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An introduction to “Creating Pathways to Success”

Enhancing your cooperative education program to further student success

An education and career/life planning program for Ontario schools

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Learning objectives

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Understanding the main components of “Creating Pathways to Success”.

Exploring how the process can be integrated into the cooperative

education program.

Notes:

Activity - Table of experts - copies of the document - online or hardcopy.

teachers will be asked to explore the document and to note their observations on post-its. Each participant will be assigned a number from 1 to 3 to answer the following questions on the slide. For example number 1 - reads describe the following…. number 2 - explain how…. number 3 - identify activities…..
teachers will be grouped by the number they were assigned and discuss their findings and will provide a resumé on chart paper. Select a spokesperson for each group of experts and share the findings from the readings and the discussion.

Objective of the activity is to bring awareness to the essentiel components of the document.

Big ideas:

the Four step inquiry process
primary goals - page 8
knowledge and skilss - pages 14 and 15
type of activities

Overview from The Toronto Disctrict School Board - Website

Student learning in the education and career/life planning program takes place through:
* a variety of developmentally appropriate learning activities and programs related to the curriculum
* school-wide activities and processes
* activities in the community

Cooperative education sets the stage

The knowledge and skills that students acquire through the program are organized in a conceptual framework that includes four areas of learning. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will reflect on and capture evidence of their developing knowledge and skills in the four areas of learning in a portfolio called “All About Me” . In Grades 7 to 12, students will document evidence of their learning in an Individual Pathways Plan (IPP)

Creating Pathways to Success outlines an inquiry-based conceptual framework and supporting policies and processes to guide schools in developing a comprehensive Kindergarten to Grade 12 education and career/life planning program. The program framework is a four-step inquiry process built on four questions linked to the four areas of learning in education and career/life planning – Knowing Yourself; Exploring Opportunities; Making Decisions and Setting Goals; and Achieving Goals and Making Transitions

The four questions in the framework are relevant at any age or stage of development; only context and emphasis change as a student progresses through school, from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Who am I?
What are my opportunities?
Who do I want to become?
What is my plan for achieving my goals?

The education and career/life planning process is ongoing and cyclical, with students regularly returning to the four questions, equipped with a greater knowledge of themselves and their opportunities and a growing understanding of how they can successfully shape their future. Regular use of the framework across the curriculum and throughout the school experience helps students see the connections between their learning in school and their lives beyond school, and creates a culture supportive of education and career/ life planning within the school.
A central goal of the program is for students to learn how to use the model and make a habit of applying it, so that they can become confident, independent, and effective education and career/life planners throughout their lives.

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Inquiry

As a adult, how easy is it to project your future?

Notes:

We all agree that experiential learning is an important part of learning to acquire a better understanding of oneself and to explore different pathway possibilities. We are always trying to offer authentic pertinent situations that enhance their learning experiences.

Ask participants to describe their experience about their future career development with a partner sitting at their table.

Answer questions such as:

What are my possibilities for professional and personnal development?
What are my personnal and professional objectives?
What are the factors that helped me make these decisions?
What is my plan to acheive my goals?
What ressources are available so that I may succeed in obtaining my personal and professional objectives?
What are the challanges or obstacles that could occur in trying to obtain theses objectives?

Ask the following questions after the reflection:

How easy was it for you to identify career objectives at the age of 7, 13 and 18? Share with a neighboor.

Answer: Participants come to the conclusion that it is not easy at the age of 7, 13 or 18 to project ones future. Creating Pathways to success is a ministry inititative to facilitate the process for students in our schools.

To reinforce conclusions explain page 3 - Paragraph 3 in the document:

To promote success in school and life, it is essential for Ontario schools to provide opportunities and support for all students to plan their individual pathways

through school and for each to make a successful transition to his or her initial postsecondary destination. As reflected in the ministry resource document School

Effectiveness Framework (SEF), K–12: A Support for School Improvement and Student Success,1 schools that adopt “pathways thinking” enhance every student’s

outlook for success by:

•• supporting students in identifying their personal interests, strengths, needs, and aspirations and in using this knowledge of themselves to inform their

choices of programs and learning opportunities;

•• providing a range of diverse and engaging learning opportunities, courses, and programs, both in and outside the classroom, that meet the interests,

strengths, needs, and aspirations of the students and honour all postsecondary destinations – apprenticeship training, college, community living, university,

and the workplace.

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An introduction to “Creating Pathways to Success - an overview

Describe the following:

the program structure
the Framework for a Four-step Inquiry Process
the Four areas of learning
the relationship with the cooperative education programs

Explain how this contributes to the student developing their 21st

century skills in the cooperative education programs

Identify activities in your course where this could be integrated

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Notes:

Activity - Table of experts - copies of the document - online or hardcopy.

teachers will be asked to explore the document and to note their observations on post-its. Each participant will be assigned a number from 1 to 3 to answer the following questions on the slide. For example number 1 - reads describe the following…. number 2 - explain how…. number 3 - identify activities…..
teachers will be grouped by the number they were assigned and discuss their findings and will provide a resumé on chart paper. Select a spokesperson for each group of experts and share the findings from the readings and the discussion.

Objective of the activity is to bring awareness to the essentiel components of the document.

