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THE GUIDANCE- ORIENTED APPROACH TO LEARNING – the GOAL Network’s initiatives

Presented by Sandra Salesas

Approche orientante (Anglophone sector)

SSCAAA-DPP, MELS

Quebec English School Boards Association

Annual General Meeting

November 6th, 2010

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A Little Reminder

“GOAL is a concerted action between the school team and its partners, in which objectives are set and services (individual and collective), tools and pedagogical activities implemented to guide students in their identity development and career planning. These activities and services are integrated into the school’s success plan and its educational project… (1)

(1) Making dream come true, MEQ, 2002, p.18

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Socio-economic realities

focus on school successdropout rate at the high school and CEGEP levelsmarketplace needsexpected population declineaging populationcomplex workplace in flux (reorganisation or growth in certain sectors of work)increasing demanding workplace and need to prepare for a qualified manpowerCEGEP or university program changes or withdrawal significant needs for manpower in vocational and technical training programsimmigration, etc.

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Students’ needs

•self-knowledge, identity development, knowing one’s potential•knowledge of the world of work and the school system•preparation and accompaniment on the Secondary Cycle 2 choices•planning of their educational and vocational paths

Changes in Education

•elimination of the career choice course•implementation of the education paths in Secondary Cycle 2•implementation of the programs related with the Career Development subject area•curriculum supported by the development and acquisition of competencies•diverse choices offered by students•new paradigms in education

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The accompaniment process takes into account the student’sdegree of maturitypresenting situation (ex.: abilities, personal characteristics, etc.)school environment and regional realities

Revisiting GOAL’s aims

This GOAL-based accompaniment process is concerned withidentity developmentchoices to make throughout the student’s educational pathplanning a professional or vocational project

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Accompanying a student in his or her learning and c areer path in order to…

•better understand oneself, the school system, and the world of work

•recognize one’s potential and to apply it in different learning contexts

•examine work habits

•identify career aspirations through significant learning contexts

•recognize meaningful experiences in the classroom and outside the classroom

•gather information and to use appropriate resources

•appreciate one’s strengths and unique personality features

Preparation to numerous choices throughout the educa tional process:

•to respond to students’ needs with respect to career information and guidance

•to prepare students with respect to the career decision-making process

•to prepare students to the various educational transitions

•to develop a student’s capacities to make choices (ex.: uses resources, develop skills to make decisions and to accomplish a project)

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What GOAL is not?

not a series of isolated actions or activitiesnot an «add-on » to existing programsnot the sole responsibility of the counsellor and teachers responsible for the Career Development Programsnot limited to specifically identified student groupsnot a course, rather a career culture which is school-wide and supported by administration and by the teaching personnel

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The three aims of the QEP

Construction of world-view and of the world of workConstruction of identityEmpowerment in a student’s personal and professional challenges

The School’s Mission

to instruct, to socialize and to qualify are all taken into account with GOAL

points of entry into the QEP: All the Subject Areas, Broad Areas of Learning and Cross-curricular competencies

to help qualify

Reference: Quebec Education Program, MELS

QEP and GOAL

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The Importance of Providing Qualifications

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Student success and GOAL links

Minister of Education’s action plan 2009, I care about school, in particular, paths #8, #11 and #12.Regional Table on GOAL/Guidance and student success.Identification of students’ needs with respect to supporting and accompanying them in their career planning.Providing support to professional and teaching personnel.Linking pedagogical services with complementary services (Four programs of service).Preparing a GOAL based success plan with school administrators and school teams.

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With the 13 paths to success, there are 4 strategic moments whereby GOAL can be a vehicle:

•entry into school •transition from elementary to high school•transition from Secondary 4 to Secondary 5•students dropping out of school without a diploma or qualification

There is a close relationship between the paths to success and the accompaniment of students in their educational and vocational paths.

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GOAL is anchored in most pedagogical and legal frameworks

•Basic school regulation for preschool, elementary and secondary education

•Programs of Complementary and Educational Services

•Quebec Education Program

•School board’s strategic plan

•Educational project and school success plan

•Individualized Education Plan

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How does a school team accompany a student in his/her GOAL-oriented path?

Condition for success: providing a structured and continued accompaniment

How?

•To plan an accompaniment (Examples: identifying collective objectives, GOAL-oriented actions in all learning cycles and the formation of a GOAL committee)

•leadership support

•To develop an implementation strategy

-Information and training

-Integrating MELS policies and approaches to all training activities

and committees.

-Collaboration with the GOAL Network

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Career Pathways

…don’t ask me whatI want to be

until you show mewhat there is to be.

