Implementation Considerations
Some areas to consider when implementing this curriculum include: prior learning, curriculum documents, key resources, staff development, and administrative support.
Middle Level Career Guidance builds upon the introductory work that has occurred at the Kindergarten and Elementary Level (grades 1-5) where students are introduced to career development at the awareness level. Where this is lacking, additional time may be required to orient students to the concept of career development.
The requirements for Core Curriculum specify that 50 minutes per week/per grade level at the Middle Level are to be scheduled for guidance instruction. Opportunities for infusing career guidance into other subject areas exist, but care must be taken to ensure that this approach does not compromise the goals, foundational and learning objectives of the curriculum, and the overall curriculum design. Integration into other subject areas can enrich the program. Some integration will occur naturally; however, this approach should be used carefully ensuring that curriculum continuity is retained.
Curriculum documents developed and provided by Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment include:
Career Guidance: A Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level (one per teacher).
Career Guidance: A Bibliography for the Middle Level (one per school).
Career Guidance for the Middle Level: An Information Bulletin for Administrators (one per school).
Additional copies of these documents are available from the Book Bureau.
Appendix B - Key Resources provides a short listing of resources that may serve as starting points in building a wide collection of suitable support materials for the new curriculum. The nature of Career Guidance, however, requires teachers to involve the community and to review the bibliography to determine if additional resources are required. In addition, a valuable asset to classroom instruction is a Career Centre which can be a component of the school library or a separate facility. Career Centres can be developed by school boards or be community-based involving a collaborative effort by educators, business, labour, and community groups.
Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment provides inservice workshops for school division personnel implementing Career Guidance. Teachers are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity during the first two years of the three year implementation window.
Workshops consist of a one-day orientation in June or early September of 1995. Details regarding specific dates, locations, and agenda are provided to your school division by the Regional Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction. School divisions are responsible for providing teacher release time and for the expenses incurred by their staff members to attend the implementation session.
Successful implementation of a new curriculum requires the support of administrators. Assistance is needed in the following ways:
timetable Career Guidance into the regular school day (See Appendix C- Scheduling of Career Guidance);
budget for learning resources to support the curriculum and encourage teachers to use community-based resources as well;
promote inservice with teachers and, where possible, attend inservice and awareness sessions;
support teachers who wish to work together to plan activities, work on instructional strategies/methods and assessment/evaluation procedures;
inform parents/boards/communities about Career Guidance and how the community may play an important role to support the curriculum and its objectives.