Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 mins

Tune In: Jobs to make a difference

20 mins

Find Out: Getting started in new careers

20 mins

Take action: What could I do?

5 mins

Reflection

Tune In: Jobs to make a difference

Step 1

Throughout this Habitats and Humanity unit, we have discussed what is happening to the natural environment of our planet and humans’ role in the changes we are seeing.

Today, we will explore further how we can impact this environment. Over this unit, we have discussed a lot of jobs and roles and how they can influence the future of our planet. Let’s do a big brainstorm and write down all the jobs that have come up during this unit.

Learning support: You may need to prompt students to think about jobs in land management, wildlife management, botany, clean energy, research, and interpretation (taking scientific information and converting it into a format for the general public). If you have been keeping your posters and worksheets from previous lessons, these can be a great prompt to get ideas flowing.

Step 2

Now that we have our list, let’s step back and take a look at it. Which of these jobs were not around 100 years ago? Which weren’t around 50 years ago? The rapidly changing environment of our planet is creating new jobs and new skills will be required.

Find Out: Getting started in new careers

Step 1

Let’s take a look at how people are getting started in careers that weren’t around 50 years ago by exploring some new careers. Have students choose one of the websites listed below and explore some of the career stories of the people depicted.

MyFuture (https://myfuture.edu.au/career-stories/details/clean-energy-career-stories)	The fast-growing clean energy sector offers an exciting range of career opportunities. Be inspired by reading real-life career stories of people who work in this sector. Discover the pathways they took to their chosen careers.
Superstars of STEM (https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/superstars-of-stem/meet-the-superstars-of-stem/)	Superstars of STEM aims to smash society’s gender assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of women and non-binary people in STEM. The people in the program are all committed to building a public profile and becoming role models for the next generation of STEM stars.
Parks Victoria, Meet Our Rangers(https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/get-into-nature/meet-our-rangers)	As the state's largest employer of rangers, our rangers play an important role in protecting our planet’s natural treasures, cultural heritage and biodiversity. A ranger’s role is as broad and as varied as the environments they manage. They help visitors to safely enjoy and understand parks. They also contribute to the ongoing management, wellbeing and legacy of the parks we manage, protect and conserve now and for future generations.
Foodtank - 13 farmer stories (https://foodtank.com/news/2019/03/13-farmer-stories-that-bring-honesty-and-hope-to-sustainable-agriculture/)	Since last year, Food Tank’s Farmer Friday series has been telling the stories of farmers and ranchers focusing on sustainable farming practices. These practices include crop rotation, grassy waterways, preserving reconstructed wetlands, and farming on the contour. Many of these farmers are part of Niman Ranch, a network of over 720 family farmers and ranchers across the United States who focus on raising livestock traditionally, humanely, and sustainably.

Ask students to choose one of these career stories that they are most interested in and complete the student worksheet. They will need to access the website, choose a story, and then complete some extra research into the organisation that person works at. Students can work individually or in pairs for this activity.

Learning support: If the range of options is overwhelming for students, limit their choices to 4 career stories: one from energy, one from land management, one from STEM and one from agriculture.

Take action: What could I do?

Step 1

What about you? What would you like to do in the future that will make a positive impact on our planet? Let’s explore some of our options and make a plan for how we could get there. To get started, have students take the ‘Careers of the Future Quiz’ (https://www.skyward.com/futurequiz)

From here, students can take this future career option and explore how they would get there. If they’re not keen on the career option they received at the end of the quiz, let them choose another career from the brainstorm at the start of the lesson.

Learning extension: To push this further, you could ask students to research specific certifications, skills and experiences they would need for this career. Questions such as:

What course would help them? Which tertiary institute offers these courses?
What qualifications would they need for this career?
Where could they volunteer?
Is there a mentor they have encountered in their research who they could talk to?

Reflection

At the start of this lesson we looked at jobs that didn’t exist 100 years ago, and 50 years ago. What are some jobs that may exist in the future that we haven’t thought about yet?

How Can You Work Towards a Sustainable Future?

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Summary

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