1. IU 4: The Instructional Strategy
The Plan B Program: Career Exploration and Planning
Goal Statement
The instructional goal of the Plan B Program is to provide student learners with the knowledge, skills,
and tools, to perform career exploration research and develop a basic career plan. After completion of
the program, the students will be able to describe what their primary field of interest is and demonstrate
the capacity to build a revisable career plan to reach their intended career goal.
Overview
In under-performing schools, the terms “at-risk” and “disadvantaged” have been used interchangeably
to describe the student population in general and more specifically their performance. Many of these
schools suffer from a myriad of socioeconomic issues that range from decentralization and expansion
to the outer suburbs, a dwindling tax base, limited civic involvement, underdevelopment, mediocre
leadership, and an eroded value of education through negative peer pressure. In Dekalb County
Georgia, which is in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, the graduation rate is 78%. The overall
graduation rate for the state of Georgia in 2008 was 75.4% (Georgia Department of Education, 2008).
What happens to the students that did not graduate? How do we address their needs and bring them into
the new economy. My proposed approach is to reach them middle school, when they still believe that
they have possibilities for the future. The Plan B program is a career exploration and planning
roadmap for “at-risk” students that provides practical activities and skills for the youth to identify areas
of interest for a future career or trade.
1. Instructional Strategy
2. Media Selection and Delivery System
3. First Draft of Instructional Materials
I. Instructional Strategy – Intellectual Skill/Attitude
The identified learners for the Plan B Program are eighth grade males that are classified as
disadvantaged students. In this district, the majority of the student population is African-American.
According to statistics, this demographic of male students is likely to become a dropout and an
unproductive member of society. The Plan B Program is designed to be a moment of reflection or
analysis for the student to determine which path they want to follow.
Pre-instructional Activities
To gain the attention of the learner, the student learner will be posed introspective questions to
set the mood for self reflection and analysis. The student learner will be required to take a look
at the history of the African experience in America from 1619 to present day. The student will
be required to watch video clips of the experience in the Colonial period, American Revolution,
Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement. After viewing the video
clips, the student learner will perform analysis of two generations of their family.
Objectives
1. The student will identify three potential careers or trades.

2. 2. The student will research human resource and workforce development websites.
3. The student will perform an internet search of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for his
top career interest.
4. The student will compile the information from the lesson and complete templates for
career planning and seeking a virtual mentor.
Assess the conditions of poor people. What do they have in common?
Examine the role of education and its correlation to lifestyle.
Define institutional racism and provide an example.
Prerequisites
1. Computing Skills - The student must possess basic computer skills that include typing
and browsing the internet. The training will involve extensive utilization of the computer.
2. Open to Learning - The student must show his willingness to learn and be flexible in his
thinking. The student will perform research necessary to complete the outcome.
3. Choose a Career - The student must identify a potential career or trade based upon their
talents or potential.
Content Presentation
The content presentation of the Plan B Program will be a combination of video, video clips, podcasts,
and web resources. The content is intended to raise introspective questions of the student learner about
existing norms in their environment. For example, the student learner may ask himself why does he
continue to go to school. What is the benefit to him other than the streets? What is a meaningful skill?
The content and the research is intended to correlate learning to lifestyle.
Task 1: Initial Assessment of the student learner
Assessment
1. The student will be provided a link to the Moodle learning management system and
enroll in the Plan B Program.
2. The student learner will participate in an online survey that highlights the experiences of
his family members.
3. The student will click the survey link in the Moodle application, which will take him to
the Survey Monkey online survey site.
4. The student will complete the survey questions and hit the Submit button when
completed.
Skill Inventory
1. The student will click on the Skill Inventory section of the LMS.
2. The student will list the existing skills or talents that he has today.
3. The student will write his skills in the Short Answer field of the section.
Interest Inventory
1. The student will complete the Interest Inventory examination to determine what fields of
interest best match his skills today.
2. The student will click on the link to an external website that provides the interest
inventory.

3. 3. After the Interest Inventory is complete, the student will print to the CutePDF printer to
create a .PDF of the file and save it to their virtual directory.
Task 2: Research
1. The student will go to the Research section of the LMS.
2. The student will identify his top three career interests from the Interest Inventory
3. To conduct research, the student will go to the following websites
www.careerbuilder.com, www.careerjournal.com, www.theladders.com, www.usajobs.opm.gov,
and www.dol.state.ga.us.
4. The student will find a minimum of three job listings for his top career or trade choice.
5. The student will print the job listings to the CutePDF printer and save the files to his
virtual directory.
Task 3: Planning
1. The student will go to the Planning section of the LMS.
2. The student will list the specific job requirements that include the knowledge, skills, and
abilities necessary to be successful.
3. The student will determine if college or technical training is required for their career
interest.
4. If additional school or training is required, then the student will review the admissions
requirements and cost of the program.
5. The student will construct their plan from the Plan B Template.
Task 4: Execution
1. Each student will have another student perform a quality check of their assignment
based on a checklist.
2. The student will make revisions if necessary.
3. The student will review the plan before the next school year.
4. The student will monitor his progress as necessary and make the adjustments as their
interests evolve or change.
Learner Participation
The student will be engaged throughout the instruction by completing tasks of short duration
that are in line with the learning style of pre-teen males. The videos, clips, and podcasts will be
supplemented with thought provoking questions to make sure they are engaged in the process.
Learner Feedback
A discussion forum will be added to the LMS to allow the students to ask and respond to
questions that they may have from the assignment.
Assessments
The students perform assessments throughout the training where they complete the online
Family Survey and the Interest Inventory.

4. Following Through Activities
To achieve the greatest value from the Plan B Program, the student must periodically refer to
the career tool that was constructed and make the necessary revisions. Students that formally
register in the Plan B Program have the option to consent to further career development
activities. For example, annual follow-ups will be conducted for students and they will have
continuous access to the program website. The Plan B website will provide additional
discussion forums, mentoring, and conduct future surveys and activities associated with the
program.
II. Media Selection and Delivery System
The media for the Plan B Program will primarily consist of video clips from YouTube and Vimeo,
which will be supplemented with documentaries and Podcasts from PBS Video, iTunes, and Hulu.com.
The delivery system will be websites on the internet. After the student is exposed to the information,
they will complete the Plan B
III. First Draft of Instructional Materials
The first draft of the instructional materials allow the student to work in an asynchronous environment
to create the Plan B Program Career Plan. Please copy the link to your browser to access the
instructional materials.
Http://www.frankthornton.info/UTB/EDTC6321/The Plan B Program- Instructional Materials.pptx
Summary
Students that complete the steps of the program will be able to organize their thoughts and create an
adaptable career plan. The research and data compiled by the student can be updated as necessary
when the student revisits his plan. The Plan B Program will expand the student's framework of
understanding the need to evaluate data, career options, and managing their destiny.