Informational Interviews: Career Exploration

• The lesson duration is 135 minutes
• The resources required are student reference books and the L-198 video
• Duolingo practice time is 15 minutes, facilitators conduct this in 5 minutes

Informational Interviews

• Classroom participation is expected to be a 60:40 ratio, students should speak for at least 60% of the time while the teacher speaks for no more than 40%
• Students will be able to describe what an informational interview is and its potential benefits
• Students will prepare for informational interviews by brainstorming questions as well as possible people to contact

Step 1

• Students are asked: What are some ways to find out about different jobs or careers?
• Talking to people is one of the best ways to learn about a job
• Speaking to someone to learn about a job is called an informational interview
• Informational interviews are different from job interviews, where you are not asking for a job, just asking questions to learn about a job
• For example, you are interested in becoming a reporter so you set up a phone call with a reporter to ask them the steps they took to get their job
• For example, you want to know more about becoming an electrician, you meet with a local electrician for coffee and ask them what their daily work is like.

Step 2

• Pairs watch the AV
• Students summarize the main ideas in the video.
• Think-Pair-Share: Is it a good question to ask during an informational interview: “Can I have a job?"

Step 3

• An informational interview is about the other person, to learn about their life experiences and the work they do
• Students break into groups of 2-3 and list 5 open ended questions that could be asked during an informational interview using Student Reference Books
• Examples of open ended questions: What is a typical day like at work? What skills or qualifications have helped you to advance in your career?

Step 4

• The person you choose to shadow or interview does not have to have the exact job you want; it can be something similar or in the same career field
• Students are asked how to find people to interview
• Answers written on the board can include family, friends, classmates, neighbors, searching online, calling or visiting a business, and asking career guides
• Students are given 5 minutes to list as many people as they can in jobs related to their career goal
• Students list people in the SRBs, brainstorm people to know, search online, or ask each other for suggestions
• After their list is created, they circle the person they want to reach out to first

Speaking Practice Time

• Students provide their initial thoughts on the question, in 1-2 sentences each
• Students respond to each other's points and engage in brief discussion for 2-3 minutes
• Prompt students to think critically, encouraging them to challenge assumptions made by others
• Each student concludes with their final thoughts in 2 sentences each
• Topics for discussion include:
  • Why do you think the Indian cricket team isn't winning ICC trophies after M.S Dhoni retired?
  • Do you think phones are becoming smarter and people are becoming dull?
  • "If You Born Poor, it is not your mistake, but if you die poor,it is your mistake" - Bill Gates. What does this quote mean?
  • Do you think Indian teenagers are smarter than their parents?
• Students reflect and think about the learning and achievement of the previous week
  • What was the main topic we focused on last week?
  • What was the most interesting thing you learned?
• The next class will create excitement by mentioning what we would be learning in the upcoming 3 days

Step 3

• Counsel irregular students for 5 minutes, either individually (minimum 2 students) or as a group
• Make phone calls (minimum 2 calls) to students who have been absent for more than 2 days and update phone log with a follow up date for each call
• This step is compulsory and should take the last 10 minutes of the session

Notes

• At the end of the previous lessons, ask students to bring heavy stones or rocks to the branch each time they come to make a small pile of stones in the classroom
• Prepare two strong plastic or cloth bags to use during the lesson
• Coordinate with the Territory Manager (TM) to plan a 2-day survey to be conducted by teachers after Lesson #180 for the upcoming cycle