Implementation of ‘Jobs in the Past’ (SOI-PL-88)

How and why does the job market change over time? This issue is definitely interesting for secondary students who have to make decisions concerning their careers. For this reason, Marcin Jabłoński from Complex of Technical Schools in Grudziądz, Poland, implemented the learning scenario devoted to the topic, created by Sari Hopeakoski.

Date and place of the lesson

20-11-2019, 2 “B” Class of IT-Technical School in Complex of Technical Schools in Grudziądz; tutor lesson

The students’ profile

The group of pupils who participated in the lesson were students of technical class 2 of IT-tech, aged 17-18. These are students interested in an innovative approach to education, including Project-Based Learning.

How the class was conducted:

The class was divided into three main stages. In the first part, the theoretical introduction to Europeana and presentation of the necessary materials were carried out, a brainstorming task was conducted and the class was divided into groups. A video and presentation on the topic related to the lesson were shown. In the second part, the students worked in groups writing, on large pieces of paper, their thoughts on specific topics of disappearing professions and the causes of such disappearance. This concerned the following professions:

• cooper,
• tinker,
• potter,
• bookbinder
• tiler,
• blacksmith,
• bell-founder,
• typesetter.

Finally, the third stage consisted of the proper naming of ‘jobs in the past’ in Poland. The final step was to create some homework about ‘Jobs in the Past’.

The outcomes

During the class, the students performed all the tasks entrusted to them. Each group of students created an essay on the subject and then presented their views on ‘jobs in the past’. The lesson was summarized in the discussion.

How much time was required to conduct the class

The time needed to complete the task was one meeting within 45 min.

Why I recommend conducting classes based on this Learning Scenario?

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand the role of jobs and professions in the modern world and from a historical perspective. Students will learn the pros and cons of the changing job market that is often talked about in social life. In addition, they will learn how to cooperate, present their work and lead a discussion.

Moreover, students will develop the main 21st century skills, such as:

• critical thinking,
• collaboration,
• communication.

My feelings as a teacher

Using new technologies is the most desirable skill in the modern world. A modern teacher must know about new technologies and be fluent in them. Educators should be passionate about their work and constantly improve their professional skills, teach young people cooperation and critical thinking, as well as how to search for information and check it.
Currently, after joining the structures of the European Union, we become a global village day after day in which one of the most important features is the rapid flow of information, which is why searching for information and critical thinking are so important.

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario?

‘Jobs in the Past’ by Sari Hopeakoski

Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? You might also like:

• ‘Discover! Uncover! Share!’ implemented by Elżbieta Pryłowska-Nowak
• ‘Greetings from the Past’ implemented by Dimitra Pourna
• ‘ReFake It’ implemented by Csilla Németh

The featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and belongs to the public domain.