The teacher developed a project called "Learning About Professions" to motivate second grade students and help them learn about jobs outside of school. The teacher invited professionals to give talks to the students about their work. An architect visited the class and talked about her job, showed tools, and helped the students build a model of their school. The students learned about other professions and created an individual book and professions book. The project helped students develop skills like teamwork and reinforced concepts about their community. The teacher assessed if objectives were met through student work and self-assessment. While some families did not participate, the project was largely successful in engaging students and meeting educational goals.

1. SCHOOL PROJECT: ‘Learningaboutprofessions’EXPERIENCED AT CEIP DIVINA AURORA (TAVERNES DE LA VALLDIGNA)YEAR 2010-2011LEVEL 2n PRIMARY EDUC.

2. Theprojectwasdeveloped in June.WHY ?Because I needed some excuse to enhance student’s motivation at the end of the term. And because I detected that my students didn’t know too much about jobs outside the school. WHEN? The project was developed during last month of the school year: June. Because we had finished curricular textbooks and I tried to work with almost one project each end of term (3 months terms).

3. PROJECT:_CONÉIXER LES PROFESSIONS (in valencian) Thatwastheinformationgiventothefamilies: talkingabout dates, competences and objectives of theproject.PROJECTE: CONÉIXER LES PROFESSIONS.Ens visitaran diversos professionals de totselsàmbits, si conegueualgú que vulgafer una xarrada sobre el seutreballcontacteuamb la mestra.Elsxiquetsfaran una entrevista i una fitxa de treballposteriorment. Es prepararà un calendarisegons les propostes.* Setmana del 13 al 21 de JunyElsobjectius del projecteacompleixen el treball de les competènciesbàsiques:Competència comunicativa

4. Competència artística i cultural

5. Tractament de la informació i Competència digital

6. Competènciamatemàtica

7. Competènciad’aprendre a aprendre

8. Competènciad’autonomia i iniciativa personal

9. Competènciaamb el coneixement i la interaccióamb el mónfísic

10. Competència social i ciutadanaObjectiusespecífics del projecte:Afavorir un clima positiu per al treball en grupConéixer el sentitd’unaxarradaAssolirelsconceptestreballats a classe: poble/ciutat, elementsd’unaciutat, les professions (obrer, cambrera, metge, arquitecte, científic…).Reciclatge social: re-utilitzarels recursos socialsmésimportants, les persones.Desenvolupar la creativitatamb la realització de projectes: una maqueta de l’escola i un quadern de professions.

11. My Students

12. CommentsThe principal idea was to improve skills of working in groups, to motivate the students and to involve their families.HOW? Introducing professionals with different kinds of jobs to my students.In this way, I asked my own family, friends and pupil’s families to collaborate in the project. I sent a circular with the project information you’ve seen before.

13. Anarchitecht at school

14. ShowingbooksaboutarchitectureI asked an architect for coming to collaborate to my school.Her name is Gisela de Luna and she was so kind to invest one day with my students for free.I arranged a meeting some days before to talk about the programming of the day.We decided she’ll talk about :What she does at work,

15. Where she works,

16. What children can do when there’s an earthquake, (remember It’d been a tsunami not so long ago)

17. And showing some tools she uses at work. Measures (metres, cm).Interestonthebooks

20. Interestonthetools

21. Playingwithmaterials

23. A buildingmodel at school

25. A computerwithbuilding’s plan

29. Exploringthemodel

32. Working with new learning: creating a school building’s model

33. Planning by themselves

37. Creating by themselves

39. FINAL PRODUCTSSCHOOL BOUILDING’S MODEL

40. BOOK ABOUT PROFESSIONSThe school building’s modelI asked the architect to prepare a final activity with them.I prepared the materials and tools in advance, they are the following:Cardboard

41. Paper

42. Plasticine TM

43. Pencil, rubber, ruler

44. Crayons, painting

45. Toilet rolls

46. Sticks, glueCharacteristics of the modelI asked the architect not to pay too much attention to their plastic abilities, because I wasn’t assessing them on plastic arts.The objective of motivating them was highly accomplished because the architect gave them continuous feedback about their work. She said: Well done!, You can do like this.. ,This is great! , good idea!, etc.

47. Characteristics of the modelSo I promoted a positive view of what they were creating.And we, as a group including the architect, were so proud of the final product.ROLES:The professional worker and teacher’s roles were answering and guiding their work, but not refusing ideas. Students: they were organised like in a job, we had: plan workers, painters, plasticine TM modellers, designers, etc.

48. Characteristics of the modelThey know very well their local school because is where they live! So they knew better than me where to place each building, park, traffic lights, bus stop, apartments, zebra crossing...But the most important of these elements is that they accomplish the objectives for first cycle of different subjects: maths, spaces distribution, knowing their surroundings, collaboration work...

51. Having a social use: the most importantWe placed it at the corridor out of our classroom, so that all students passing through that could see it.Even more, we were sure everybody saw it because the music classroom was at the end of our corridor. The most important for them was that their families could visit it, and it was done because at the end of. the term parents came to give the school marks

53. Final product: individual bookI asked them to complete a sheet with each new profession they learned at class.Their final products, in these case were individual sheets with 3 questions about the profession and one drawing.

65. Fire-fighterWe had the opportunity to visit a fire station because one of the parents is a fire-fighter.