Page 40 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Mathematics, 2007

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Mathematics
Teachers planning programs in mathematics need to be aware of the purpose and benefits of the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP).The OSP is a bilingual web-based resource that enhances the relevancy of classroom learning for students and strengthens school-work connections. The OSP provides clear descriptions of Essential Skills such as Reading Text, Writing, Computer Use, Measurement and Calculation, and Problem Solving and includes an extensive database of occupation-specific workplace tasks that illustrate how workers
use these skills on the job. The Essential Skills are transferable, in that they are used in virtually all occupations. The OSP also includes descriptions of important work habits, such as working safely, being reliable, and providing excellent customer service. The OSP is designed to help employers assess and record students’ demonstration of these skills and work habits during their cooperative education placements. Students can use the OSP to identify the skills and work habits they already have, plan further skill develop- ment, and show employers what they can do.
The skills described in the OSP are the Essential Skills that the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated, through extensive research, as the skills needed for work, learning, and life. These Essential Skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. For further information on the OSP and the Essential Skills, visit: http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND OTHER FORMS OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Cooperative education and other workplace experiences, such as job shadowing, field trips, and work experience, enable students to apply the skills they have developed in the classroom to real-life activities. Cooperative education and other workplace experiences also help to broaden students’ knowledge of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields, including science and technology, research in the social sciences and humanities, and many forms of business administration. In addition, students develop their under- standing of workplace practices, certifications, and the nature of employer-employee relationships.
Cooperative education teachers can support students taking mathematics courses by maintaining links with community-based businesses and organizations, and with colleges and universities, to ensure students studying mathematics have access to hands-on experi- ences that will reinforce the knowledge and skills they have gained in school. Teachers of mathematics can support their students’ learning by providing opportunities for experi- ential learning that will reinforce the knowledge and skills they have gained in school.
Health and safety issues must be addressed when learning involves cooperative educa-
tion and other workplace experiences. Teachers who provide support for students in workplace learning placements need to assess placements for safety and ensure students understand the importance of issues relating to health and safety in the workplace. Before taking part in workplace learning experiences, students must acquire the knowledge and skills needed for safe participation. Students must understand their rights to privacy and confidentiality as outlined in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. They have the right to function in an environment free from abuse and harassment, and
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THE ONTARIO SKILLS PASSPORT AND ESSENTIAL SKILLS