Course Overview
Career Studies, Grade 10, Open
Identifying Information
Course Title: Career Studies
Grade: 10
Course Type: Open
Ministry Course Code: GLC2O
Credit Value: .5
Description/Rationale
The purpose of the Career Studies course is to equip students to intelligently and purposefully interact with their world (now and in the future) so that they live, work, and participate in it as satisfied and contributing members of society. Student learning will include assessing their own knowledge, skills, and characteristics and investigating economic trends, workplace organization, work opportunities, and ways to search for work. The course explores post-secondary learning options, prepares students for community-based learning, and helps them build the capabilities needed for managing work and life transitions. Students will design action plans for pursuing their goals.
Unit Titles (Time + Sequence)
|
Unit 1 |
What in the World? |
10 hours |
|
Unit 2 |
Now me! |
22 hours |
|
Unit 3 |
What About the Future |
23 hours |
Unit Organization
Unit 1: What in the World?
Time: 10 hours
Description
In this unit, students will explore current economic and societal trends and opportunities in order to assist them in making more informed career/life choices. By examining concepts of success, students will develop an understanding and examine it in the context of their own lives. Students will begin to articulate how their special interests direct their career/life decisions. The unit sets the stage for students to navigate a changing world and to recognize that a career is not just an occupational destination but a lifelong journey. Students will demonstrate effective research, communication and teamwork skills.
Strand(s): Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Exploration of Opportunities, Preparation for Transitions and Change
Overall Expectations: PMV.01, PMV.03, PMV.04, EOV.01, EOV.02, EOV.04.
Specific Expectations: PM3.01, PM3.04, PM4.01, PM4.02, PM 4.03, PM 4.05, EO1.02, EO2.07, EO2.09, PC1.02.
Unit 2: Now Me!
Time: 22 hours
Description
Students will develop an awareness of the positive impact that young people have on their own development, their school, their community, and the world. Through a variety of experiences, they will profile their learning styles, strategies, interests, abilities, characteristics, and competencies. This process will empower them to construct their present and future career paths as they explore their world. They will gain an understanding of the variety of volunteer, part-time work, summer, educational, and leadership opportunities and exchanges which will further develop and clarify their transferable skills. Students will demonstrate self-promotion strategies for their current goal and will recognize the value of these strategies in career planning in a changing world.
Strand(s): Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Exploration of Opportunities, Preparation for Transitions and Change
Overall Expectations: PMV.01, PMV.02, PMV.04, EOV.02, PCV.01, PCV.02.
Specific Expectations: PM1.O1, PM1.O2, PM1.O3, PM2.O1, PM2.O2, PM2.O3, PM2.O4, PM3.O3, PM3.O4, PM4.O2, PM4.O3, EO2.O1, EO2.O3, EO2.O4, EO2.O5, PC1.02, PC2.O1, PC2.O2, PC2.O3, PC2.O4, PC2.O5, PC2.O6, PC2.O7, PC2.O8, PC3.O2.
Unit 3: I Am the Future
Time: 25 hours (includes 10 hours – Final Evaluation Tasks)
Description
Students will relate what they have learned about themselves, the world of work, and community involvement to options for present and future opportunities. They will hypothesize how societal and economic trends may affect them and influence their choices. They will begin to construct a road map - goal setting for their own personal “success” destination. Through the application of the decision-making model they will develop action plans. Students will synthesize their learning of the career/life journey and articulate the key questions they will use as tools for future planning, transition and change. This unit includes the final evaluation tasks.
Strand(s): Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Exploration of Opportunities, Preparation for Transitions and Change
Overall Expectations: PMV.03, PMV.04, EOV.01, EOV.02, EOV.03, PCV.03, PCV.04.
Specific Expectations: PM2.04, PM3.O2, PM3.O3, PM4.O2, PM4.O3, PM4.O4, EO1.O1, EO1.O2, EO1.O3, EO1.O4, EO2.O2, EO2.O4, EO2.O6, EO2.O7, EO2.O8, EO2.O9, PC1.O1, PC1.O2, PC1.O3, PC3.O1, PC3.O3, PC3.O4, PC3.O5, PC3.O6.
