TDSB PARENT ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP

APRIL 9, 2015

BY THE ASSOCIATION OF CAREER EDUCATORS

This session will explore strategies for:

Helping youth find their direction, passion and strengths—affirming and informing

Helping them to set goals and taking steps for achievement in chosen pathways

Fostering growth in responsibility, autonomy and dealing with stress

How to get scholarships, bursaries, and grants

Steps to building a portfolio of activities and achievements that will get recognition

We have a youth panel and several other presenters

Make educational and pathway choices that lead to increased employability and career/life growth and vitality

Know and develop their potential, make informed plans, set goals and carry them out

We all want our children to be happy, healthy, successful, and contributors to a better world

How do we do this?

Ministry policy, “Creating Pathways to Success, an Education and Career/Life Planning Program for Ontario Schools” for K to 12 (2013)

4-step inquiry process

Step 1: Who am I?

Step 2: What are my Opportunities?

Step 3: Who do I want to Become?

Step 4: What is my Plan for Achieving my Goals?

Students and all of us have a role to be well informed

and skilled in the career/life planning process

Parents/Guardians are the greatest influence on career/life choices

Guidance counsellors, teachers, and community are here to help

Personal stories about the transition from high school to post-secondary

Khadija Waseem

Ali Badruddin

Aly Madhavji

Moderator: Marilyn Pickford

Helping youth find their direction, passion and strengths—affirming and informing

What are my STRENGTHS? Strengths are the combination of aptitude and effort with the result

of higher performance levels Involves the development of knowledge and skills Degree of interest (passion) in a strength is an important factor

E.g., may be good in math but don’t enjoy doing it

Parents “See and affirm and inform”

Concrete evidence for identifying STRENGTHS – Report cards (Subjects and Learning Skills & Work Habits) Employability skills demonstrated in volunteering (community

involvement hours), part-time and summer work , … Leadership and participation (sports, hobbies, leisure activities, … Special recognition—awards, certificates, references, …

Evidence of INTERESTS (Passion) Hobbies Leisure Activities Interest Surveys (Career Cruising.com, myBlueprint.ca, …) Varied Experiences (Stories of achievements, …)

Identifying VALUES Family, relationships, adventure, variety, money, … Taking action on matters of importance (leadership,

organizations, …)

Assessing PERSONAL STYLE Character traits, attitudes, personality, …

Competition—local, national, international

Strengths Revolution—greater opportunity for success in developing your preferred strengths which provide competitive advantages in a multitude of occupations and work settings (Marcus Buckingham, Tom Rath, Jenifer Fox, …)

Character Strengths—positive psychology, focus on well-being and building a better society

Experience-embedded learning/experiential learning (specialist high skills majors, cooperative education, volunteering, part-time work, …) to have holistic understanding of likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses for making smart choices

12

From TDSB workshop presented by Lynn Bezanson

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STRENGTHS Think of 3 strengths

your child has

POSSIBILITIES

Think of 3 possible

occupations for

your child

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• Favourite things

• Things they have done

• Identifying essential skills

• Preferences and values

15

There are over 40,000 occupations in North American alone

Occupations change every day; some occupations become obsolete; their names change; new occupations are added every day;

Jennifer James, a futurist, suggests that if you are under the age of 18, chances are that your occupation has not yet been invented! (www.jenniferjames.com)

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• Fields of Work

• Employability

Skills

• Learning Skills

and Work Habits

• Many pathways

to success

17

OU

TS

IDE

IN

many possible future pathways,

known and unexplored

fields

exploring strengths, passions, interests

INS

IDE

OU

T

STRENGTHS

POSSIBILITIES

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See & Affirm See &

Inform

Preferred Futures

parents

Look at pages 8 to 11 Where does your son/daughter fit?

