Frequently Asked Questions- Page 1

The following questions are ones that were commonly asked during the workshops.

Q. How do we access the expertise of staff members who could contribute a module or part of a module, but who have other teaching responsibilities and are not the PAA teacher?

A. There is a very workable solution, but only in schools where the overall school program is seen as the responsibility of everyone. In many instances a short module or portion of a module could be taught by a "guest" teacher while a teacher who is normally looking after PAA works with other students. If schools tackle this as a team and are willing to work together, amazing things can happen. One of the key elements is to talk about the challenge with everyone involved.

Q. How can we fit the PAA program, with various modules and perhaps various individuals contributing, into a timetable?

A. Most administrators feel that block scheduling helps with this problem. It is also important to look at the programming as the starting point rather than what the current timetabling method can handle.

Q. How can we offer modules requiring costly equipment and resources when funds are limited?

A. In some cases businesses or community members actually might have the equipment which the school might use or provide some compensation for on the basis of what they consumed. Another suggestion is that the school division might consider purchasing the items and move them from one school to another during the course of the year to accomodate various Survey Courses. It is probaby important to have someone in charge to check over the equipment as it moves from school to school.

Q. How do we get into the "non-traditional" courses in a school where PAA is seen as the traditional IA/Home Ec program.

A. One method is to encourage PAA teachers to include one module from a non-traditional course. This will open the door and once students, teachers and parents see the possibility it will likely expand. Tapping into local expertise, such as the teacher that was once a conservation officer to teach a module or two from Wildlife Management or Forestry Studies can be a start.

Q. How can we ensure that there is a connection between "feeder" schools and the larger schools in terms of programming?

A. This raises the point that communication between the schools is crucial. If it is known that the larger school has the capacity to offer certain pure courses or Survey Courses drawing from certain pure courses, it makes sense for the feeder schools to offer modules which connect, or in some cases to offer survey modules which are significantly different if they know that the school students will be moving into will offer the complete sequence of some other course. Both scenarios have their benefit, but the key is planning and talking to each other.

Q. How do we track what students have taken?

A. It is very important for teachers and schools to keep accurate records of which modules students have taken. Teachers are also encouraged to add any details that might help the receiving teacher. These records should be added to the students cumulative file. The school is also encouraged to keep a record of the modules that have been taught in various PAA courses in the school. Teachers should be checking school and student records to be sure that they are not offering the same modules to students again.

The Practical and Applied Arts Discussion Area is a place teachers can post questions and have them answered by other teachers or Sask. Learning staff. Check it out!

Back in section 2, Objectives, we had a table of terms to define. We told you then we would give you a reminder at the end to go back and revisit those terms. Here's a quick way to get there. We hope those terms are more familiar to you now.

Feedback

This concludes our workshop on Planning for Implementation of PAA Survey. We hope it has been useful to you.

Your feedback on this site and the online workshop and how it could be improved would be appreciated. Feel free to cut and paste the following questions into the email.

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