Course Notes
The purpose of the Career Studies course is to equip students to intelligently and purposefully interact with their world (now and in the future) so that they live, work, and participate in it as satisfied and contributing members of society. The task becomes more complex with the realization that both the students and the world are continually changing.
The Career Studies Course Profile therefore emphasizes three areas of learning so that students not only learn to recognize and pursue opportunities but learn to create, shape, and construct them in terms of their own potential and actual interests and abilities. The units and activities are designed to help students:
· acquire the habits, characteristics and skills of a self - directed, life long learner – one who can set and clarify goals and purposes for learning, plan, take action, gather evidence and assess the action, reflect on and evaluate learning, and modify actions based on new knowledge;
· ask critical questions, as part of an inquiry process, to direct the learning that they need to do and the actions they need to take;
· gain skills in decision making, problem solving, and inquiry.
The units and activities in the Career Studies Course Profile are designed so that the student can attend to these areas of learning throughout the course, construct the required knowledge, and practise and refine the associated skills holistically rather than in isolation.
The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10, Guidance and Career Education supports this approach:
“A particularly effective approach is the continuous inquiry process, through which students learn how to define and investigate critical questions and issues. In exploring these issues, students learn how to work independently and with others, how to draw conclusions and construct solutions, how to take responsible action, and how to reflect upon actions taken. In the Guidance and Career Education curriculum, students begin by acquiring self-knowledge and exploring the world around them. They learn by doing. They then synthesize what they have learned by reflecting, analysing, evaluating, making decisions, and setting goals. Finally they apply their learning both in the classroom and in other contexts and evaluate their progress. Students thus learn how to take responsibility for their own learning in preparation for life beyond secondary school.”
The critical
questions in this personal inquiry and planning process are listed in the table
below:
|
Critical Questions for Student Inquiry and Planning in Career
Studies |
||
|
Overall Question: How do I take control of my own career/life? |
Inquiry Phase |
|
|
1. |
What do I know about myself and my world? (exploring the circumstances) |
Question & Explore |
|
2. |
What do I want to find out about
myself and my world? What are the possibilities? What is the potential – what areas allow my interests to be expressed? (checking out the possibilities) |
Predict |
|
3. |
What information do I need and how do I find it? (gathering information) |
Plan for Research; Collect Information |
|
4. |
What have I decided and how can I
prepare for this direction? What is my learning plan? (planning for action) |
Synthesize; Communicate |
|
5. |
What new questions do I have? How do I revise my plan for changing circumstances? (refining, revising, and refocussing) |
Evaluate |
It is expected that, at the end of the Career Studies course, students will routinely and independently ask these questions as part of the career planning process.
The Portfolio
The Career Studies Course Profile has been designed to include a portfolio process. The process includes:
· ongoing individual student documentation of learning in the course in the areas of Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Exploration of Opportunities, and Preparation for Transitions and Change;
· student goal setting and action planning for learning and involvement in school, community, and work.
The portfolio can be as simple as contents in a file folder. The portfolio process causes students to focus on what they have learned, “prove it” with evidence, and determine where and how they might use this learning again. The portfolio process therefore, rather than the container, is the critical piece in a Career Studies course. If other portfolios are used in other subjects and a comprehensive portfolio is used as part of the Teacher Adviser Program, evidence from each of the subject portfolios – including Career Studies feeds the comprehensive (all learning) portfolio in the Teacher Adviser Program.
The Personal Profile
A learning expectation in the Career Studies curriculum policy requires the student to create a Personal Profile – a current snapshot of their interests, competencies, characteristics, habits and learning preferences. The portfolio process and the documentation of the student’s ongoing learning support the creation of a personal profile.
The portfolio with cumulative evidence of the student’s learning in the Career Studies course and current career/life goals and plans contributes significantly to the student’s Annual Education Planning process. Assisted by the Teacher Adviser, the student will then create an expanded picture of his/her learning in the areas of interpersonal development, career development, and student development and develop goals and plans in each of these areas as outlined in the Annual Education Plan.