“Like to:” Activities they like to do “Skills & Abilities:” Things they can do or develop

(note talents, gifts, strengths, …)

Identify which fields of work may be a good fit 1. Arts, culture & recreation; 2. Business, hospitality, sales & service; 3. Health, natural & applied sciences; 4. Information Technology; 5. Social sciences, government & human services; 6. Transport and industrial technologies

Explore the occupations of interest in these fields

TDSB “Choices…Course Selection & Planning Guide” See fields of work pp. 12-13

www.CareerCruising.com Matchmaker interest survey program Suggests occupations, post-secondary programs and pathways

(for all of Canada)

www.myBlueprint.ca/tdsb 2 assessments/interest survey programs

Discovery (gr. 7 to 9) Explorations (gr. 10 to 12)

Suggests occupations, etc., and eligibility for programs when a high school plan is entered

www.careermash.ca Fields of work that use Information and Computer Technology

(ICT)

Students prefer help from family and friends rather than from school staff

70% of students reported needing such support Parents demonstrate important future planning

attitudes and behaviours The quality of the parent/child /teen relationship is

the most influential factor in students’ becoming active in their own career planning

Involvement of parents in high school is connected to better attendance and achievement

Only 15% of parents of first year university students thought they still had any positive influence on their son/daughter’s chances of success; in contrast--the majority of students reported that their parents influence was very important to their success

Reinforce the process: Help students understand who they are, what they’re good at, what they like and dislike and collect evidence

Encourage expansion of options, development of a “backup plan” and keeping current;

Talk about what you do, why you like/dislike what you do, how you decided

Help them network and get help from others Watch for students getting discouraged Take advantage of opportunities to be involved

and informed Allow for risk-taking, mistakes and failures Be their advocate for success

Meandering To wander; to explore; to experience…

Manoeuvering To move cleverly; to seek; to check it out…

Meaning To find purpose; to self actualize; to make a contribution

to society

Preferred Future—Theirs to build with decisions and actions How they want to live their life, not only to make a living;

what matters, what they value, what brings joy and satisfaction, what they are trying to achieve…

EXPLORATION STAGE

Navigators

Explorers

Drifters

ESTABLISHMENT STAGE

Committers

Settlers

“Helping youth to set goals and taking steps for achievement in chosen pathways” involves these 3 steps… Step 2: What are my opportunities?

Step 3: Who do I want to become?

Step 4: What is my plan for achieving?

Association of Career Educators workshop on Feb. 19, 2015 focused on career opportunities and labour market information See www.aceofontario.ca for video excerpts and PowerPoint

What have they told you?

Ask about dreams, hopes, …. Affirm the interest (heart, passion) … be careful to keep dreams alive…don’t put them down…youthful idealism finds ways to deal with the realities

Plan for “next steps”—choices are not usually for life

Exciting! Like exploring vacation places

Focus on skills that will be used in all occupations

Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

Communication

Character

Culture and Ethical Citizenship

Computer and Digital Technologies From Shifting Minds: Canadians for 21st Century Learning

& Innovation

* These can all be learned and developed!

Much of what students look at and have some knowledge and experience of, is based on what has been.

Even future job prospects are largely based on seeing the occupations in their current form

Being “future looking” is considering fields of work from a future perspective— What might be in 5 – 10 – 20 years from now

Getting engaged in creating things and services that are new, different, innovative, a stretch of the imagination, …

Change in the focus of career planning from

“What do you want to be?” – what occupation? To…

“Who do you want to become?”

Holistic—career and life

Includes importance of

Building character

Aligning with personal and social values

Seeking meaning and purpose

Parents help by supporting growth as full person for life and many life roles and responsibilities including work

Don’t underestimate the creative and innovative potential of young people

It is not to late nor to early to start working on an idea

Craig Kielburger – 12 years old – Free the Children

20 Under 20 Award Winners

Olympic athletes, hockey players, figure skaters… often started at a very young age to progress towards achieving their peak performance

Each student is doing Individual Pathways Planning (IPP) K to 12

K to 6 – “All About Me” portfolio

7 to 12 - Online—myBlueprint.ca/tdsb

Portfolio, records, reports, certificates…

Conversations and counselling about plans, future goals, dreams, hopes and aspirations

Apprenticeship (over 140 specializations plus more related skilled trades)

College (28 Ontario colleges, 130 locations, 3,700 programs) and very many career colleges

University (20 Ontario universities with many campuses)

Work (40,000+ occupations with more created daily) –education continues on the job Choices: employee, self-employed, contract work,

entrepreneur, …

Community Living (Many programs & services)

Study the “Choices, Secondary Schools Course Selection & Planning Guide” Which school(s)?

