Hands-On Learning As A Pathway To A Career
View VideoSonora, CA — Sonora High School showcases its newest Career Technical Education (CTE) labs, giving students hands-on experience and skills in healthcare and construction.
School administrators recently hosted a tour for representatives from Ceres and Linden Unified School Districts to showcase the hands-on learning opportunities available to students. It highlighted the two newest CTE labs, Healthcare Pathways and Construction, both in their second year.
“It helps students whether they go straight into an industry or whether they go to college and prepares students for their future,” stated Sonora High Principal Karen Sales, who touts how CTE gives students options.
The Healthcare Pathways lab lessons are hands-on, with students learning and then practicing skills, like how to dress wounds or draw blood. There is also a high-tech tool shown here called an “anatomage” table. It shows every aspect of the human body, inside and out; no cadaver is needed. This computerized gurney allows students to pinpoint ailments and show what they look like down to the bone and how to treat them. Senior Kairi Insilan jumped at the chance when the lab was offered last year.
“What I like is how it has a bunch of medical field opportunities, like sports medicine, ophthalmology, and nursing,” shared Insilan. “There are a lot of opportunities that you can go into, and so far I really like sports medicine and therapeutic services because I want to be a physical therapist when I’m older. So, it’s giving me insight into what it is.”
Students are given rotating assignments via computer instructions, freeing up instructors to answer questions and correct mistakes, all while giving hands-on demonstrations. With 20 years of construction experience, instructor Jason Rivera says it is great to see when the light bulb goes off and a student realizes the math classes they take do have practical everyday uses and then they want to learn more.
“Students learn things in my class that are not just construction-related,” advised Rivera. “They learn about life skills and that choices matter. I think having a class that is intentional with hands-on learning is going to help students succeed in anything they do in their future. It doesn’t have to be that they go and get into the construction trade, but maybe it’s that they remember that they know how to change out an outlet in their own house or whatever it is. I think that having a style of learning like this is so beneficial for all of our students in Tuolumne County.”
A staunch supporter of CTE is the Sonora Area Foundation, which, as reported here, spearheaded a push for community leaders, educators, and local organizations to join forces to sign a declaration of support for this skilled labor education earlier this year and advocated for increased funding. These two new labs join other CTE classes being taught at the high school that have been around for over 20 years, including fire and forestry and welding. Some offer industry certifications, enabling students to transition directly into well-paying jobs in the community after high school.
“We try to make sure that we’re offering them classes that meet those needs, as well as we look at our community partners,” notes Sales. “What the needs of the community are as well.”
Isilan believes it is a win-win situation and highly recommends it to other students as an investment in their future.
“I would say that this [health] class is a good investment because a lot of students are having a lot of fun in this class and learning like a ton.”