The portfolio process will assist students in developing the skills, habits, and characteristics which contribute to effective decision making and action in all aspects of their lives.
Teaching/Learning Strategies
The strategies used meet the needs of a variety of learners:
· direct instruction – whole class and small group;
· small group co-operative learning;
· guided Internet searches;
· multimedia presentations;
· oral presentations;
· small group discussions;
· report, letter, application, resumé writing;
· choice in the development of student products (e.g., projects);
· opportunities for practice and frequent feedback;
· graphic organizers (e.g., Venn diagrams, mind maps, tables);
· opportunities for the use of information technologies (e.g., computers, video and digital cameras, scanners, Internet).
Teaching and
learning strategies that help students transfer skills and knowledge to other
contexts:
· inquiry (e.g., generate questions and communicate findings in a variety of ways);
· problem solving;
· individual and group research;
· problem-based learning;
· explicit teaching and use of thinking skills and strategies;
· explicit use and teaching of self-assessment and reflection;
· interviews;
· portfolio;
· simulation, case studies, role playing;
· community-based learning.
Assessment and Evaluation Techniques
In the Career Studies Course Profile, a variety of assessment strategies are used for student demonstration of learning.
Paper and Pencil: tests
Demonstrations/Performances: projects, skills demonstration, role playing, and simulations
Personal Communication: portfolio, conferences, interviews
The following
tools are used to determine how well students have achieved the expectations:
graphic organizers, checklists, rubrics, tests, rating scales, personal profile.
Where possible, assessment tasks are designed in “real world” contexts so that students see the learning in Career Studies as meaningful and relevant and are motivated to apply their learning in an assessment situation.
Accommodations
The following considerations apply to each of the units in this course.
1. Any student or group of students may require accommodations in response to specific needs at different times and in varied circumstances.
2. Appropriate accommodations should be part of the planning of each unit activity in terms of the particular students in the class and their specific needs.
3. Instructional and assessment activities must take into account the strengths, needs, learning expectations and accommodations as identified in the Individual Education Plan whether students are formally identified or not. (Regulation 181/98)
4. Accommodations to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and evaluation may include but are not limited to:
· simplified tasks and activities;
· expanded expectations and opportunities for enrichment;
· data charts into which students will record information;
· more time for learning and completion of activities;
· use of specialized equipment and assistance;
· modified work load;
· to accommodate students with weak writing skills, a wide range of options for recording and reporting work (e.g., drawings, diagrams, flow charts, concept maps);
· use of available adaptive technologies to assist students (computer-assisted learning);
· where possible, assessment strategies adapted to student learning strengths;
· key words charted or on the board when students are expected to make their own notes;
· student-created oral reports; scribe (teacher or student) helps in note making;
· peer helpers available to assist students working in small groups;
· use of tape recorders or computers as an alternative to written responses.
5. Some students with an IEP may require selected expectations to be modified to meet the students’ needs. As outlined in Ontario Secondary School, 1999, the principal will determine whether achievement of these modified expectations warrants successful completion of the course.
(Adapted from Grade 9 Learning Strategies Course Profile - Public District School Board Writing Partnership, 1999 and Grade 9 Essential Science Course Profile, Public and Catholic District School Boards Writing Partnership, 1999.)
Resources
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, Career and Labour Market Information. Changing Course Midstream. Edmonton, Alberta,1998. ISBN 0-7732-00126
Alberta Advanced Education and
Career Development. Finding Out. Edmonton, Alberta, 1999.
ISBN 0-7732-1717-7
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development. Job Seekers Handbook, An Introductory Guide to Finding Work. Edmonton, Alberta, 1998. ISBN 0-7732-0013-4
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, Information Development and Marketing Branch. Lasting Gifts. Edmonton, Alberta, 1995. ISBN 0-7732-1724-X
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, Career and Labour Market Information. Multiple Choices, Planning Your Career for the 21st Century. Edmonton, Alberta, 1999. ISBN 0-7732-1742-8
Alberta Advanced Education and
Career Development, Information Development and Marketing Branch. Radical
Change in the World of Work. Edmonton, Alberta, 1995.