- Anonymous Student

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Some GOAL initiatives from the anglophone sector

Career paths and math sequences, particularly in Secondary Cycle 2, Year 2 – Preparing students with learning activities to discover their interests and their potential;

Social sciences, ELA and GOAL – multimedia project in tourism to research careers in tourism and related trends in tourism, immigration and transportation;

Environmental or entrepreneurial projects aimed at facilitating student’s identity development and interests. Projects include building a green club at Joliette High School, composting programs in various schools, community garden at Riverview Elementary School and Laval Liberty High School. Students at Laval Liberty High School have begun the first stages of becoming an AVEC eco certified school, having just received their bronze certification for creating safe places for the community to play on their permanent outdoor hockey rink, and by creating green spaces. This community based learning project is part of the AVEC program (Avenir-Viable-École-Communauté) in Laval. Students are learning about roles and responsibilities in this group project and are also discovering their talents.

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Show me how!

Build GOAL into your School Success PlanBuild GOAL into the Minister’s action plan, I care about school!Build GOAL into the Partnership’s Agreement, mostly these 3 goals:

1. Higher graduation rates of students under the age of 203. Greater success for students with handicaps, social maladjustments or learning

difficulties5. Increased numbers of people under the age of 20 in vocational training paths

Build upon established successesIntegrated planning of GOAL activitiesCollaborative practices with management, professionals and teachers in a complementary wayIdentifying students’ needs with respect to career information and guidanceInvite keen stakeholders to join your team then expandAsk for support from your administration, school board, and communityUse and share best practices from the GOAL Network and from other sources

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Practical Examples of GOAL in the Classroom

Have students write about a fantasy job …”If I were a….”, draw a picture of themselves in the job, and identify the tools they would use. Discuss in class. Have students participate in a career dress-up day in which they wear the uniform connected to their occupation.

Have students construct a career pyramid that illustrates the different types of jobs in a career area at different levels of education and responsibility. For example, the variety of jobs found in a hospital (orderly, ambulance driver, doctor, janitors, etc.).

“These are the people of your neighbourhood ” … students collect pictures illustrating various community workers (police officer, truck driver, salesperson, teacher, etc.). Have students give a job title for each, discuss the work activities involved, and the problems they solve.

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More Classroom Examples

Exploring and managing career information with Career Cruising(www.careercruising.com)

Have students prepare an autobiography and address at least three ways in which their life is influenced by family, school, and friends.

Have students research some aspect of change – such as a means of transportation – compile pictures depicting changes and occupations affected, and arrange a bulletin board display related to the project.

Do oral reports on different occupations with the student pretending to be the worker in the report.

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More Classroom Examples

Have students design a simple machine and build an assembly line to build it. The assembly line is set up and test in class, and everyone has a job to do. Students then market their product bywriting advertisements.

Who builds the stuff in my neighborhood ? How many people does it take to build a house? Who grows my food and how does it get to the store? How many workers does it take to design and sew my jeans? What do I know about the country in which they are produced? Have students do a research project to answer many questions related to their surroundings.

Exploring trades in everyday life. Engaging in learning activities to better understand the importance of trades in all sectors of work.

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More Classroom Examples

Design the layout of a home and decorate it while following a set budget.

Exploring career case studies to validate the choice of math sequences.

Design and build a robot in science class.

Project-based learning such as “Weather Whys” (WQSB)or “The Laurier Challenge” (SWLSB)

Learning activities in the Career Development Progr ams to reinforce career awareness and GOAL planning before , during and after POP, Explo and Entrepreneurship.

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And more GOAL themes…

Career fair with employers from the communityHave students interview workers concerning their career paths – how did they decide upon the field, etc.Have students plan and carry out a Hobby Fair in which each student is invited to bring in an example of his or her hobby and demonstrate or describe the hobby to the class.Students form clubs : e.g., radio club, drama club, Junior Achievement, etc.Job shadowing, job training (stages), and other career exploration activitiesStudents organize a Talent Show or other arts event as a fund raiser and to develop creativity, cooperation, and project skills.

Question period

As school board leaders, how do you see your role in the implementation and development of GOAL?

What has been done at your board?

Are there other GOAL actions to implement?

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Resources

The GOAL website and the GOAL Posthttp://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/mels/goalMELS documentation on GOAL: Making Dreams Come True, www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/dgfj/csc/pdf/Brochure_eng.pdgComplementary Educational Services – In Brief http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/DGFJ/csc/pdf/19-7036A.pdfArticle on Working Together, to Instruct, Socialize and to provide qualificationshttp://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/sections/virage10/index_en.asp?page=colloqueB, Fall 2009, Vol.9, No.4

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Thank you for your interest in GOAL!

Sandra Salesas

Approche orientante (Anglophone Sector)

MELS

Tel: 514-873-3339, ext. 5510

sandra.salesas@mels.gouv.qc.ca