Saskatchewan Education gratefully acknowledges the professional contributions and advice given by the following members of the Practical and Applied Arts Reference Committee:
|
Jerry Cherneski, Instructor Hazel Lorenz, Consultant Dean Lucyk, Teacher Barbara McKinnon, Teacher Lance Moen, Dean Rose Olson Dr. Len Proctor Ron Provali, Teacher |
Dr. Kevin Quinlan Doug Robertson Gayleen Turner, Teacher
Susan Buck, SIAST Laurent Fournier, SSTA Morris Smith, LEADS Dave Spencer, LEADS Ron Wallace, SCWEA Debbie Ward, SSTA |
Saskatchewan Education wishes to thank many others who contributed to the development of these guidelines:
This document was completed under the direction of the Science and Technology
Unit, Curriculum and Instruction Branch, Saskatchewan Education.
Within Core Curriculum, the Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) is a major area of study that incorporates five traditional areas of Business Education, Computer Education, Home Economics Education, Industrial Arts Education and Work Experience Education. Saskatchewan Education, its educational partners and other stakeholders have collaborated to complete the PAA curriculum renewal. Some PAA curriculum guidelines have been updated; some components have been integrated, adapted or deleted; some Locally Developed Courses have been elevated to provincial status; and some new guidelines have been developed.
A companion Practical and Applied Arts Handbook provides background on Core
Curriculum philosophy, perspectives and initiatives. The Handbook articulates
the goals for PAA. It presents additional information about the PAA area of
study, including guidelines about work study and related Transition-to-Work
dimensions. In addition, the Practical and Applied Arts Information Bulletin
provides direction for administrators and others regarding the implementation
of PAA courses. Lists of recommended resources for all guidelines will be compiled
into a PAA Bibliography and followed with periodic updates. An initial list
of resources for Forestry Studies 20, 30 accompanies the curriculum guide.
Forestry Studies 20, 30 provides an understanding of resources of benefit to
students wishing to learn about various aspects of the forestry industry with
particular emphasis on the Boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan. Students
seeking employment in the forestry sector, in Saskatchewan or elsewhere, will
benefit from the knowledge and skills acquired through Forestry Studies 20,
30. Career development concepts such as career exploration are integrated throughout
the courses. The optional work study component in each course offers students,
where appropriate opportunities exist, the chance to learn more about the forestry
sector in a work-based environment.
Aim
The aim of Forestry Studies is to provide students with a wide range of learning opportunities to gain an understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural, economic and environmental perspectives of forest resource use and management.
Goals
Awareness: To provide an awareness of the economic importance of forest resources to Saskatchewan, Canada and other countries.
Career Development and Employment: To explore careers and to help students develop employability skills related to forestry.
Ecology: To promote an understanding of environmental issues pertaining to forest resources, enabling students to develop a strong conservation ethic towards protecting these resources.
Heritage: To understand the cultural role of forests in shaping and defining the Canadian identity.
Personal Development: To demonstrate how appropriate social interactions between people with similar interests in preserving and protecting forest resources can lead to cooperative partnerships in resource management.
Research: To develop laboratory-based and field-based research skills related to the forest industry.
Foundational Objectives
Foundational objectives are the major, general statements that guide what each
student is expected to achieve in the modules of the PAA curriculum guide. Foundational
objectives indicate the most important knowledge, skills, attitudes/values and
abilities for a student to learn in a subject. Both the Foundational Objectives
for Forestry Studies and the Common Essential Learnings (CELs) Foundational
Objectives to be emphasized are stated in this document. Some of these statements
may be repeated or enhanced in different modules for emphasis. The Foundational
Objectives of the Core Modules of the Forestry Studies curriculum include:
Common Essential Learnings Foundational Objectives(CELs)
The incorporation of the Common Essential Learnings (CELs) into the instruction
and assessment of the Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) curriculum offers many
opportunities to develop student knowledge, skills and abilities. The purpose
of the CELs is to assist students with learning concepts, skills and attitudes
necessary to make transitions to career, work and adult life.
The CELs establish a link between the Transition-to-Work dimensions and the
Practical and Applied Arts curriculum content. The Transition-to-Work dimensions
included in the PAA curricula are: apprenticeship, career exploration/development,
community project(s), employability skills, entrepreneurial skills, occupational
skills, personal accountability, processing of information, teamwork, and work
study/experience.
The CELs are coded in this document, as follows:
COM = Communication
NUM = Numeracy
CCT = Critical and Creative Thinking
TL = Technological Literacy
PSVS = Personal and Social Values and Skills
IL = Independent Learning
Although certain CELs are to be emphasized in each module, as indicated by the
CELs Foundational Objectives, other interrelated CELs may be addressed at the
teacher's discretion.
Forestry Studies 20, 30 offer a wide range of topics to serve the needs and interests of students. Issues pertaining to a wide variety of stakeholders of forest resources are included.
Depending on local needs, teachers may select and organize the modules differently. Thematic and holistic presentations may be pursued through module integration. Many different possibilities exist for developing thematic presentations and exploring Forestry Studies in a holistic manner. Themes such as conservation, forest resource management, forest activities, career development and employment, experiencing the forest, and social perspectives are ways in which course modules can be selected and developed thematically. Suggestions on how modules may be grouped together to arrange the courses of study around some specific themes are provided in the examples. Sample theme configurations follow. Other similar approaches are possible with additional themes. Core and Optional modules may be arranged according to thematic groupings or to take advantage of seasonal opportunities or work study arrangements.