Home school, schools with specialized programs, alternative schools, …

Which programs? Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM), specialized skills

(technological) programs, International Baccalaureate (IB), AP, French Immersion, and many others (plus special education supports)

Which courses? Subjects & course types: applied, academic, LDCC, open, …

Gr 11/12: workplace, college, university, mixed, … Co-op, OYAP, dual credit (high school & college)

Backward mapping for an end in mind E.g., Occupational interest: accountant

Can take programs in college or university

Admission prerequisites: college: gr 11 or 12 math; university: 2 grade 12 university prep math courses

Use www.myBlueprint.ca/tdsb to plan out a high school program gr. 9 to 12 Students can make several plans and revise plans as they go

along

Courses completed are automatically entered

Students can create a link so parents can look at their plans and together they talk about them

Keep options open by choosing ability-appropriate courses: maximize potential

Go as far as possible with math and sciences

Keep watching for clues on interests, abilities, strengths, (compensate for weaknesses), …

Observe values: search for meaning & purpose

Expand experiences: volunteering, summer jobs, part-time jobs, information interviews, job shadowing, co-op, dual credits, SHSM, …

Focus on developing 21 century skills

Strive to meet most entrance requirements Importance of math and sciences

Access to STEM programs and occupations: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, now or in the future

STEAM—Adding Arts to the mix

Importance of extra-curricular, sports, leadership, volunteering and community involvement, employment experience, … Access to scholarships, bursaries, programs, … Employment opportunities and advancement Skills and character development Networking, teamwork, collaboration, …

Fostering growth in responsibility, autonomy and dealing with stress

What is the parent’s role after listening to so many experts’ opinions?

How to do it

There is no set of rules

?

Sharing the true story of Simon -- at age 3-8 he was extremely quiet and not sociable

He enjoyed his own mind space very much

Physically he was skinny and thin compared with kids around his age

Very reserved child

Sensitive

Shy

Growing up Simon engaged in a number of activities including swimming and playing piano

With piano he became a virtuoso He realized he had so many opportunities and wanted

to share this with others He organized Four “Youth4Youth” concerts

One concert each year starting from grade 9 Raised $2000 - $5000 each time (2001 - 2005) Donated it to Eva's Phoenix and Dixon Hall Music School Eric Tan was a student from Dixon Hall Music School

Taught piano to inner city students through his school’s after-school program

Went on to university and graduated with a degree in engineering

Understand the character of the child Identify & discover passion and potential of the kid Identify weakness from the kid; how we worked together

as parents; process of task to meet challenge, set up long term goal

Guide and propose the plan and draft work, learn the collaboration and the kid takes ownership of learning

Support the kid when the kid take the concept and initial the project with school mates, teacher to do project together

Use his passion and talent to do projects to contribute back to the community. That helped him to build his self-esteem and confidence.

Parents support the grit and determination required to complete more challenging tasks; the parent is the role model to the kid and also demonstrates grit and determination

Develop their passion and potential to achieve long term goals Cultivate growth mind set instead of static mind set by praising

their hard work, detail process, decision making, completed task Accept failure as a beginning of opportunity Cultivate positive attitude--why not have a try Think outside of the box--open mind Develop flexibility and creative thinking Willing to take part in hard work, a project; taking a risk with well

planned strategy Try personal best. Personal best is not to compare with others but

compare to yourself Encourage kid to connect with good team and brainstorm

solutions--nobody can succeed alone, Have attitude of appreciating learning and getting engaged in

learning Be sincere to follow through with commitment and responsibility

Angela Lee Duckworth, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist, says the most significant predictor of success in kids:

“It’s about having stamina, sticking with your future – day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years – and working really hard to make that future a reality.”

Duckworth says the best way to build grit in kids is “growth mindset,” an

idea developed by Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist.

