Should schools offer more "practical" classes? (college, county, high school)

[tvdxer]

Most high schools offer a core curriculum consisting largely of courses in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages. While this aims to equip students with the reasoning skills they will need for college and form them into well-rounded citizens, the "liberal arts" model often fails students who would benefit from a more hands-on, practical, and concrete approach. Society needs its professors, engineers, and chemists, but it also needs its mechanics, bricklayers, and welders. As individual students vary so much in their strengths, interests, and goals, a "one-size-fits-all" model for the school system is evidently inadequate, and therefore (at least larger) schools should implement parallel curricula, beginning in at least the 9th grade.

The parallel curriculum for non-college bound students could include basic math (emphasizing problem-solving), science (focusing on practical applications), and reading / writing (centering on the ability to read instructions and write concrete text). More in-depth science (e.g. radioactive decay, balancing chemical equations, etc.), reading (literature, writing about abstract topics), foreign languages, and mathematics (e.g. solving complex equations) would be excluded, as few college students even remember what the difference between DNA and RNA is or how to form a coherent sentence in Spanish. The time developing the career skills these students will need to function in their lives as welders or carpenters would instead be better spent on teaching them more directly, including through hands-on practice. Even if they do not become a welder or carpenter, learning how to distinguish between a solvent weld and a friction weld or the reasoning involved in the choice of different construction materials to construct a given building could benefit them more than developing the same thinking skills through more abstract material that will almost inevitably bore them.

A graduate who followed such a parallel curriculum might have the following transcript:

Freshman Year

PRACTICAL MATH
PRACTICAL LANGUAGE ARTS
CIVICS
PRACTICAL SCIENCE
AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
STUDY HALL

Sophomore Year

First semester:

ACADEMICS 10 (a two-hour class reinforcing basic academic skills as elaborated upon in the standard curriculum and in freshman classes)
HOME ECONOMICS UNIT I
AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION II UNIT I (defensive driving and basic car maintenance, viz. oil change, tire rotation, etc., brake/suspension/body theory)
WOODWORKING UNIT I
WELDING UNIT I
PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Second semester:

ACADEMICS 10 (a two-hour class reinforcing basic academic skills as elaborated upon in the standard curriculum and in freshman classes)
HOME ECONOMICS UNIT II
AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION II UNIT II (brakes, suspension, body / frame work, engine / transmission theory)
WOODWORKING UNIT II
WELDING UNIT II
HEALTHY LIVING

Junior Year

First Semester:

ACADEMICS 11 (a two-hour class reinforcing basic academic skills as elaborated upon in the standard curriculum and in freshman classes)
AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION III (suspension, brakes, body, frame practice, engine / transmission / fuel delivery system theory)
COMFORT SYSTEMS UNIT I (HVAC, insulation, plumbing, etc.)
COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRICITY UNIT I
GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

2nd Semester - Junior Year

ACADEMICS 11 (a two-hour class reinforcing basic academic skills as elaborated upon in the standard curriculum and in freshman classes)
AUTOMOTIVE LAB III (work on real cars, with emphasis on rebuilding engines and transmissions)
COMFORT SYSTEMS UNIT II (HVAC, insulation, plumbing, etc.)
COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRICITY UNIT II
PAINTING AND CLEANING

1st Semester - Senior Year:

HOUSE REPAIR AND CONSTRUCTION LAB - could be replaced by an internship with a construction firm
MASONRY
AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION IV (engine / transmission / fuel injection system / automotive electronics) - could be replaced by an internship with a garage
SMALL ENGINES

2nd Semester - Senior Year:

HOUSE REPAIR AND CONSTRUCTION LAB - could be replaced by an internship with a construction firm
AUTOMOTIVE LAB IV (replace/rebuild engines, transmissions on real cars, make diagnoses with OBD II scanners) - could be replaced by an internship with a garage
SMALL ENGINES LAB
MONEY MANAGEMENT

What do you think?

[marigolds6]

One of the catches there is getting the trade unions to sign on to such a program.
The trades have greatly restructured how they do training, and I am not so sure they would accept a program like that. They might rather the student transfer straight into a full trade school junior year.

[dizzybint]

I think if kids find some classes at school impossible to pick up like maybe science or languages, they should be skilled more in sports.. theres not enough varied sports in ordinary British schools..

[North Beach Person]

Some problems with you proposal (and many schools did offer those classes up until the 1980's/early 1990's):

Cost
Lack of instructors
Mind set of parents, who choose School Boards, which mandate "College For All". We are discouraged from mentioning trades in class, are required to have a College Corner bulletin board and have special classes twice a month relating to college search, requirements, funding sources, etc. which all students must attend.

[Katiana]

OP, I see you went to a lot of work to create that curriculum, and I give you credit for that. However, after dozens of threads and probably thousands of posts here on CD about this issue, I still think that all kids of normal intelligence should take the courses they will need to get into college. I think age 14 is far too young to be funneled into a curriculum that excludes college. That doesn't mean I think everyone has to go; just that everyone should have that option.

While you say "few college students even remember what the difference between DNA and RNA is" (which I disagree with), you also say "Even if they do not become a welder or carpenter, learning how to distinguish between a solvent weld and a friction weld or the reasoning involved in the choice of different construction materials to construct a given building could benefit them more than developing the same thinking skills through more abstract material that will almost inevitably bore them." What's to say most won't remember the differences between the two welds, either? How would a unit on building construction will interest them any more? I would have probably slogged through something like that and promptly forgotten just about everything I learned.

[ohazco]

This already does exist. It was an option where I grew up, many kids went to Four County Career Center their junior & senior years, where you could become a hair stylist, auto mechanic, electrician, etc... right out of high school. I think big cities have them too, Toledo has Penta Career Center, I know Detroit has several career oriented high schools, even an Aerospace technical high school.

[Snd485]

I think plenty of high schools do offer that kind of training. However, I doubt that your suggested course schedule would meet most State standards and most kids on your track would fail State exams. Kids need to take more math, language, science and history classes. Also, I think it would be too costly to give all kids training in all of those vocations. It would be better to have kids choose a specialization.

I went to school in a small working class city. Lots of the kids I graduated with went on to college, I did, but a lot didn't. We had a big vocational education component at my school. Students could choose to get training in automotive repair, basic business administration, dental hygenist and some others that I can't remember starting junior year. I took college prep courses plus voc ed classes in business. I got really good at typing and using Office programs and had an internship at a credit union. It was a great experience and I learned a lot of practical job related skills.

[jkcoop]

We have that here too - it's called the Career Development Center.

[Katiana]

I should add, my district has Vocational Ed, too, but you don't start until junior year (in general). You still have to meet all the graduation requirements as well.

[Pitt Chick]

If I wanted vo-tech, I'd GO to vo-tech.


Welding, plumbing, automotive.... not practical for me or my husband (science majors!) in jr/sr high school.