SMART OPTIONS: How Smarts can Lead to Career Possibilities

Smart Options is a new (2000) career development program based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Thomas Armstrong’s popularization of the concept. Created by Dr. Dan Baran and Phillippa Baran for students in grades 7 and 8, the program gives young people a richer understanding of themselves and shows them how they can use that knowledge to carve out more meaningful lives and careers. Smart Options, available in both English and French, requires between 4 and 6 hours of classroom time, although additional time, if available, can be devoted to exercises and activities.

Smart Options is organized as four Lesson Plans and includes four components: a 32-page full colour Student’s Resource Book, a Facilitator's Guide, a poster suitable for mounting on a classroom wall, and an introductory video. The Student’s Resource Book contains descriptions of each of the eight intelligences (smarts), checklists for understanding your smarts, exercises that show how your smarts can be applied to career exploration, and suggestions for improving the strength of your smarts. The Facilitator's Guide  provides step-by-step directions for leading students through their Resource Books, background information about intelligence and the contributions of people like Gardner and Armstrong, and a brief bibliography. The poster summarizes the eight types of smarts (People, Self, Logic, Word, Nature, Body, Image, and Music) as well as a sample of occupations requiring particular strength in these smarts.

The complete package is available through the National Life/Work Centre, 488 Central Street, Memramcook, New Brunswick, Canada  E4K 3S6, and can be ordered by calling 1-888-533-5683. E-mail address is lifework@nbret.nb.ca. The web site URL for Smart Options is http://www.lifework.ca/pr_smart.html.