1995 Counsellor’s Guide ISBN
0-7732-1718-5
1995 Backgrounder ISBN
0-7732-1720-7
1996 Workbook ISBN
0-7732-1722-3
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, Information Development and Marketing Branch. Valley Girl. Edmonton, Alberta, 1995. ISBN 0-7732 0627-2
Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, Information Development and Marketing Branch. Worksmarts. Edmonton, Alberta, 1995. ISBN 0-7732-0621-3
Alberta Career Development and
Employment. The Future Beat. Edmonton, Alberta, 1992.
ISBN 07732-0173-4
Alberta Human Resources and Employment, Career and Labour Market Information. Skills Plus Handbook, Discovering Your Personal Career Assets. Edmonton, Alberta, 1999. ISBN 0-7732 -1741-X
Beck, Nuala. Excelerate: Growing in the New Economy. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1995.
Beck, Nuala. Shifting Gears: Thriving in the New Economy. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1992.
Beggs, Pauline, Fran Cohen, and Tom Dart. Take Our Kids To Work Teacher’s Resource. Toronto: The Learning Partnership, 1997.
Butler, S. and J. Misener. Exploring Your Horizons. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1998. ISBN 0-07-552864-9
Dunning, Donna. Learning Your
Way. Alberta: Unlimited Learning Publications, 1998.
ISBN 0-9683559-0-0
Durnford, Carol and S. Maheden. Heart Beats. Edmonton: Youth Works, Society of Alberta, Centre for Career Development Innovation, Concordia College, 1993.
Handcock, Helen. The Facilitator’s Edge, Group Sessions for Educators! National Life/Work Centre. Online copies: pdf format – http://www.theedgemag.org
Kearns, S. and J. Misener. Expanding Your Horizons. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1993. ISBN 0-07-551392-7
Sander, Phil, M. Simpson, and T. Ward. Career Education. Toronto: Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, Educational Services Committee, 1997. ISBN 0-920930-82-4
Sebranek, P., V. Meyer, D. Kemper, and J. Van Rys. School to Work, A Student Handbook. Boston: D.C. Heath and Co., 1996. ISBN 0-669-40874-5
Volunteering Works! Be Part of Shaping Your Future (youth booklet, parents’ guide, facilitator’s guide). Volunteer Canada, 2000. http://www.volunteer.ca
Web Sites
Career Explorer
http://on.cx.bridges.com
Information on Apprenticeships
http://www.apprenticesearch.com
Job Futures
http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/JobFutures/english/index.htm
Mazemaster
http://mazemaster.on.ca
Volunteer Canada
http://www.volunteer.ca
Work Info Net
http://workinfonet.ca
OSS Policy Applications
Choices Into Action, Guidance
and Career Education Policy, 1999
Ontario Secondary Schools,
1999
The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and
10, Program Planning and Assessment
Course Evaluation
Indicators of success may include:
· increasing self-direction by students in the development of their Annual Education Plans;
· connections made by students between their learning in their subjects and its application at home, at part-time work and in the community;
· an overall increase in the sophistication of questions handled by Guidance and Teacher Adviser staff;
· choices made by students concerning their learning in school, their course selection, their selected pathways, and tentative destinations that reflect self-knowledge, an awareness of options, and application of a decision-making process.
Appendix 1
Critical Question Spiral
Inquiry Process for Career/Life Journey
Appendix 2
The Portfolio and the Personal Profile
The Career Studies Portfolio includes:
1. Evidence of learning in:
2. Reflective comments for each piece of evidence (Appendix 14 – Reflection Rubric, Appendix 18 – Reflective Questions 2);
3. Goals and plans made for the above three areas of learning.
The Personal Profile created by students in Career Studies
· is a collection of material (evidence of student knowledge, skills, and values) that provides a current snapshot or picture of the student’s abilities and attributes;
· contains material selected from the student’s Career Studies portfolio and other sources of personal information (e.g., inventories, assessments).
