Page 51 - Interdisciplinary Studies 11-12 (2002)

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 49
Cooperative education, work experience, and school–work transition programs must be designed to follow the guidelines outlined in Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000. Further details on school–work transi- tion programs can be found in Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999, section 7.4.3.
Health and Safety. In planning learning activities to help them achieve curriculum expectations, teachers must ensure that students have opportunities to consider health, safety, and security issues and personal responsibility relevant both to specific disciplines and to interdisciplinary areas of work. They must follow safe practices and communicate safety expectations to students in accordance with school board and ministry policies. In diverse interdisciplinary activities, students must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the equipment used and the procedures necessary for its safe use. Interdisciplinary activities often take the teacher and students out of the predictable classroom environment and into new settings. Teachers must preview and plan expeditions carefully to protect students’ health and safety. Health and safety issues must also be addressed when learning involves cooperative education and other workplace experiences, in accordance with the guidelines outlined in Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experi- ential Learning: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000. Teachers who provide support for students in workplace learning placements need to assess placements for safety and ensure that students understand the importance of health and safety issues in the workplace, as well as acquire the knowledge and skills needed for safe participation. Both teachers and place- ment supervisors must ensure that all students with special needs are thoroughly familiar with and able to put into practice all the safety precautions that may be required at the placement. They must also ensure that any workplace accommodations needed to ensure students’ safety are in place.