Page 59 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

acquire a direct understanding of employer and workplace expectations. In addition, experiential learning helps students develop self-knowledge and awareness of opportun- ities – two areas of learning in the education and career/life planning program outlined in Creating Pathways to Success: An Education and Career/Life Planning Program for Ontario Schools – Policy and Program Requirements, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2013.
Experiential learning opportunities associated with various aspects of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies curriculum help broaden students’ knowledge of themselves and of career opportunities in a wide range of fields, including arts and culture; education and community development; health sciences; social policy and research related to Indigenous issues; professional writing and communications; environmental industries such as water management or alternative energy development; public institutions such as government offices, libraries, museums, and archives; the public service; local not- for-profit organizations; global affairs; financial and law enforcement institutions; and the tourism industry.
Students may take the course “Cooperative Education Linked to a Related Course (or Courses)”, with a First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies course as the related course, to meet the Ontario Secondary School Diploma additional compulsory credit requirements for Groups 1, 2, and 3.
Policies and guidelines regarding cooperative education in Ontario schools, including workplace opportunities such as job twinning, job shadowing, and work experience, are outlined in the 2018 cooperative education curriculum policy document, available on the ministry website, at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/subjects.html.
For guidelines to ensure the provision of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage for students fourteen years of age or older participating work education programs (also known as experiential learning programs) in which they are considered workers but are not receiving wages, see Policy/Program Memorandum No. 76A, “Workplace Safety and Insurance Coverage for Students in Work Education Programs”, at www.edu.gov.on. ca/extra/eng/ppm/76a.html. Teachers should also make sure that students in work edu- cation or experiential learning programs meet the minimum age requirements set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
PLANNING PROGRAM PATHWAYS AND PROGRAMS LEADING TO A SPECIALIST
HIGH SKILLS MAJOR
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies courses are well suited for inclusion in Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSMs) or in programs designed to provide pathways to particular apprenticeship, college, university, or workplace destinations. In some SHSM programs, courses in this curriculum can be bundled with other courses to provide the academic knowledge and skills important to particular economic sectors and required for success in the workplace and postsecondary education, including apprenticeship training. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies courses can also serve as the in-school link with cooperative education credits that provide the workplace experience required not only for some SHSM programs but also for various program pathways to postsecondary education, apprenticeship training, and workplace destinations.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING
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