Appendix 3
The Career Studies Portfolio: Where It Fits…..
Coded Expectations, Career Studies, GLC2O
Personal Knowledge and Management Skills
Overall Expectations
PMV.01
– demonstrate an understanding of and apply strategies needed for success in school;
PMV.02
– identify their interests, skills, characteristics, and accomplishments and describe how these are influenced by their experiences;
PMV.03
– describe the personal management skills and characteristics needed to succeed in school, work, family life, and the community and demonstrate the effective use of personal management skills in a variety of settings;
PMV.04
– demonstrate understanding and effective use of interpersonal skills required to establish and maintain positive relationships and work effectively in teams or groups.
Specific Expectations
Developing Learning Skills and Strategies
PM1.01
– demonstrate understanding of the secondary school program and graduation requirements and related terms (e.g., compulsory credit, transcript, full disclosure, types of courses, literacy test, community involvement, diploma, certificate of achievement);
PM1.02
– demonstrate effective use of strategies for achieving success in school (i.e., note taking, strategies for completing homework, strategies for studying for tests and examinations);
PM1.03
– produce an evaluation of the effectiveness of their learning skills and strategies and identify those requiring improvement.
Developing Personal Knowledge
PM2.01
– demonstrate understanding of the purpose and use of self-assessment and standardized assessment tools and strategies (e.g., aptitude tests, skills inventories);
PM2.02
– produce a personal profile describing their current interests, competencies, characteristics, and learning preferences, using a variety of assessment strategies;
PM2.03
– identify the skills they have developed through school subjects (e.g., literacy, numeracy, communication) and through community experiences and explain how these skills are transferable to work and other life roles;
PM2.04
– describe internal and external influences that might limit or expand the range of career opportunities they would consider (e.g., previous successes, peer pressure, parental expectations).
Applying Personal Management Skills
PM3.01
– describe and explain the importance of personal management skills (e.g., organization skills, stress management), habits (e.g., maintaining a personal planner), and characteristics (e.g., adaptability) for success in school and other life roles;
PM3.02
– demonstrate understanding of the impact of family responsibilities on education and careers;
PM3.03
– summarize and document their own personal management skills and habits, identifying their strengths and targeting areas for improvement;
PM3.04
– demonstrate effective use of personal management skills (e.g., well-organized notebooks, punctuality).
Working in Groups
PM4.01
– describe a variety of effective communication skills (e.g., active listening, giving and receiving feedback, negotiation, conflict resolution, consensus building);
PM4.02
– demonstrate use of effective communication skills in a variety of situations in school, at home, and in the community;
PM4.03
– identify positive teamwork skills (e.g., task management, conflict resolution, task assessment) and demonstrate the ability to use them effectively in a variety of settings;
PM4.04
– identify and explain ineffective leadership and teamwork skills;
PM4.05
– describe respectful and responsible behaviours that produce effective group results.
Exploration of Opportunities
Overall Expectations
EOV.01
– demonstrate the ability to use a variety of resources to find information about learning, work, and community involvement opportunities;
EOV.02
– identify a broad range of options for present and future learning, work, and community involvement;
EOV.03
– demonstrate knowledge of selected fields of work, occupations, and workplace issues;
EOV.04
– describe trends in society and the economy that affect work.
Specific Expectations
Accessing and Managing Information
EO1.01
– identify and describe an occupational classification system (e.g., National Occupational Classification) and identify occupational groups in this system that are of interest to them;
EO1.02
– demonstrate effective use of print, video, and computer-based resources to locate, select, and evaluate career-related information on the basis of identified criteria;
EO1.03
– identify questions that are appropriate for gathering relevant career-related information and use them effectively in information interviews with people in selected fields of work;
EO1.04
– demonstrate the ability to organize selected career information effectively, using word-processing, database, spreadsheet, and information management software.