Growth mindset is the belief that the ability to learn can change with effort. When kids understand the brain grows in response to challenge, they’re more likely to persevere when they fail. They cultivate grit when they know the qualities they need for success can be developed through dedication and effort.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2015/03/09/grit-the-key-ingredient-to-your-kids-success/ March 9, 2015

Strategies found in

From Stressed out to Chilled Out

Resource produced by the

Psychology Foundation of Canada (www. PsychologyFoundation.org)

Grounded in evidence and current research about the teen brain

Uses an inquiry-/project-based approach to help young people develop stress-management skills

Helps students understand what "normal" stress levels are and when to seek help

Reflects the increasingly important role that self-regulation is playing in educational settings and life

Important for 21st century living

PsychologyFoundation.org

The 3 key parts of the brain that play a role in how we react to stress;

Amygdala -- Security guard

Hippocampus – The Manager

Prefrontal Cortex – The Planner

The brain’s response to stress is linked to the limbic system/amygdala—the filter for our emotional state

When we are calm, the filter is open and information flows to the prefrontal cortex (problem-solving, planning, discipline,…)

When we are stressed, the filter is blocked; we are stuck in reaction mode: fight, flight or freeze

The quiz

How to get scholarships, bursaries, and grants

University Tuition—about $6,040 (plus books + other fees)

College Tuition--$2,400 (plus books + other fees) Private College Tuition--$7,000 - $11,000 (1 year or less) Apprenticeship—pre-apprenticeship programs, tools

(subsidies available), registration, salary when an apprentice

Armed Forces—training, paid salary Workplace—”fast track—learn on the job”—clothing,

tools, travel Other expenses

lodging—home or away? Plus travel expenses Meals, clothing, leisure Books, Technology, Health insurance, activity fees, …

University of Toronto Living on Campus

University of Toronto Living at Home

..0

OSAP—loans and grants

30% off tuition

Scholarships

Bursaries and grants

RESPs

Trusts

Part-time work

Summer jobs

Paid co-op

Gap year to save for education

Financial literacy. budgeting, paying off loans…

One stop shop—automatic access to all federal and provincial programs—apply online

Access to “30% Off Tuition” (only for Ontario)

May apply anytime starting usually in May up to last 90 days of your program

Use OSAP “Aid Estimator” to get an idea of money that will be available in loans and grants www.osap.gov.on.ca

Be aware of re-payment obligations for loans Use “Repayment Calculator”

These are non-repayable awards given to recognize the high level of excellence a student has achieved in his/her studies or other endeavors, eg. Outstanding Marks Community Involvement Athletic Ability Other Specific Criteria

Offered by Universities & Colleges (entrance, renewable, some automatic, …)

Offered by companies, private foundations and institutions (e.g. Loran, TD, Garfield Weston, U of T National Scholarship, Nursing, …).

• Entrance/admission scholarships are a one-time monetary amount awarded to a student entering first year. These are usually offered as a reward for academic excellence. Usually there is no separate application required. These scholarships can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

• Renewable scholarships are monetary awards spread out over a student’s undergraduate career (e.g., $10, 000 renewable scholarships provide students with $2,500 a year for four years). These scholarships are conditional on specific criteria, such as the maintenance of a certain average.

The University of Toronto awards over 2400 admission scholarships. Over 350 of these awards are offered to students entering any College/Faculty. The remaining 2050 are awarded by Colleges and Faculties. Several colleges also offer residence scholarships.

In addition, the University of Toronto also offers awards on the basis of financial need, academic merit, demonstrated leadership and other special criteria. To be considered for awards on the basis of this criteria, complete the Awards Profile by logging into JOIN UofT and following the Awards Profile link. You should also visit the website for your College/Faculty for information on any other awards that may require an application.

Admission scholarship decisions are made on the basis of the candidate’s average at the time of admission and are not revisited on the basis of the candidate’s final grades.

