Page 25 - Business Studies 11-12 (2006)

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THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12: BUSINESS STUDIES
Learning activities in business studies courses should be inclusive in nature, reflecting diverse points of view and experiences.They should enable students to become more sensitive to the experiences and perceptions of others, to value and show respect for diversity in the school and in the wider society, and to make responsible and equitable decisions in their personal and business relationships.The critical thinking and research skills acquired in business studies courses will enable students to recognize bias and stereotyping in text and images, as well as discriminatory attitudes that create barriers to productive relationships in business and trade.
Literacy, Numeracy, and Inquiry/Research Skills
Success in all their secondary school courses depends in large part on students’ literacy skills. The activities and tasks that students undertake in the business studies curriculum involve oral, written, and visual communication skills. For example, students use language to record their observations, to describe their inquiries in both informal and formal contexts, and to present their findings in presentations and reports in oral, written, graphic, and multimedia forms. Communicating in a business environment and using business software require the use and understanding of specialized terminology. In all business studies courses, students are required to use appropriate and correct terminology, and are encouraged to use language with care and precision, in order to communicate effectively.
The Ministry of Education has facilitated the development of materials to support literacy instruction across the curriculum. Helpful advice for integrating literacy instruction in busi- ness studies courses may be found in the following resource documents:
• ThinkLiteracy:Cross-CurricularApproaches,Grades7–12,2003
• ThinkLiteracy:Cross-CurricularApproaches,Grades7–12–Subject-SpecificExamples:Business
Studies, Grade 11, 2005
The business studies curriculum also builds on and reinforces certain aspects of the mathemat- ics curriculum. For example, clear, concise communication involves the use of various dia- grams, charts, tables, and graphs to organize, interpret, and present information.
In business studies courses, students will develop their ability to ask questions and conduct research as they plan and manage projects.They need to learn a variety of research methods in order to carry out their investigations, and to know which methods to use in a particular inquiry. Students need to learn how to locate relevant information in a variety of print and electronic sources, including books and articles, manuals, newspapers, websites, databases, tables, diagrams, and charts. As they advance through the grades, students will be expected to use these sources with increasing sophistication.They will also be expected to distinguish between pri- mary and secondary sources, to determine their validity and relevance, and to use them in appropriate ways.This is especially true with respect to electronic research sources.
The Ontario Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Teachers planning programs in business studies need to be aware of the purpose and benefits of the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP).The OSP is a bilingual web-based resource that enhances the relevancy of classroom learning for students and strengthens school–work connections. The OSP provides clear descriptions of essential skills such as reading, writing, use of comput- ers, measurement and calculation, and problem solving and includes an extensive database of occupation-specific workplace tasks that illustrate how workers use these skills on the job.The