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Susan Shiery's avatar

This are wonderful ideas. I am going to toot the horn of my Alma Mater, Keuka College. I graduated from there in 1969. Their curriculum includes, for many years, what is known as Field Period, a 5 week period for experiential learning, when students work in a community experience, a cultural one, and a work experience in their major field of study during their junior and senior years. Ask any student, alumni, or college staff how successful this time is or was.

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Phil Balla's avatar

I'm thinking junior year of high school could also be good for work experience.

I'd like to see several, say, six-week periods of field work. Each one of five or six hours of apprentice-style training tied to two or three hours in a work-related classroom.

Students could choose from among hospitals, restaurant kitchens, computer labs, forestry management, housing construction, auto shop, office management, and mental health clinics. All could have good classroom correlates, each with humanities reading and discussion assignments.

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