Anatomy and Physiology – Understanding Diseases
The Health Science Program at Waltrip High School is bookended by Ayesha Ahmad and Mary Gibson. Ms. Gibson teaches a coherent sequence of Tech Prep courses and concludes in a work-based practicum prior to graduation. Ms. Ahmad teaches Anatomy and Physiology, along with a number of core science subjects.
Ms. Ahmad was difficult to spot when I first walked into her classroom, as she was seated among the students for the upcoming presentations and was prepared to engage them in discussion. On this visit, students were presenting their Disease Research Project. The students had been asked to research a specific disease, submit a written report of their findings to describe its history, causality, epidemiology, pathology, response and treatment, along with its socio-politico-economic impact. They were also expected to stand before their peers and the teacher to present their work and to defend their body of research and conclusions.
This was an effective technique to engage all types of learners, particularly visual learners. Ms. Ahmad used peer-to-peer feedback and offered support during and after the presentations. She also used the process as a way to instruct soft skills, presentation skills, course vocabulary, and to promote literacy. She was very encouraging to the students, but every misstep and every poorly remembered fact was used as a teaching opportunity to help them improve.
Every career in the health care industry starts with a solid foundation of knowledge. The Anatomy and Physiology course provides part of that foundation at Waltrip. Anatomy is the study of the structures associated with the human body. Physiology is the study of the function of each of these structures. The understanding of anatomy and physiology are fundamental to the understanding of diseases and how to diagnose and combat them. Organ systems are so interconnected that a disease in one system may result in a symptom in another system. All of the students seem to have grasped an understanding of the complexities to overcome in the course work.
Many of the students indicated that they have aspirations for future careers in the health science industry and seemed genuinely excited about their research efforts. I observed two classes and both well-behaved groups of youngsters put forth varying degrees of effort, but I believe that all of them took away an improved skill set.
(CBS News) ALLENTOWN, Pa. - "I don't really like the second shift," Nick Senniti, 20, says. "But you've got to start somewhere."
Despite the worst job market in decades, Senniti had three job offers right out of high school.
CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports Senniti graduated in 2009 as a certified welder from a Career and Technical Education high school -- or what used to be called vocational education. He now works for Air Products in Allentown, Pa.
John McGlade, president and CEO of Air Products, says 4,000 of his 7,500 U.S. employees are skilled workers. His global company designs and builds high-tech hydrogen equipment and devices.
McGlade is "worried" he won't be able to find skilled workers in the future. He hires about 550 U.S. workers a year. Three-hundred-and-sixty are technically skilled positions that require two years of college or advanced certification. These positions can often go unfilled for 12 months.
"You need people who are electronics experts, instrument technicians, mechanics," McGlade said.
This year funding for vocational education was cut by $140 million and President Obama is proposing a 20 percent cut next year.
"Without support and continued development of a skilled workforce, we're not going to be able to fill the jobs," McGlade warned.
Lehigh Career and Technical Institute would be impacted, as well -- 5 percent of its budget comes from federal grants. The school trains about 3,000 students from across the Lehigh Valley. According to the National Association of Career and Technical Schools, these students can earn $26 an hour more than workers with only a high school diploma.
"There is going to be more and more of those skilled jobs that are available, that are going to be paying and provide a sustaining career for years and years to come," McGlade said.
It's a career path that McGlade estimates will need 10 million more skilled workers over the next decade.
Last year, Mariel Rascon, an 8th Grade student in Gretchen Matthews' Principle of Information Technology (PIT) Class at Burbank Middle School, was the first middle school student at Burbank to become a certified Microsoft Office Specialist in PowerPoint 2007. Principle of Information Technology (PIT) is the high school-level course that is offered to middle school students for high school credit. She scored far above the recommended passing rate!
Mariel, along with the rest of the class worked hard all semester to master the certification exams. This is a first in the Burbank Middle School history to offer and recognize a high school credit class with industry certification opportunities!
Now a freshman at North Houston Early College High School, Mariel will continue the process of learning and obtaining additional Microsoft Office 2007 industry certifications under the mentorship of Kenneth Ta.
Allstate and Houston ISD teamed up to teach teens about the dangers of driving while distracted. The event was designed to help raise awareness of the problem. Students enrolled in CTE Automotive Technology were asked to go through an obstacle course while texting, reaching for the IPod, talking on the phone, or having loud friends in the backseat and boy was it scary!
The professional driving instructors tested students on their reactive skills by asking them to shuffle through quarters and dimes with one hand, pull out change while driving, scan manually to their favorite radio stations and remain focused despite an obnoxiously loud passenger.
It was all part of the Allstate Driver Challenge, which turned the parking lot of Reliant Park into a special road obstacle course.
"Driving in distraction like talking on the cell phone, text messaging, using twitter, eating... it doesn't mix with driving," said Kristen Beaman, an Allstate Spokesperson.
The young participants say it was an eye opening experience."Before they take the course, the teens think I can text message and drive all the time," said Beaman. "When they go through the course and start mowing over the cones. The driving instructor says that could have been a dog, that could have been a person and then they realize they are not so good at driving and texting at the same time."
Studies show nearly 5,000 teens die in car crashes every year, and the primary cause was not alcohol, but driver error.
"Car crashes are the number one killer of teens," said Beaman. "We're trying to drive home the message that distractions can be deadly. We're out here trying to save lives today."
Allstate also wants parents and teens to be aware of the Graduated Driver Licensing Laws, which prohibits drivers under the age of 18 to talk on a cell phone while driving. It also limits the number of teen passengers onboard.
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