Page 58 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
THE ONTARIO SKILLS PASSPORT: MAKING LEARNING RELEVANT AND
BUILDING SKILLS
The Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) is a free, bilingual, web-based resource that provides teachers and students with clear descriptions of the “Essential Skills” and work habits important in work, learning, and life. Teachers planning programs in Canadian and world studies can engage students by using OSP tools and resources to show how what they learn in class can be applied in the workplace and in everyday life.
The Essential Skills identified in the OSP are:
• Reading Text
• Writing
• Document Use
• Computer Use
• Oral Communication
• Numeracy: Money Math; Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting; Measurement and Calculation; Data Analysis; and Numerical Estimation
• Thinking Skills: Job Task Planning and Organization; Decision Making; Problem Solving; and Finding Information
Work habits specified in the OSP are: working safely, teamwork, reliability, organization, working independently, initiative, self-advocacy, customer service, and entrepreneurship.
Essential Skills, such as Reading Text, Document Use, and Problem Solving, are used in virtually all occupations and are the foundation for learning other skills, including tech- nical skills. OSP work habits such as organization, reliability, and working independently are reflected in the learning skills and work habits addressed in the provincial report card. Essential Skills and work habits are transferable from school to work, independent living, and further education or training, as well as from job to job and sector to sector.
Included in the OSP are videos and databases that focus on everyday tasks and occupation- specific workplace tasks and that teachers can use to connect classroom learning to life outside of school. Teachers can also consult A Guide to Linking Essential Skills and the Curriculum, 2009, which illustrates how to integrate explicit references to Essential Skills into classroom activities as well as how to give feedback to learners when they demonstrate these skills.
For further information on the Ontario Skills Passport, including the Essential Skills and work habits, visit http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca.
EDUCATION AND CAREER/LIFE PLANNING THROUGH THE CANADIAN AND
WORLD STUDIES CURRICULUM
The goals of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education and career/life planning program are to:
• ensure that all students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed education and career/life choices;
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