Education Resources Blog

VariQuest Blog

The VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite Blog contains resources on classroom ideas, lesson plans, industry news, events, and offers throughout education.

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Special Education | Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Grade Level: Secondary (7-12) | VariQuest Tools: Cutout Maker 1800 | Academic Subject: Career & Technical Education | Featured Topics: Funding | Funding | VariQuest Tools: Motiva 400 | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 2400STP | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 3600STP | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 2400PRO | Engage Every Learner Content

Got CTE Funding? We've got Resources.

By: VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite
September 12th, 2023

Trying to figure out how to best spend your Career & Technical Education funding - or use other funding for career & technical education programs? Let's take a look at some options.

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | VariQuest Super Schools | Academic Subject: Career & Technical Education | Project-based Learning | Secondary Transition Program

Adult Transition Program (ATP) Builds Life Skills

By: VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Tools
March 30th, 2023

As educators, we know one of the more challenging times in a secondary-aged student's life can be preparing for adulthood after high school. This can be especially true for students with disabilities. To say that leaving a support system which feels safe and familiar is overwhelming and scary is an understatement. Fortunately, there are services available through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that disabled students and their parents can continue to rely on to help with a smooth transition into postsecondary education or training, employment, and independent living. The Adult Transition Program (ATP) at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, IL serves a mission to do just that, and with the help of the VariQuest® Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite, their students with disabilities are learning valuable real-world skills, while building confidence, courage and spirit!

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How to Write a Grant eBook

How to Write a Grant eBook

This helpful guide includes an explanation of the grant process, including a checklist (with samples!), and useful links and resources to find funding!

Blog Feature

Lessons/Activities/Templates | Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Student Engagement | Grade Level: Secondary (7-12) | VariQuest Tools: Cutout Maker 1800 | Featured Topics: Student Engagement | Academic Subject: Special Education | VariQuest Tools: Cold Laminator 2510 | Featured Topics: Lessons and Activities | Kinesthetic Learning | VariQuest Tools: Motiva 400 | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 2400STP | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 3600STP

[Toolkit] Building a Student-Based Enterprise

By: VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite
October 25th, 2022

As educators, we prepare our students not only with the tools needed to succeed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but we're also preparing them for success as they move into adulthood beginning college and careers. As such, many schools consider implementing student-based enterprise programs, to teach students real-world skills in exploring all the facets of running a business - from research & development to manufacturing to accounting to marketing. And because we know every educator could use extra tools to keep in their teaching "toolboxes" - we've put together a comprehensive booklet that just might help.

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | VariQuest Super Schools | Parental Involvement | VariQuest Tools: Cutout Maker 1800 | Featured Topics: Student Engagement | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 2400STP | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 3600STP

Posters and Bulletin Boards for Schools: Our #VQshowandtell Winners!

By: VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite
December 2nd, 2021

Earlier this year, we launched a contest on our hashtag-loving social channels, challenging our valued VariQuest customers to post pictures of their fantastic creations, made with the help of the VariQuest Suite. What we found was the affirmation that your creativity knows no bounds, and the ideas you come up with are making your school a better place. The contest, which ended in September, produced three wonderful winners, and we'd like to show you what they've been up to!

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Funding

Resources for Building Career and Technical Education Programs

By: VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite
March 11th, 2021

Career and Technical Education (CTE) may have taken a backseat during the isolation of the pandemic, with less opportunities for collaboration and hands-on learning, but the possibilities of futures for these students are still unlimited, and our responsibilities as educators to help them fulfill those have not changed. As we at VariQuest feel passionately about preparing students for their futures and full potentials, we've gathered together some resources to help you not only build a successful CTE program, but continue its evolution as industries and times change.

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | VariQuest Super Schools | Academic Subject: Career & Technical Education | Project-based Learning

A Student-Run Print Shop Teaches CTE Skills at Higgins Middle School

By: VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Tools
May 1st, 2018

With an emphasis on CTE programs in schools on the rise, so too are student-based enterprises - where students can brainstorm ideas, design and develop products, market their offerings, monitor inventory, balance finances, and nurture patronage - covering many of the 16 Career Clusters and developing students' real world skills. Such is the case at Higgins Middle School in Peabody, Massachusetts, where the students are tasked with running a multi-service print shop fully equipped with VariQuest® Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Tools.

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Lessons/Activities/Templates | Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Grade Level: Primary (PK-2) | Featured Topics: Lessons and Activities | Academic Subject: Mathematics

[Lesson Plan] Counting Strategies Activity: Build a Fruit Basket

By: Carman Le
April 12th, 2018

As more and more schools expand their curriculum offerings to include Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs spanning the 16 Career Clusters, the need for resources to help these students has grown along with it. One of these clusters, obviously close to our hearts at VariQuest, is the Education & Training pathway - so along with supporting educators who facilitate this goal with students, we also want to support those students considering a career in the industry! So - do you have an Early Education Program with your secondary students? Or maybe you're a Pre-K or Kindergarten teacher looking for activities to help students learn about numbers and counting? We've got a free lesson plan for you, aligned with Common Core Math Standard K.CC.A.1-5: "Counting Strategies: Build a Fruit Basket!"

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Student Engagement | Grade Level: Secondary (7-12) | student achievement

[Playbook] Building a Career and Technical Education Program for the 21st Century

By: VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Tools
November 30th, 2017

20, 15, even 10 years ago - when you thought about Career and Technical Education (CTE), you would picture a wood shop or auto mechanics class at a high school. But things have changed, and CTE isn't your dad's trade training anymore. Career & Technical Education Programs built for the 21st Century look drastically different - with schools building skill-development for many real-world jobs such as engineering, graphic design, teaching, business management, and so much more. The goal is achieving what schools have always worked towards - preparing students for college or careers - but this broader spectrum is geared towards a new kind of learner.

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | VariQuest Super Schools | Academic Subject: Career & Technical Education

21st Century Learning at The Career Academy

By: VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Tools
November 21st, 2017

CTE programs are built for students to learn their coursework by applying their knowledge to real-world scenarios, prepping them for future education or careers. The Career Academy (TCA) in Lincoln, Nebraska is an exemplary model for this. A collaborative effort between Southeast Community College and the Lincoln Public School District, high school juniors and seniors are invited to attend the academy for two hours each day during the regular school year, participating in high school and dual-credit courses through 16 different career pathways, while taking the rest of their classes at their “home” high school. Upon graduation, students are better-prepared to enter the workforce, work towards a certificate in their chosen field, or continue on to college – taking their career course credits with them. Thanks to an anonymous gift from a generous donor, Southeast Community College purchased the VariQuest suite of tools for TCA and through various activities, they’ve been able to fill the walls of classrooms and support various career pathways; preparing students for whatever endeavor their future holds….

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Career & Technology Education (CTE) | Student Engagement | Grade Level: Secondary (7-12) | student achievement

[Checklist] 6 Steps Toward a 21st Century Learning Environment

By: VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Tools
November 16th, 2017

Despite being 18 years into the new millennium, we hear a lot about "21st Century Learning Environments" these days, as schools are struggling to adapt to meet the needs of a new kind of learner - one who is constantly immersed in technology, and thus needs engaging, hands-on activities to feel connected to the real-life, real-world. With this in mind, we've created a 6-step checklist to help you assess building new, or enhancing your current CTE program, based on tactics our customers have implemented, as proof these techniques really work. For example...

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