Teacher learns on the job in business externship.

A typical workday for a landscape designer goes like this: design a walkway with no more than a four-percent slope so it complies with regulations for accessibility, on a piece of land that seems too short and too steep. Go on site to see if your design works. Meet with building contractors and town officials. Keep the project within budget. Oh yeah, have about a dozen of these projects on your plate at the same time.

When Uxbridge High School science and horticulture/landscape teacher David Worden took a two-day externship this summer with landscape architecture firm Gates, Leighton & Associates in East Providence, RI, he expected to see draftsmen and artists working methodically on designs. He learned that the job is more than just design: it's problem solving.

The purposes of the teacher externship program, sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, are to give educators a clear view of the skills needed by their students in future employment, to introduce work-based and project-based learning into teaching strategies, and ultimately to influence the quality of the future work force.

Worden is one of four area teachers to participate in an externship this summer. Genie Stack, special education teacher and school-to-career coordinator at Douglas High School, spent time with Quinsigamond Community College's admissions office. Northbridge High School business and computer applications teacher Joanna Boyd was at Old Colony Stationers in Whitinsville, and Uxbridge High School Spanish teacher Carol Brooks worked with the interpreter services department at Fallon Clinic/Worcester Medical Center.

Worden immersed himself in the various functions of the small but busy office, which designs landscapes for large projects all over the Northeast, and even one big job in Egypt. His mentor and firm Chairman Wilfrid L. Gates, Jr. brought him along to a Rotary Club meeting to meet some business leaders and show how connections are made.

The close-knit organization of the design firm fascinated Worden. "I was surprised how the office all worked together. They could see each other from their [cubicles], and were constantly calling on each other to interact and ask for help. You don't see that in teaching, where maybe you have five minutes in the hall between classes to interact with other teachers."

The amount of technology used in landscape design also surprised Worden. Even the hand-drawn artistic portions started with a downloaded and enlarged computer file. "Computer skills are paramount to success in design," Worden observed.

Worden plans to bring back to his classroom a different style of tackling the subject, one based more on problem solving than on solely mastering concepts. Part of the problem-solving process Worden noticed included the need to be flexible, to adapt to changes as problems arise. "The ability to work with what you're given and try to bring out the character of the land is what makes a good landscape designer," he said. Having organizational skills to keep track of multiple projects helps too.

Externships give employers a glimpse of how the future workforce is being developed. For the people at Gates, Leighton, Worden's visit gave a positive view. Gates said, "It's so wonderful to see a teacher taking time during the summer to broaden his knowledge base to impart to students."

Read previous Focus on Education articles...

Six years of focusing on education. (November 2006)
Teachers apply lessons to the workplace in externships. (October 2006)
Teachers tour growing Blackstone Valley industries. (November 2005)
Summer learning abounds in Blackstone Valley. (July 2005)
Teachers tour growing Blackstone Valley industries. (April 2005)
Preparing for the future while living in the present. (March 2005)
Local hero gives charge to youth leadership class. (December 2004)
Externships provide on-the-job training. (September 2004)
Interns reflect on career experiences. (May 2004)
Creative programs thrive with support from Education Foundation grants. (May 2003)
Business mentors see their shadow on job shadow day. (February 2003)
Teacher learns on the job in business externship. (August 2002)
Summer program teaches math through arts. (July 2002)
Junior Rangers learn nature know-how in area parks. (June 2002)
Leadership Blackstone Valley graduates ready to create the future. (May 2002)
State's schools face looming teacher shortage. (April 2002)
Art program bridges subjects, learning styles, and community. (March 2002)
Students shadow career mentors on Groundhog Job Shadow Day. (February 2002)
Parent involvement the key to student success. (October 2001)

Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
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