Self-discovery
teaching practiceFor student year
Middle years
Senior years
Helps students to
Helps teachers to
Summary
Many students need support to set goals and understand how the many elements of different work environments may support them. The Self-discovery unit explores career interests and students' strengths.
Each activity is designed to build the students’ awareness of their career interests and strengths, and how these may align with work opportunities.
Students will also use myWAY Employability to understand their career interests and strengths.
Preparing to teach
Unit plan
The unit plan for this practice are available as a PDF or a word version. Use the word version if you wish to amend the plan or record any teaching adjustments.
This plan includes:
- Lesson One: Explore Career Interests
- Lesson Two: Explore Students' Strengths
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Some of the activities and quizzes in the unit will be completed on the myWAY Employability website. These activities are denoted with this symbol: |
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Unit Plan - Self-Discovery
Download
Unit Plan - Self-Discovery
Download
Before you begin:
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Watch the pre-teach vocabulary video (if required).
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Open the relevant sections of the myWAY Employability website:
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myWAY Employability website homepage
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myWAY Employability website introductory video
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Prepare the following resources provided with this practice:
- Glossary worksheets (optional)
- Activity Interview worksheets (1 per student, scaffolded based on learning needs)
- Selfie video note-taking chart worksheets (1 per student, scaffolded based on learning needs)
- My strengths worksheets (1 per student, scaffolded based on learning needs)
Curriculum alignment
These align with the following standards and capabilities of the Australian Curriculum.
Work Studies Curriculum Standards
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ACWSCL002: Describe the implications of individual learning preferences for learning at home, school, work and in the community.
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ACWSCL013: Recognise the importance of self-awareness in career and life design.
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ACWSCL021: Link personal profiles with potential work opportunities.
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ACWSCL032: Apply knowledge of self to career decision-making processes.
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ACWSCL033: Use career decision-making processes to filter career scenarios.
General Capabilities (Personal & Social Capability)
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Self-awareness: Recognise personal qualities and achievements, understand themselves as learners.
Adjustments for students with diverse abilities
You will find notes on making adjustments for students with diverse abilities in the resources section. These notes outline how each practice is designed to assist teachers to teach to the diversity within their classroom.
Individual student activity: Glossary worksheet (optional)
The Glossary can be used to assist students to pre-learn the vocabulary used in this practice. If you are not sure how to pre-teach vocabulary, we have a quick example which is for viewing by teachers only.
This pre-teaching vocabulary video is included in all of the MyWay Employability practices.
In the classroom
Introduction to myWAY Employability
Students will be introduced to the website and create a login (refer to Introduction to MyWay employability for login assistance)
Whole class activity
- Watch the introduction video on the myWAY Employability homepage.
- Explain that all students will be using the website over the coming term/year.
Lesson 1: Explore career interests
Identify likes and dislikes
In this activity, students tease out liked or disliked activities but also why these activities are enjoyable. The aim is to explore how liked activities can become careers.
Resource: Student worksheet: Activity interview - located in the resources section below.
Explore career journeys
Listen to real life accounts of career journeys
In this activity students have an opportunity to listen to and take notes of some real life career journeys.
There are three scaffolded versions of the Selfie video note-taking chart student worksheets available in the resources section.
Teacher resources
Some students may need support with note-taking. You may like to use this optional activity with your students before completing the Selfie video activity.
You will find the PowerPoint - Note-taking Skills resource in the resources section
Explore career interests
Individual activity: Career exploration quiz
Watch the videos to learn about the myWAY Employability Career Exploration quiz and how to navigate through the quiz.
These videos can be viewed full screen.
Lesson 2: Explore strengths
Activity 1: Individual or paired activity: My Strengths interview activity
Students will explore their strengths and begin to understand how different career choices align to different strengths using the myWAY Employability My Strengths quiz.
The video demonstrates how to navigate through the quiz.
For lesson instructions, see the Self-discovery unit plan. This activity can be completed as a homework task but can be adapted to complete in class time.
This lesson uses myWAY Employability 
Activity 2: My Strengths worksheet
Students will interview a family member or peer about their strengths.
This video shows an example of how students can discover their strengths with a peer (00:00 - 00:58). We have also provided a script of what is said.
It works best if ...
- you explain how will be using the MyWay Employability website in class activities in the coming term/year.
- you demonstrate the various sections of the website and how to navigate between sections e.g., the Career Interests and Exploring Strengths sections on the dashboard.
- you demonstrate how to complete an activity or quiz. You might find the peer-modelling videos helpful for your students.
It doesn't work if...
- students don't have access to a computer to individually log onto the myWAY Employability website.
Practice toolkit
Practice implementation planner template
We know that it is not always easy to keep track of what is working and what is not. So, we have created this template for you to record and reflect on what you are doing to help you create a more inclusive classroom. The implementation planner contains:
- Guidance around goal setting
- Reflection section (What worked, didn’t work and what to change and next steps.)
- Prompting questions
Implementation planner template
Implementation planner with examples
Set your professional learning goal for:
Self-discovery
You can set and save your goal for inclusive practices using inclusionED. Saved goals will appear in your profile. Here you can access, refine and review your goal easily.
Benefits of goal setting
Setting, working towards, and reflecting on goals helps you grow professionally and improve your practice. You can access AITSL learning resources for teachers to learn more about:How to set goals
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership recommends using the SMART matrix to frame your goal setting.SMART goals refers to goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-phased
Resources
Teacher notes: Making adjustments for students with diverse abilities
Student worksheet: Activity interview - 1 Helping hand
Student worksheet: Activity interview - 2 Helping hands
Student worksheet: Activity interview - 3 Helping hands
Student worksheet - 1 Helping hand - Selfie video note-taking chart
Student worksheet - 2 Helping hands Selfie video note-taking chart
Student worksheet - 3 Helping hands - Selfie video note-taking chart
PowerPoint - Note-taking Skills
For your use if needed
Glossary worksheet – 1 Helping hand: Self-discovery
Glossary worksheet – 2 Helping hands: Self-discovery
Glossary worksheet – 3 Helping hands: Self-discovery
Student worksheet - 1 Helping hand - My Strengths
Student worksheet - 2 Helping hands - My Strengths
Student worksheet - 3 Helping hands - My Strengths
Related Practices
Work discovery
TEACHING PRACTICE
For student years
Middle years
Senior years
Helps students to
Learning Cycle
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