CAREER EXPLORATION PARTNER

GUEST SPEAKERS

Give an interactive career or content-specific guest talk to a classroom.

HOW IT WORKS

Employer

  1. Meets with the educational institution to help both sides prepare for the visit.

  2. Aligns with education institution on a clear purpose for the visit.

  3. Provides an interactive experience, engaging students during the presentation with visual aids, question & answers, or, ideally, interactive activities.

  4. Encourages at least one form of sustained partnership subsequent to visit.

K-16 Collaborative

  1. Matches the speaker with a class, cohort or club. 

  2. Cultivates an impactful experience for all parties by working with faculty to ensure the talk is embedded in the curriculum of the class and aligns with a learning outcome.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To ensure that an industry guest talk in a classroom becomes a meaningful and long-lasting intervention rather than a one-off event, both teachers and employers can adopt several work-based learning best practices. The Bay Area K-16 Collaborative recommends the following:

  1. ALIGN WITH LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Collaborate to ensure that the guest talk aligns with the learning objectives of the course or program. Identify specific skills, knowledge, or competencies that students are expected to gain from the experience, and tailor the content of the talk accordingly. 

  2. PREPARATION AND CONTEXT SETTING: Provide students with background information about the industry, organization, or speaker prior to the guest talk. Offer preparatory materials, readings, or assignments that help students understand the context and relevance of the talk to their studies. Setting the stage beforehand helps students better engage with the content and facilitates deeper learning during the talk.

  3. INTERACTIVE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES: Incorporate interactive engagement strategies during the guest talk to encourage active participation and collaboration. Include opportunities for students to ask questions, share their insights, or participate in discussions related to the topic. Interactive elements foster engagement and enable students to connect more deeply with the material.

  4. FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES AND REFLECTIONS: Implement follow-up activities and reflections that extend the impact of the guest talk beyond the classroom. Assign students tasks such as writing reflections, conducting further research, or completing projects that allow them to apply and expand upon the knowledge gained from the talk. Follow-up activities reinforce learning and encourage students to reflect on how the experience relates to their academic and career goals.

  5. INTEGRATION WITH WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES: Explore opportunities to integrate the guest talk with other work-based learning experiences, such as internships, job shadowing, or industry projects. Connect the content of the talk to real-world applications and provide students with opportunities to apply their learning in authentic work settings. Integration with work-based learning experiences enhances the relevance and impact of the guest talk, making it a more meaningful part of students' educational journey.