DECA Insight | Sept-Oct 2013

COMPETITIVE EVENTS

It’s your secret to bringing DECA into the classroom without extra work.

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CELEBRATE DECA ALL MONTH LONG

BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG | DECA INC. STAFF

November is DECA Month, and that alone gives you a reason to celebrate!

Use DECA Month as an opportunity to show your chapter, school, business partners and community the impact DECA can have. Use DECA’s four fall chapter campaigns — community service, Global Entrepreneurship Week, membership or promotion — as your guide to a structured program of activities during DECA Month.

Your enthused members are looking to get a lot out of DECA, and DECA has a lot to offer them. The second quarter is the time when many advisors start helping members get a competitive edge with additional preparation. It’s also a time for focused learning projects with a unique twist, such as the DECA Idea Challenge, corporate partner challenges, community service activities and school-based enterprises. Use DECA activities to engage your members in your classroom as well as extend learning beyond the classroom.

Encourage your DECA members to get a head start on their scholarship applications, which can earn them a share of $300,000 in scholarships awarded exclusively to DECA members.

ARE YOU RECEIVING DECA DIRECT WEEKLY?

If not, you are missing out on this important weekly e-mail. E-mail communications@deca.org for assistance.

CHAPTER RESOURCES

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

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Use the DECA Idea Challenge to foster innovation and creativity.

Learn how DECA connects to curriculum and courses.

GET MORE WITH DECA DIRECT ONLINE UPHOLDING THE INTEGRITY OF DECA’S COMPETITIVE EVENTS PROGRAM Review the new policies adopted by DECA’s Board of Directors. http://bit.ly/decaintegrity MAKE YOUR DECA EXPERIENCE GLOBAL Go to the UK or Costa Rica with DECA this summer! http://bit.ly/decaglobal 2013-2014 DECA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM NOW OPEN DECA’s scholarship program provides DECA members over $300,000 in scholarships. http://bit.ly/scholarshipdeca H&R BLOCK FINANCIAL LITERACY PROMOTIONAL PROJECT RESOURCE PACKET H&R Block has provided DECA members with an amazing resource. http://bit.ly/decahrblock MAKING GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK COUNT Use your innovation to earn recognition during GEW this November. http://bit.ly/decagew TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS IN ATLANTA Get ready to Make It Count at ICDC 2014 by finding out all that Atlanta has to offer. http://bit.ly/icdcatlanta

■ WWW.DECADIRECT.ORG

CHAPTER RESOURCES

COMPETITIVE EVENTS

UNLEASH IDEAS IN THE DECA IDEA CHALLENGE

COMPETITIVE EVENTS IN THE CLASSROOM: PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION EVENTS

BY MICHELLE WALKER | DECA INC. STAFF

Are you looking for a way to engage your DECA members in an idea generation challenge? We have just what you need and you can celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, too.

The Idea Challenge 2013 is a fast-paced competition that challenges K-12 and college student teams around the globe to find a new use for a common, everyday item in eight days.

Student teams of three or four will present their innovative new use for the item and share their results in a three-minute video posted on YouTube. The common, everyday item to be used in the challenge will remain a mystery until announced by DECA on November 15, 2013.

Participating in a challenge is a fun and exciting way for students to be creative and innovative while learning. The level of involvement can be adjusted based on student understanding of the entrepreneurial process. A toolkit is available online to help teachers use the Idea Challenge as a classroom learning activity.

Entries are due by 6 p.m. EST on November 22.

A panel of judges will evaluate the global entries looking for the most compelling solutions. The Idea Challenge 2013 winners will be announced on December 12.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide celebration of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, Nov. 18-24, 2013. For more information about the Idea Challenge and GEW, visit www.unleashingideas.org/challenge.

PUBLISHER

Edward L. Davis

EDITOR

BY SANDRA TUCKER | DECA INC. STAFF

As a DECA advisor, it can sometimes feel like DECA is something added to your plate rather than co-curricular. I learned a secret early in my career that allowed me to take my lesson plans and my students to the next level without adding more work. That secret was DECA’s Competitive Events Program.

While teaching an Introduction to Business and Marketing course, I was looking for real-world case studies to share with my students and discovered DECA had already created a classroom resource that fit this need. Over the past few years those resources have expanded to include competitive events designed just for students in an introductory business/ marketing course who are first-year DECA members.

As an advisor, I couldn’t have been more excited to have yet another way to engage my students, provide real world application and help my students develop job interview skills. DECA’s Principles of Business Administration events did just that for my students.

One easy way to integrate DECA’s competitive events into your classroom instruction is by using a bell ringer activity, like the one found below, to help introduce the day’s instructional topic: You’ve just been called for a second interview for the position of customer service representative for Fabulous Floors. If you are hired, your responsibilities will include making appointments for estimates and installations as well as responding to customer questions and complaints. Seventy percent of Fabulous Floors’ customer service communication is done through email. You have 5 minutes to explain how professional emails help to reinforce the service orientation of this business. Be prepared to present your response.

