![[Lesson Plans Banner]](/US/en/digital/edu/images/bannerLessonPlans.gif)
Co-op on Camera-Slides Promote Occupational Understanding
Lillian A. McCammon
Helena High School, Helena, Montana
Subject: Career Education
Grade: 11-12
"By seeing and discussing office jobs held by fellow business
students, class members became acquainted with the nature of office
work and its environment that only several field trips would have
provided."
Purpose and Description of Project
Lillian McCammon and two groups of 20 students each, created and
utilized a slide/tape presentation to enhance understanding of
the nature of office work and to familiarize students with the
office environment. McCammon intended the project to make students
aware of not only the skills, knowledge, and personal qualities
required for success in office occupations but also the equipment
and supplies used for such jobs.
Activities
Students enrolled in the office co-op program earned school credit
while employed in office jobs in federal and educational agencies
and private businesses in the community. With the agreement of
the employers involved, McCammon photographed these students at
work. Each co-op student provided a written commentary describing
duties and supplies and equipment used on his or her job. McCammon
edited these descriptions and then the students recorded them
for the slide/ tape presentation. Three students comprised the
graphics committee which designed and photographed beginning and
ending posters for the presentation, selected 57 of the 100 slides
taken for the final show, and coordinated the slides with the
taped narration. McCammon developed a study guide and quiz to
be used in conjunction with the viewing of the slide/tape presentation;
students were required to identify job titles and duties observed,
skill and knowledge areas, personal qualities, and equipment and
supplies used by the student office workers. They were also asked
to list specific office jobs that they would feel qualified to
apply for after viewing the presentation.
Materials, Resources, and Expenses
McCammon used a 35 mm camera with Vivitar lens and
five rolls of
KODAK EKTACHROME 400 Color Slide Film.
Six 60-minute cassette tapes and the cassette player-recorder were furnished by the school's Business
Department; a KODAK CAROUSEL Slide Projector and tray were borrowed
from the school library. The graphics committee viewed Kodak's slide film
"Photography Composition" before starting
to assemble the presentation.
The school's photography instructor recommended the camera equipment
to use and assisted the graphics committee. The school librarian
helped the students prepare the final recorded narration.
Outcomes and Adaptability
Written responses on the study guide and quiz indicated that the
students gained a great deal of information on job skills and
understandings from the presentation. All but one student identified
a job they felt qualified to apply for after graduation. In addition,
students were able to suggest ways to use slide/tape presentations
in the business office: training employees in new methods and
on new equipment; orienting new employees; etc.
Overall, McCammon identifies two major beneficial outcomes from
her project. Students' self confidence received a boost from seeing
their peers using sophisticated office equipment; they could re-examine
career goals in a new light, each feeling "I can do it, too!"
Other students experienced new feelings of self worth from being
the focus of a class project.
McCammon recommends that youth groups, guidance counselors, and
teachers at secondary and post-secondary levels would find such
a project rewarding. It can provide an understanding of the office
environment and of job responsibilities that could be duplicated
only by several field trips. McCammon suggests several other functions
of such a presentation: introducing potential employers or other
interested groups to the office co-op program, and serving as
a recruiting device to show job possibilities for non-college-bound
students.