Almost universally, America's teachers have been trained to teach curricula that are school-based and subject-specific. However, federal legislation and school reformers are urging that teachers develop and teach curricula that focus on "generic" skills, such as problem solving and teamwork; integrate academic and vocational education; and emphasize "real-world" applications, especially applications found in the workplace. Unfortunately, most teachers are being asked to change their practice without the requisite knowledge or the means for doing so. To make use of the workplace as a context for learning, teachers need (1) knowledge of work and work practice; (2) an appropriate model for classroom design and instruction; and (3) the opportunity to learn and apply both.
In response to this need, we developed a six-week "mini-sabbatical" for high school teachers and teacher-trainers. The mini-sabbatical proposed to give teachers the tools they need to gain knowledge that is necessary for defining curriculum and instruction in many school-to-career programs. Put another way, it intended to help teachers answer three questions: (1) What to teach? (2) How to teach it? and (3) How to assess what students learn?
The mini-sabbatical activities include classroom instruction, worksite observation, curriculum design, and teaching a small group of students. The instructional activities that comprise the mini-sabbatical were designed to reflect a conception of adult learning and learning to teach. Key features of the content include a model of classroom design, including appropriate assessments, and knowledge about work practice and action research. The mini-sabbatical is intended for high school teachers in a variety of programs that aim to connect school and work, whether they teach in career academies, cooperative education, school-based enterprises, career focus schools, or other program types.
This paper reports on the design and pilot test of the mini-sabbatical. It begins with a brief background discussion, then outlines the six-week mini-sabbatical activities. The paper then presents the goals the mini-sabbatical aims to achieve. The complete mini-sabbatical curriculum is found in a companion Designing Classrooms that Work: Teacher Training Guide (Ramsey, Stasz, Ormseth, Eden, & Co, 1997). Finally, it describes our assessment of the mini-sabbatical pilot test, which was conducted in the summer of 1996.