Page 15 - Creating Pathways to Success

Figure 2. Education and Career/Life Planning Framework: A Four-Step Inquiry Process
The program framework provides a starting point and a process for ongoing program development and student learning. In order for the program to succeed, students, teachers and guidance teachers/counsellors, administrators, parents, and community partners need to be familiar with the framework. Educators should be encouraged to draw on it when developing learning activities and communicating with students and others about these activities. The inquiry process and the related knowledge and skills must be taught explicitly before students learn to apply it habitually.
A central goal of the program is for students to learn how to use the model and make a habit of applying it, so that they can become confident, independent, and effective education and career/life planners throughout their lives.
Regular use of the framework across the curriculum and throughout the school experience helps students see the connections between their learning in school and their lives beyond school, and creates a culture supportive of education and career/ life planning within the school.
3.2.1 Using the Framework from Kindergarten to Grade 12
The framework is flexible in terms of both the emphasis that may be placed on different areas of learning at different stages of development and the activities involved. For example, in the early grades, students are actively learning about themselves and exploring their world. At this stage of development, the question “Who am I?” offers a natural point of entry into the cycle of education and career/ life planning. Teachers can encourage young students to become conscious of what they most love to do, what they do best, and how they feel when they are engaged in various activities. Teachers can pose questions and guide students towards opportunities for exploring their passions and talents further, taking them into the second area of learning in the framework – Exploring Opportunities. The various activities that engage students in the early grades offer myriad opportunities for
Program Components and Processes 13