Identifying Trends and Opportunities
EO2.01
– identify and describe a variety of learning opportunities for secondary school students, including high school courses, community- based learning (e.g., school–work transition programs, community involvement, work experience, volunteering, cooperative education), and co-curricular activities;
EO2.02
– describe and compare a variety of post-secondary learning options, including university, college, apprenticeship, private training, distance education, and on-the-job training;
EO2.03
– identify a broad range of local and regional work opportunities;
EO2.04
– describe various forms of self-employment (including entrepreneurship), the characteristics of successfully self-employed people, and the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment as a career option;
EO2.05
– demonstrate understanding of how to maintain safety in the workplace and identify employees’ and employers’ rights and responsibilities;
EO2.06
– demonstrate understanding of selected fields of work (e.g., telecommunications, finance, construction), including emerging trends, sample occupations, and ways that high school students can prepare for those fields;
EO2.07
– identify and describe economic and societal trends (e.g., globalization, developments in information technology, emerging work style alternatives, changing demographics);
EO2.08
– demonstrate knowledge of selected occupations, including education/training requirements, duties, employment prospects, and the knowledge and skills valued by employers;
EO2.09
– explain how economic and societal trends influence the way in which work is done, the patterns of adult work life, and the growth and decline of various occupations and fields of work.
Preparation for Transitions and Change
Overall Expectations
PCV.01
– demonstrate understanding of the processes of finding and creating work;
PCV.02
– demonstrate the ability to use marketing and networking strategies and to produce personal documentation (e.g., résumés, portfolios) in searching for work;
PCV.03
– use appropriate decision-making methods to set learning, community, and work goals and develop action plans;
PCV.04
– identify changes taking place in their personal lives, their communities, and the economy and identify strategies to make transitions occur more smoothly.
Specific Expectations
Managing Change
PC1.01
– demonstrate understanding of transitions and change by identifying some of the personal and work-related transitions and changes that they, their families, and people in their communities have experienced (e.g., moving to a new country, losing a job, going to a new school);
PC1.02
– demonstrate understanding that career development is a lifelong process that will include transitions, changes, and lifelong learning;
PC1.03
– identify effective and ineffective ways of dealing with transitions and change.
Searching for Work
PC2.01
– demonstrate an understanding of both the “open” (publicly advertised) job market and the “hidden” (unadvertised) job market, and identify appropriate strategies to access each market;
PC2.02
– identify the types of summer or part-time jobs or self-employment options that would suit their personal interests and skills;
PC2.03
– use a variety of resources appropriately to identify summer or part-time jobs in the “open” job market;
PC2.04
– identify their own network of contacts that could help them access the “hidden” job market, and explain the importance of personal networks;
PC2.05
– create effective résumés, cover letters, and thank-you letters for the work search process, using word-processing software and appropriate vocabulary and conventions;
PC2.06
– complete job applications effectively and without spelling or grammatical errors;
PC2.07
– demonstrate the ability to communicate their interest in a work opportunity effectively (e.g., on the telephone, in person, or through e-mail and the Internet);
PC2.08
– identify common interview questions and demonstrate the ability to respond appropriately and effectively.
Setting Goals and Planning Action
PC3.01
– demonstrate an understanding of how to use decision-making processes;
PC3.02
– articulate personal, community, and occupational goals and explain how these relate to their competencies, interests, and characteristics;
PC3.03
– articulate their learning goals, taking into consideration what they have learned about their learning preferences, strengths, needs, and interests, and the competencies needed for selected fields of work;
PC3.04
– identify several post-secondary education/ training options that are suited to their competencies, interests, and aspirations and explain why they are appropriate;
PC3.05
– identify potential barriers that could interfere with the achievement of their goals and use problem-solving strategies to identify appropriate actions;
PC3.06
– produce a preliminary learning plan, to be included in their annual education plan, that identifies courses to be taken in school, activities in the school and community, and post-secondary education options that will help them achieve their goals.