Page 20 - Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools. First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12. 2010

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GROWING SUCCESS | assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools
LEARNING SKILLS AND WORK HABITS IN GRADES 1 TO 12
The learning skills and work habits described for Grades 1 to 12 align closely with the goals and areas of learning of the guidance and career education program (outlined in the policy document Choices Into Action, 1999. pp. 6–7) and build on effective practices currently in place in many Ontario schools and classrooms. The goals of the guidance and career education program are to enable students to:
• understand the concepts related to lifelong learning, interpersonal relationships (including responsible citizenship), and career planning;
• develop learning skills, social skills, a sense of social responsibility, and the ability to formulate and pursue educational and career goals; and
• apply this learning to their lives and work in the school and the community.
The goals are organized according to three areas of knowledge and skills: (1) student development, (2) interpersonal development, and (3) career development. The first two areas are most closely aligned with the learning skills and work habits and are defined as follows:
• Student development. Students will learn to set and achieve learning goals both inside and outside school, manage their own learning, and acquire the habits and skills necessary for success both inside and outside school. As students develop the ability to understand how they learn, recognize areas that need improvement, set goals for improvement, monitor their own learning, and become independent learners, they are acquiring the basic habits and skills they will require for lifelong learning.
• Interpersonal development. Students will learn to demonstrate self-discipline, take responsibility for their own behaviour, acquire the knowledge and skills required for getting along with others both within and beyond the school, and choose ways of interacting positively with others in a variety of situations. They will also learn about thoughtful and non-violent problem resolution, social responsibility, working cooperatively with others, and caring about others.
Finally, the learning skills and work habits also align with the goals of the ministry’s character development initiative, as outlined in Finding Common Ground: Character Development in Ontario Schools, K–12: “We want our schools to continue to be safe and to be models of effective human relationships, where students learn about and put into practice attributes such as respect, responsibility, fairness, and empathy. We want students to develop self-discipline and the personal management skills that will make their communities, workplaces, and lives the best that they can be. Together, we can make this happen” (Ontario Ministry of Education, October 2006, p. 2).