Based on final admission average:

95%+— $3,000 x 4 years

90-94.9%— $2,000 x 4 years

85-89.9%— $1,000 x 4 years

80-84.9%— $500 x 4 years

No award application required

By application

Need to demonstrate financial need (non-repayable)

Evidence of being deserving of help

Community involvement, volunteering

Leadership

Extra-curricular activities: sports, the arts, music, hobbies

Need to have marks qualifying for admission

1.) www.ScholarshipsCanada.com

2.) www.StudentAwards.com

3.) www.canlearn.ca

4.) www.electronicinfo.ca (University Scholarships)

5.) www.DisabilityAwards.ca

6.) Google search

Borrowing money that must be paid back

Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) Financial aid—provincial and federal

Loan and grants (according to need)

Loan part must be paid back after completing or leaving program at regulated rate

Interest free while in school

Bank Must meet bank approval

Repay principal with interest—not interest free while in school

Family, other, …

Steps to building a portfolio of activities and achievements that will get recognition

Agenda

What we will cover today:

1 Scholarship advice: 9 Secret Tips on Winning $74,500

2 Campus Vibez: presenting the real student life experience of your campus choices Check it out at www.campusvibez.ca

Here goes…

SECRET #1: Harness the "WOW" factor

Things appear more shocking the less you know about it. • Andy tutors 8 students in Advance Functions and Calculus.

• James started a tutoring company at age 16 and employs 10 tutors.

Who seems more impressive?

Here goes…

SECRET #2: Avoid Conforming

• Andy leads multiple pep rallies and spirit events as student council president. Typical for Type A student. His environment taught him that success means rising up in the student governance hierarchy.

• James, with the support of David Suzuki, started an energy reduction program within the Peel Region – reaching ten thousand students. He defied convention and reinvented success to what suited him, with limitless potential.

Who seems more impressive?

Here goes…

SECRET #3: Show that you are a worthy investment

A great tactic to secure that scholarship is to give the review board an idea of where their money is going in the long term. This is the extra bit that can separate you from the rest of the keeners • Make the review board feel as if investing in you would be an

excellent way to keep the cycle of “Paying It Forward” going

• Be realistic, not a hopeless dreamer

Here goes…

SECRET #4: Play the Right Cards

This is all about knowing your audience. It’s absolutely essential that you do some research on the organization that’s offering the scholarship • Figure out what’s important to them and use this information to fine-

tune your application

• Don’t lie… BUT … figure out which cards to play (e.g. you plan to use a small portion of the funds you have raised to a cause they may support)

Here goes…

SECRET #5: Play the Numbers Game

Students that receive a ton of scholarships likely also get rejected from many more! • There are hundreds of scholarships that go unawarded

• Some of the most prestigious scholarships go to less deserving

candidates

Here goes…

SECRET #6: Show off!

Scholarship applications are one of the only chances you are expected to show off…and potentially be rewarded for it! • Use tangible and measurable results

Here goes…

SECRET #7: Forget about passion, pick a theme and stick to it!

Success takes hard work in an area that can produce startling results • Focus in on a theme

Here goes…

SECRET #8: Take a note from the reigning champion

Writing an application is easier when you know what they are looking for! • One of the best ways to do this is by studying profiles of past

recipients

• Spot for patterns (e.g. entrepreneurial experience)

Here goes…

SECRET #9: Look for tips in the right places

Look for information in unconventional places about the organization: • Read about past projects they have worked on

• Find any partnerships/affiliates they have, show anything you have

done for these organizations

The Campus Vibez website presents the real student life experience of campuses at colleges and Universities across Canada

Check it out

Discussion

Q & A

Feedback form

This PowerPoint Presentation will be posted on our website: www.ACEofOntario.ca

The PowerPoint pdf file is "Changing Role of Parents Apr 9 2015.pdf".

The download link for the file will be https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.aceofontario.ca

/Changing+Role+of+Parents+Apr+9+2015.pdf

OR, you can just link to the resource page at http://www.aceofontario.ca/for-parents/

The Association of Career Educators ACE) provides workshops for parents and teens on a variety of career planning topics and provides individual counselling

For more information contact

Emil Boychuk, chair

emil.boychuk@gmail.com

416-476-8790,

www.ACEofOntario.ca