Course Outline

Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School

Career Studies, Grade 10, Open, GLC2O

Rationale:

This course teaches students how to develop and achieve personal goals in education and work and contribute to their communities. Student learning will include assessing their own knowledge, skills, and characteristics and investigating economic trends, workplace organization, work opportunities, and ways to search for work. The course explores postsecondary learning options, prepares students for community-based learning, and helps them build the capabilities needed for managing work and life transitions. Students will design action plans for pursuing their goals.

Course Evaluation:

Method of Evaluation	Categories of Achievement	Weight
Tests & Assignments	Knowledge, Thinking, Communication, Application	60%
Portfolio Assignment	See project description	10%
Final Summative Evaluation	See project description	30%
Total		100%

Organization of Course

SECTION 1- PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS

In this section, students explore the new secondary school program. They review their own learning styles and identify strategies that will help them to become better learners. Activities are provided to help students to recognize transferable skills. The knowledge and skills acquired from this section provide the foundation for the topics in the next two sections, as students explore the world of work. Students will:

	demonstrate an understanding of and apply strategies needed for success in school;
	identify their interests, skills, characteristics, and accomplishments and describe how these are influenced by their experiences;
	describe the personal management skills and characteristics needed to succeed in school, work, family life, and the community and demonstrate the effective use of personal management skills in a variety of settings;
	demonstrate understanding and effective use of interpersonal skills required to establish and maintain positive relationships and work effectively in teams or groups.

SECTION 2- EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS

This section is devoted to a review of opportunities that are available for students in high school and beyond. Students learn to locate and utilize career resources and to organize career information relevant to their interests. Existing high school programs that help students explore careers are outlined in detail. The world of work is introduced and investigated. Safety at the workplace is an important aspect of this section. The final focus is on the economic and societal trends and their impact on the workplace. Students will:

	demonstrate the ability to use a variety of resources to find information about learning, work, and community involvement opportunities;
	identify a broad range of options for present and future learning, work, and community involvement;
	demonstrate knowledge of selected fields of work, occupations, and workplace issues;
	describe trends in society and the economy that affect work.

SECTION 3 - TRANSITIONS AND CHANGE

The final section helps students to develop the skills and attitudes that will prepare them for the world of work and of life in general. The concept of change and strategies for coping with change are outlined. The job market is examined. Resume writing, interview skills, and job applications are covered. Decision-making and goal setting models are employed assessed.
Students will:

	demonstrate understanding of the processes of finding and creating work;
	demonstrate the ability to use marketing and networking strategies and to produce personal documentation (e.g., résumés, portfolios) in searching for work;
	use appropriate decision-making methods to set learning, community, and work goals and develop action plans;
	identify changes taking place in their personal lives, their communities, and the economy and identify strategies to make transitions occur more smoothly.