Page 23 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Cooperative Education

STRANDS IN THE COOPERATIVE EDUCATION CURRICULUM
The expectations for cooperative education are organized into distinct but related strands. These strands encompass broad areas of skills and knowledge relevant to cooperative education.
Both of the cooperative education courses require that students prepare for the community experience by demonstrating the skills and knowledge outlined in strand A before they embark on the community component. It is important to remember that health, safety, and well-being skills remain critical to student learning throughout these courses.
The strands for the two cooperative education courses are as follows:
Cooperative Education Linked to a Related Course (or Courses)
Strand A. Preparing for the Experience: Health and Safety, Well-Being, and Initial Requirements
Strand B. Experiential Learning and Transfer of Skills and Knowledge
Note: A major focus of strand B is on applying, refining, and extending skills and knowledge associated with the curriculum expectations selected from the related course(s).
Creating Opportunities through Co-op, Grade 11, Open (DCO3O)
Strand A. Preparing for the Experience: Health and Safety, Well-Being, and Initial Requirements
Strand B. Experiential Learning and Transfer of Skills and Knowledge
Strand C. The Inquiry Process
Strand D. Building Capacity for Learning
ESSENTIAL PROCESSES FOR LEARNING IN COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
To ensure an educationally valuable experience for students, essential processes for learning must be followed when developing and implementing cooperative education programs. These processes are not intended to be separate and distinct but rather should be considered as interrelated and connected. The following are the essential processes for learning:
• ensuring health, safety, and well-being
• applying the experiential learning cycle
• developing and implementing the Student’s Cooperative Education Learning Plan • integrating student learning
• monitoring student progress
• assessing and evaluating student learning
In implementing each of these essential processes, educators are guided by the principle of ensuring equity and inclusion. Schools and school boards must incorporate practices to identify, and prevent or remove, any barriers to student participation and success.
Ensuring Health, Safety, and Well-Being
The community component of cooperative education raises unique health, safety, and well-being considerations that must be addressed by students, teachers, placement employers and supervisors, and parents, as appropriate, both before the start of the community component and throughout the course. The physical, emotional, and social learning environment must be considered with a view to minimizing and managing risk,
THE PROGRAM IN COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
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