Having this activity on your students’ desks engages them from the moment they walk in the door. Plus, you have provided a real-world scenario that will lead into a meaningful discussion on business communication methods.

Consider taking it a step further. If you have students who enjoy this type of activity, encourage them to enter your local DECA competition in one of the four Principles of Business Administration events categories. This particular category is designed for a single participant, first-year DECA member who is enrolled in an introductory business/marketing course. In competition, the participant will complete a 100-question multiple-choice exam and a content interview situation. The competitor has 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes with the judge.

Christopher Young

THIS EDITION

November/December 2013 No. 14 Published four times each year

by DECA Inc. Sept./Oct. Nov./Dec. Jan./Feb. April/May Copyright ©2013 by DECA Inc.

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Janelle Scudder Shane Thomas Michelle Walker

CORRESPONDENCE

DECA Insight 1908 Association Drive Reston, VA 20191-1594 (703) 860-5000 www.deca.org communications@deca.org

DECA’s Competitive Events Program is a great way to integrate experiential learning activities that will help your students experience success beyond the classroom.

Sample role-plays for each event are available for free download on DECA’s competitive events page. Competitive events booklets with a variety of business scenarios can be purchased through DECA Images.

Many advisors find these to be valuable classroom resources for preparing students for competition, as well as for college and careers.

CONNECTING CURRICULUM, COURSES AND DECA

BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG | DECA INC. STAFF

DECA’s Comprehensive Learning Program integrates into classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition. As an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-validated competitive events are aligned with National Curriculum Standards.

To prepare for a postsecondary program of study, DECA members are increasingly enrolling in business management and administration, finance, hospitality and tourism, and marketing courses during high school. These courses represent Career Clusters®, and DECA’s competitive events program closely aligns with these career cluster areas, enabling teachers to better incorporate DECA into their classroom activities.

MAKING THE CONNECTION AMONG CURRICULUM, COURSES AND DECA 1. Align your program using Career Clusters® and create a course sequence.

2. Review and align the National Curriculum Standards to your curriculum.

3. Assist DECA members in identifying competitive events that match their knowledge and skills attained through classroom instruction.

4. Use DECA’s transcripts generated for DECA competitors at the International Career Development Conference to demonstrate specific mastery of National Curriculum Standards.

5. Participate in DECA’s Professional Learning Series.

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CURRICULUM STRUCTURE The curricular structure of the National Curriculum Standards starts at the Business Administration Core level, which serves as the foundation of knowledge and skills essential for all careers in the Business Management and Administration, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, and Marketing Career Clusters.

Tier 1: Business Administration Core The four career clusters share common skills and knowledge across thirteen instructional areas. For example, the ability to write professional e-mail messages or apply written directions to achieve tasks is essential whether you are in the finance field or marketing field.

Tier 2: Instructional Areas Each cluster then has its own set of instructional areas unique to careers within that cluster.

For example, all careers in the marketing cluster require a strong foundation in the areas of channel management, marketing-information management, marketing planning, pricing, product/service management, promotion and selling — commonly referred to as the functions of marketing. In the Finance Core, for example, specialized content is divided into the areas of compliance, financial-information management, product/service management and risk management.

Tier 3: Career Pathways Clusters are then separated into pathways, which group similar careers together into broad-based occupational opportunities. The Marketing Cluster, for example, contains common knowledge and skills for all professional selling professions, which might be different from those in marketing research.

COMPETITIVE EVENTS FRAMEWORK DECA’s Competitive Events Program aligns with the National Curriculm Standards structure. As content becomes more specialized, so does the content used in each tier of the competitive event.

workplace challenges (as in the Team Decision Making Events or Individual Series Events), members are asked to explain various concepts they would learn in an introductory marketing or business course.

Tier 1: Principles of Business Administration Events

While the member will be evaluated on the judge’s overall impression, emphasis is placed on the member’s content knowledge.

DECA’s Principles of Business Administration (PBA) Events are designed specifically for first-year DECA members in introductory marketing and business courses. The guidelines and performance indicators are exactly the same for each of these events, but they will allow members to explore career paths that best suit their interests and talents.

These events include a comprehensive exam in the Business Administration Core and a content interview with a business executive.

Rather than creating plans or solving

Tier 2: Team Decision Making Events and Business Operations Research Events The Team Decision Making and Business Operations Research Events focus on concepts relating to the entire career path of each career cluster.

Tier 3: Individual Series Events and Prepared Presentation Events The Individual Series Events and Prepared Presentation Events are designed around career pathways and

Tier 4: Specialties Finally, the specialty level addresses knowledge and skills needed for each specific career within the pathway. For example, in the professional selling pathway, specialty careers include advertising sales, pharmaceutical sales, real-estate sales and more.

