Page 5 - Guidance Education 11-12 (2006)

4
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12: GUIDANCE AND CAREER EDUCATION
that they can apply in their secondary and postsecondary studies and in the workplace.They identify and develop essential skills and work habits that are required for success in the work- place, as well as skills needed for effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. In their guidance and career education courses, students learn about the changing nature of work and trends affecting the workplace, and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in the modern economy.The curriculum allows for opportunities for students to practise the skills they are developing in both school and community contexts and to become aware of the importance of contributing to their communities.
As they learn about the career-planning process, students set goals for postsecondary education and work and develop the knowledge and skills they need to achieve those goals.The program helps prepare students for a changing world by demonstrating that a career is not just an occu- pational destination but also a journey that involves lifelong learning. It also teaches them to recognize and create opportunities, make informed choices, and pursue their personal and career goals more effectively.
Through the guidance and career education program, students learn to manage the various transitions they will be making in the course of their lives, starting with their next major transition, from secondary school to postsecondary education or training, and work. Students prepare for a world that will demand adaptability and resourcefulness by developing the per- sonal knowledge and skills they will need to navigate the future confidently and effectively.
Teachers in all disciplines of the secondary school curriculum share some responsibility for developing students’ learning skills, interpersonal skills, and knowledge and skills related to career planning. In guidance and career education, however, these three areas of development are at the centre of the curriculum and are taught explicitly. Students relate what they are learning in various subjects in their secondary school program to their personal aspirations and interests and to possible work and life roles.Awareness of these connections increases the personal relevance of the curriculum for students and, hence, their motivation to learn and to set and pursue educational and career goals.
Subject matter from any course in guidance and career education can be combined with material from courses in other disciplines to make a single-credit interdisciplinary course.As well,a full-credit or half-credit guidance and career education course can be used as part of an inter- disciplinary package of courses. Policies and procedures pertaining to the development of interdisciplinary courses are outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Interdisciplinary Studies, 2002.
The secondary school guidance and career education curriculum builds on the work begun
in the elementary program in the three interconnected areas of development – learning, inter- personal skills, and career planning. As Choices Into Action, 1999 makes clear, growth in these areas is an ongoing process that continues from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and throughout life. In both the elementary and secondary school programs, students acquire knowledge and skills that help them to become responsible and contributing members of communities, workplaces, families, and peer groups; to turn learning into a lifelong enterprise; and to create and prepare for futures that include meaningful, productive roles in work, personal life, and the community.
From Grade 7 to Grade 12, all students develop and complete an annual education plan.The secondary school guidance and career education curriculum supports this process by teaching students the knowledge and skills they need to complete their annual education plans success- fully. (Further information about the annual education plan can be found in Choices Into Action, 1999.)