Big ideas:

the Four step inquiry process
primary goals - page 8
knowledge and skilss - pages 14 and 15
type of activities

Overview from The Toronto Disctrict School Board - Website

Student learning in the education and career/life planning program takes place through:
* a variety of developmentally appropriate learning activities and programs related to the curriculum
* school-wide activities and processes
* activities in the community

Cooperative education sets the stage

The knowledge and skills that students acquire through the program are organized in a conceptual framework that includes four areas of learning. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will reflect on and capture evidence of their developing knowledge and skills in the four areas of learning in a portfolio called “All About Me” . In Grades 7 to 12, students will document evidence of their learning in an Individual Pathways Plan (IPP)

Creating Pathways to Success outlines an inquiry-based conceptual framework and supporting policies and processes to guide schools in developing a comprehensive Kindergarten to Grade 12 education and career/life planning program. The program framework is a four-step inquiry process built on four questions linked to the four areas of learning in education and career/life planning – Knowing Yourself; Exploring Opportunities; Making Decisions and Setting Goals; and Achieving Goals and Making Transitions

The four questions in the framework are relevant at any age or stage of development; only context and emphasis change as a student progresses through school, from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Who am I?
What are my opportunities?
Who do I want to become?
What is my plan for achieving my goals?

The education and career/life planning process is ongoing and cyclical, with students regularly returning to the four questions, equipped with a greater knowledge of themselves and their opportunities and a growing understanding of how they can successfully shape their future. Regular use of the framework across the curriculum and throughout the school experience helps students see the connections between their learning in school and their lives beyond school, and creates a culture supportive of education and career/ life planning within the school.
A central goal of the program is for students to learn how to use the model and make a habit of applying it, so that they can become confident, independent, and effective education and career/life planners throughout their lives.

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Figure 1. Structure of the Education and Career/Life Planning Program

Notes:

Have participants examine the following image on page 12 and discuss within their groupe the key messages.

Where does learning take place and where is there proof that this has occured?

Answer: The first row takes about the program, the four step inquiry and the areas of developement. Students must be given the opportunity to reflect on their various learning experiences. The 2nd row links the four step inquiry to life experiences so that the student is able to make connections between his skills and his learning. The primary purpose is make solid connections between curriculum expectations, learning and activities that occur in ones daily life.

Ask participants to identify these possibilities:

Curricular activities - inside and outside the classroom: example - dual credit course, cooperative education
School activities - extracurriculur, career exploration (career day, presentations by postsecondary institutions and organizations.
Community activities - volunteer work, community involement, part-time employement.

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IPP - Individual Pathways Plan

What is the IPP? How can I help students contribute to their IPP?

VIDEO

Notes:

Have participants read page 18 of the policy to understand what the primary purpose of the IPP for the students. See notes listed below from the Toronto Disctrict School Board. Show the video from MyBlueprint there are also some for those that use Career Cruising.

Ask the following question:

How can I help students contribute to their IPP?

offer moments of reflection where students can add pictures, files or linds about their workplacement. The education planner also has the following componants: resume and cover letter, goal setting, career spectrum, occupation planner that could be integrated into the preplacement piece of the cooperative education course.

The Individual Pathways Plan (IPP), Grades 7 to 12 - Toronto District School Board

Starting in Grade 7 and building on their K–6 portfolio, students will document their learning in education and career/life planning in a web-based Individual Pathways Plan (IPP).7 The IPP becomes the primary planning tool for students as they move through the grades towards their initial postsecondary destination. Ongoing development of the IPP also provides students with a valuable archive of their learning and a record of the resources that can assist them in planning.
Students are responsible for establishing and maintaining their Individual Pathways Plans. All secondary schools within TCDSB are equipped with the web-based tool of myBlueprint, aimed at supporting students in the establishment, review and revision of their IPP at least twice a year. The IPP provides the structure for students to document evidence of their ongoing inquiry and development in the four areas of learning. For each area of learning, students report and reflect on what they did during various learning activities, the knowledge and skills they used, what they learned, and how they have applied or plan to apply what they learned. By developing their Individual Pathways Plan, students take responsibility for their learning and for planning their future. Developing their IPP increases students’ awareness of their strengths and interests and of the related opportunities for learning and work. It also enables them, in collaboration with their teachers and parents, to make decisions, set goals, and develop and implement the steps needed to successfully complete elementary and secondary school and proceed to their initial postsecondary destination. In Grades 7 and 8, the IPP process will emphasize planning for the transition from elementary to secondary school; in Grades 10 to 12, it will emphasize planning for the student’s initial postsecondary destination.

The development of learning skills and work habits, described in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, 2010 and reported in provincial report cards, is also a critical element in education.

The IPP also serves as a record of student learning and an effective resource for facilitating parent interviews and student-led conferences, illustrating where students have been and where they are going. In addition, the IPP helps students develop a fuller understanding of the education and career/life planning inquiry process and the value the process will have for them in their postsecondary planning and throughout their lives.

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“Experiential learning is very important in discovering oneself and the opportunities that exist”

Notes:

Ask participants to discuss et share their thoughts about the statement outlined on slide 6.

Respond to the following questions:

How does cooperative education allow a student to know oneself and the opportunities that exist, make choices and establish an action plan?
Ask participantes to give example on how they might respond to the Four inquiry based questions:

1, Who am I?

2. What are my possibilities?

3. Who do I want to become?

4. What is my plan for acheiving my goals?

How can the cooperative education program allow students to progress in their Individual Pathways Plan?

Example of answers: Students work on their 21st century skills, engage in inquiry based learning and participate in active learning activities that allow them to relfect so they can make connections between curriculum activities and the work environnement.

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How can we make sure that students are making connections between their cooperative education placements and their future plans?

PADLET

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Four step inquiry process

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Reflection

In exploring the program components, what do you see as important to include in your cooperative education program?