Summary The tiers do not necessarily indicate levels of rigor, but rather a progression from a broad career interest to a very specialized career focus. Rigor is measured by the curriculum planning level of each performance indicator.

For more information on the National Curriculum Standards, review the executive summary at www.deca.org.

BUSINESS PLANS, CHAPTER PROJECTS AND ONLINE EVENTS

INDIVIDUAL SERIES EVENTS AND PREPARED PRESENTATION EVENTS TEAM DECISION MAKING EVENTS AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS RESEARCH EVENTS PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION EVENTS

DECA’s Comprehensive Competitive Events Framework places event models in levels that align with the Career Clusters curriculum structure.

have the most specialized content, focusing on knowledge and skills in the career pathways, as well as the career clusters and business administration core. They are likely undertaken by advanced members.

Tier 4: Business Plans, Chapter Projects and Online Events These capstone-like events, including Business Plans, Chapter Projects and Online Events, allow members to apply higher-level management and entrepreneurship skills in career specialties.

Postsecondary

Specialized Courses and Training

Specialized Courses and Training

Specialized Courses and Training

Specialized Courses and Training

GRADE 12

Entrepreneurship, Business Law

Accounting II

Travel and Tourism, Hotel and Lodging Management

Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, Advertising

GRADE 11

Accounting I

Advanced Marketing

GRADE 10

Business Management

Introduction to Finance

Introduction to Hospitality

Introduction to Marketing

GRADE 9

Principles of Business Administration

Principles of Business Administration

Principles of Business Administration

Principles of Business Administration

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

FINANCE

HOSPITALITY

MARKETING

At each level, DECA is an integral part of the experiential learning process. This model is an opportunity for local programs to provide a sequence of courses. Instructors and counselors should work closely with students and parents to develop a plan of study that best reflects each student’s abilities, interests and talents.

COURSE SEQUENCES Course sequences can be formulated from the same curriculum framework that is the basis of the National Curriculum Standards and DECA’s Comprehensive Competitive Events Framework. In this framework, students begin the sequence attaining knowledge and skills that are common across the four career clusters and then progress into more specialized career paths as their interests develop.

Tier 3: Pathways

Students in this introductory course, such as Principles of Business Administration, learn foundational knowledge and skills that are common across the four career clusters.

These courses focus on knowledge and skills needed in careers grouped into broad-based occupational opportunities. Some pathway courses may be integrated into the high school curriculum, while others are better suited for post-secondary programs.

For example, an advertising class would be comprised of knowledge and skills and performance indicators from the marketing communications pathway in the marketing cluster.

Likewise, accounting courses would be offered at the high school level in the accounting pathway, while courses in the insurance pathway might be better suited for post-secondary education.

Tier 2: Instructional Areas

Tier 4: Specialties

Tier 1: Business Administration Core

In these courses, students learn knowledge and skills in instructional areas unique to all careers within one career cluster. For example, in a marketing course, instructional areas include channel management, marketing-information management, market planning, pricing, product/ service management, promotion and selling – commonly referred to as the functions of marketing.

In the finance course, for example, content is divided into the areas of compliance, financial-information management, product/service management and risk management.

Finally, the specialty level courses address knowledge and skills needed for each specific career within the pathway. For example, in the professional selling pathway, specialty careers may include pharmaceutical sales, real-estate sales and more.

These courses would commonly be taken at the post-secondary level as a continuation of this model.

INSTRUCTIONAL AREAS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Comprehensive exam questions and performance indicators used in content interviews, case studies and role-plays are selected from instructional areas relevant to the event’s career cluster.

Each performance indicator, selected from the National Curriculum Standards is assigned a curriculum planning level on a continuum of instruction ranging from simple to complex.

Performance indicators are selected from instructional areas at the prerequisite (PQ), career-sustaining (CS) and specialist (SP) curriculum planning levels. For the Principles of Business Administration Events, the specialist-level performance indicators will only be used at ICDC. A complete listing of performance indicators is available at http://www. deca.org/competitions/highschool.

CAREER CLUSTER EXAMS

DECA uses only five career cluster exams. This model provides an opportunity to use data to compare student achievement across the DECA membership.

Performance indicators for all exams are selected from instructional areas at the prerequisite (PQ), career-sustaining (CS) and specialist (SP) curriculum planning levels.

DEC MON A TH CHA PROMOT PT E FRO ER WITH YOUR M DE CA I GEAR MAG ES

FOR ALL YOUR CHAPTER’S NEEDS

703.860.5006 www.deca.org/shop deca_images@deca.org Every dollar of profit earned goes to support programs for DECA members and advisors.

2014

INTERNATIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE MAY 3-6, 2014 | ATLANTA, GEORGIA

COMPETITIVE EVENTS

NEW ADVISOR ACADEMY

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DECA CONCERT FEATURING EASTON CORBIN AND BRETT ELDREDGE

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