The Upholstery 10, 20, 30 Curriculum Guide offers 300 hours of courses to be configured from 500 hours of module development. The selection of modules will provide teachers the flexibility to configure courses using suggested themes of furniture, automotive or marine.
The introductory course outlined at the 10 level incorporates a number of core modules that provide the foundation for the suggested themes at the 20 and 30 levels. There is a graduated level of tool and equipment development throughout the courses, with most of the hand tools being used in 10 level and power tools being introduced at the 20 and 30 levels. If power tools are not available, the courses may be taught with the use of hand tools.
Students may study one of the suggested themes at each of the 20 and 30 levels. Modules have been repeated in the two suggested course configurations at the 20 and 30 levels. It is important to remember that once a student has successfully completed a module, credit can not be given for that module again. These themes are suggested configurations of courses to create flexibility and to meet the needs of the student or community. Many of the upholstery course modules have been identified as intermediate level. These modules may be used at all grade levels to facilitate greater flexibility. Teachers are encouraged to pursue the variety of options through community partnerships that will enable the use of speakers, mentorships and business sites for work study.
The upholstery courses may be offered in a variety of learning environments that range from a classroom in a school to an industry work site. The courses offer a balance between school-based and work-based learning that provide options for students to enter the workplace or pursue post-secondary education or training.
This module permits the student to apply school-based learning to workplace settings in the community. Students are provided with an opportunity to experience the optional work study component through appropriate placements. If time credit in the workplace is desired, it is required that the student work with a journeyperson in the trade. For more information regarding time credit, consult High School to Apprenticeship: Link to the Future (1999). Module 32: Work Study Preparation and Follow-up Activities must be covered prior to and following the work study module. The Practical and Applied Arts Handbook has detailed information in the "Work Study Guidelines". Students who have previously taken a work study module may cover content developed by Saskatchewan Labour found in the Career and Work Exploration Curriculum Guide and the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook. These content references include:
Partnerships are important to the success of the work study component. The three distinct partners that play an important role are the industry/business, the school, and the student.
Personal contact is the best approach to building partnerships. One should begin by making a presentation to colleagues within the school, to the student body, to school board members, to parents, and to local businesses. It is important to outline the curriculum and the benefits and responsibilities for each of the partners.
See the modules outlined in the curriculum and the "Work Study Guidelines" in the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook for further information on work study.
A personal career 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, 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 the student's education. Each student should have a portfolio representing his or her work during the course.
The portfolio helps students: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 ongoing and summative evaluations, peer, teacher, and self-evaluations, 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 PAA 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.