This year FLATE together with the Center for Occupational Research
and Development facilitated a pre-conference workshop held on January 10, 2018 in
Jupiter Beach, FL. In addition, FLATE participated in two Best Practice
sessions at the FCPN Symposium held on January 11 and 12, 2018.FLATE brought a new element to the annual FCPN symposium in the form of a half-day pre-
The
Necessary Skills Now project works with teams of faculty and employers
to develop curriculum that integrates technical content and employability
concepts within existing courses in advanced manufacturing and cyber
security. Rather than teaching stand-alone courses on employability skills
in isolation from the technical content, the project will provide opportunities
to teach employability skills prioritized by industry within
discipline-specific courses using authentic workplace scenarios as the context
for instruction. The project is also creating an implementation guide and
deliver faculty workshops on how to collaborate with employers to replicate the
project's integrated curriculum development process across technical programs
in other sectors. During the workshop, participants had the opportunity to
access advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity modules that integrate key
employability skills into technical instruction, templates for creating their
own integrated lessons, strategies for partnering with employers to develop
authentic scenarios for project-based learning, and received new strategies and
resources for teaching employability skills. The pilot phase of the Necessary
Skills Now project is now underway. If you are an instructor
interested in piloting one of our integrated curriculum projects in either advanced
manufacturing or cybersecurity, please contact Dr. Marilyn Barger or Principal
Investigator, at chamber@cord.org.
Best Practice sessions were well attended, and evoked
pertinent discussions about the state of career and technical education in
Florida and related issues.
The session Robotics: A
Tool for Integrating STEM Disciplines
- presented by Dr.
Marilyn Barger, Executive Director, FLATE, and Elizabeth E. Simpson, Lead
Magnet Teacher, Middleton HS - described how student robotic camps can be rich
learning experiences for secondary level students and still be engaging and
fun. Using robotics in the classroom can also deeply engage students in STEM
disciplines. Participants had the opportunity to engage in a sharing discussion
about what can be learned and taught, how robotics can help make “coding”
relevant, improve communication and teamwork skills.
The session Factors Affecting
Engineering Technology Pathways, presented by Danielly Orozco-Cole,
Associate Director, FLATE, introduced preliminary results of a NSF sponsored national
survey PathTech LIFE (Learning, Interests, Family, and Employment). Researchers
from the University of South Florida’s Department of Sociology, the University
of South Florida's College of Education, and FLATE are partnering in this national survey
of individuals completing coursework, certification, and AS/AAS degrees
in advanced technologies at community colleges. Preliminary findings
will help educators, counselors, and career pathways representatives to
identify important factors influencing career pathways into advanced technologies
in Florida. Discussion included how targeted research findings can be applied
to program development, and career pathways best practices and shared
strategies that will result in the increase of career recruitment and
retention. 
FLATE receives Florida Career Pathways
Best Practices Award for its outstanding dedication and leadership in support
of Florida’s Career Pathways Initiatives
During the
2018 FCPN Awards luncheon, Dr. Marilyn Barger, Executive Director, FLATE,
Elizabeth E. Simpson, Lead Magnet Teacher, Middleton HS, and Danielly Orozco-Cole,
Associate Director, FLATE, were recognized for their dedication and received
two Best Practices Awards.
The best practice presentations are now available for download on FLATE’s Wiki.