Local needs, proximity of schools to forested areas and forest service providers, the ability of schools to network with community resources and the extent to which students will explore practical activities or employment opportunities will influence the way in which modules are selected and organized. Short, manageable modules, combined and integrated into a full course of study, give teachers a great deal of flexibility in designing the program specifically for their instructional environment and the needs of the students. Some job opportunities in the forestry sector present themselves at certain times of the year; late spring and early fall are opportune times for conducting field trips.
Some modules have prerequisites that are necessary for proper understanding of the material in the module. Students involved in a forestry work study are required to take Modules 9A, 9B, 9C, 10A and 10B prior to the placement.
The level of difficulty of the modules should be adapted to suit the needs
of the learners. There are some modules that cover more advanced material. The
addition of enrichment material to a module may increase the level of difficulty
beyond what is required. Modules may be increased in difficulty if it would
be appropriate to do so.
The optional Work Study module in each course permits the student to apply academic and school-based learning to workplace settings in the community. The optional Work Study module provides students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a workplace setting and to investigate career development further. Numerous careers in forestry and forestry-related activities are found both in the public and in the private sectors. A community placement may be within the forestry industry. The Work Study Preparation and Follow-up Activities module must be covered, if the students have not participated in a work study module prior to going to a worksite. If students have completed a previous work study module in another course, less time needs to be spent in work study preparation, allowing more time for other modules. See the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook for detailed information under the "Work Study Guidelines". Students who have previously taken a work study module are expected to cover modules developed by Saskatchewan Labour found in the Career and Work Exploration Curriculum Guide. This includes Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).
Opportunities exist for job shadowing, work experience and other career exploration
activities. The optional Work Study module is 25 to 50 hours.
A personal portfolio is a valuable organizer of student projects and assignments. It encourages students to collect examples of their work as they progress through the various activities, labs and projects. Selecting particular items to include in a portfolio encourages students to reflect on what they have learned or accomplished and what they have yet to learn. Portfolio items may include: journal notes, drafts, photographs, audio or video tapes, computer discs, sketches and drawings, etc. Portfolios may be used for peer, teacher, self-assessment and as a format to present selected works to parents, post-secondary institutions or potential employers. In addition, the portfolio can demonstrate the link between home, school and community in a student's education. Each student should have a portfolio representing her or his work during the course.
The portfolio helps students:
The portfolio helps teachers:
The portfolio helps post-secondary institutions:
The portfolio helps the community:
The portfolio helps potential employers:
Working Portfolio
Students collect work over time in a working folder. Each student should also
keep a journal of observations, critiques, ideas and reflections as part of
his or her working portfolio. Items in this portfolio may be used for the purpose
of reflection, for peer, teacher and self-evaluation for ongoing and summative
evaluations, and for documenting skill development and mastery.
Working portfolios may be used for purposes of conferencing between student
and teacher, teacher and parent, teacher and teacher or student and student.
When a teacher examines a student's portfolio in order to make a decision regarding
student progress, the information it contains may become documented evidence
for the evaluation.
A daily journal may also become a part of a working portfolio as a means of
tracking the student's use of time and to record progress on ideas that are
being developed. This will provide the student with a focus for self-directed
or independent learning as well as an anecdotal record for part of the course
evaluation.
Presentation Portfolio
To compile a presentation portfolio, students should select items from their working portfolio. The presentation portfolio should cover the range of students' experiences and should display their best efforts. The preparation of a presentation portfolio can be an assessment strategy. It is strongly suggested that students at the 30 level prepare a presentation portfolio suitable for submission to potential employers or post-secondary institutions.
Through collecting, selecting and reflecting, students are able to compile
presentation portfolios that display their best collection of work.
The extended study module is designed to provide schools with an opportunity to meet current and future demands that are not addressed by current modules in the renewed PAA curriculum.
The flexibility of this module allows a school/school division to design one new module per credit to complement or extend the study of existing pure core modules and optional modules. The extended study module is designed to extend the content of the pure courses and to offer survey course modules beyond the scope of the selection of PAA modules.
The list of possibilities for topics of study or projects for the extended study module approach is as varied as the imagination of those involved in using the module. These optional extended study module guidelines, found in the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook, should be used to strengthen the knowledge, skills and processes advocated in the Practical and Applied Arts curriculum in which the extended study module is used.
It is recommended that a summary of any extended study module be sent to the Regional Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction to establish a resource bank of module topics.
For more information on the extended study module, refer to the Practical and
Applied Arts Handbook.
To support the principle of Resource-based Learning, a variety of instructional resources have been evaluated and recommended for the teaching and learning of Forestry 20, 30. See the enclosed Forestry 20, 30: An Initial List of Implementation Materials for a list of annotated resources. Teachers should also consult the comprehensive PAA bibliography. The annual Learning Resource Materials Update may also provide information about new materials evaluated since the curriculum was printed.
To order materials, except videos, teachers may also consult the department's Learning Resources Distribution Centre (LRDC) catalogue. An online ordering service is available at lrdc.sasked.gov.sk.ca.
The online version of this Guide is accessible at www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/paa.html.
It will be "Evergreened", as appropriate.