Page 33 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Science, 2008 (revised)

Students demonstrate that they have the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind required for safe participation in science activities when they:
• maintain a well-organized and uncluttered work space;
• follow established safety procedures;
• identify possible safety concerns;
• suggest and implement appropriate safety procedures;
• carefully follow the instructions and example of the teacher;
• consistently show care and concern for their own safety and that of others.
Various kinds of health and safety issues can arise when learning involves field trips. Out- of-school field trips can provide an exciting and authentic dimension to students’ learning experiences. They also take the teacher and students out of the predictable classroom en- vironment and into unfamiliar settings. Teachers must preview and plan these activities carefully to protect students’ health and safety.
PLANNING SCIENCE PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
Classroom teachers are the key educators of students who have special education needs. They have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively with special education resource teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. Special Education Transformation: The Report of the Co-Chairs with the Recommendations of the Working Table on Special Education, 2006 endorses a set of beliefs that should guide program planning for stu- dents with special education needs in all disciplines. These beliefs are as follows:
• All students can succeed.
• Universal design4 and differentiated instruction5 are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students.
• Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.
• Classroom teachers are key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.
• Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning.
• Classroom teachers need the support of the larger community to create a learning environment that supports students with special education needs.
• Fairness is not sameness.
In any given classroom, students may demonstrate a wide range of strengths and needs. Teachers plan programs that recognize this diversity and give students performance tasks that respect their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatest possible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible groupings for instruc- tion and the provision of ongoing assessment are important elements of programs that accommodate a diversity of learning needs.
4. The goal of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is to create a learning environment that is open and accessible to all students, regardless of age, skills, or situation. Instruction based on principles of universal design is flexible and sup- portive, can be adjusted to meet different student needs, and enables all students to access the curriculum as fully as possible.
5. Differentiated instruction is effective instruction that shapes each student’s learning experience in response to his or her particular learning preferences, interests, and readiness to learn.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING
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