Course Profile
Learning Strategies 1: Skills
for Success in Secondary School, Grade 9 open, Catholic
Course Overview
Course Profiles are professional development materials designed to help teachers implement the new Grade 9 secondary school curriculum. These materials were created by writing partnerships of school boards and subject associations. The development of these resources was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. This document reflects the views of the developers and not necessarily those of the Ministry. Permission is given to reproduce these materials for any purpose except profit. Teachers are also encouraged to amend, revise, edit, cut, past, and otherwise adapt this material for educational purposes.
Any references in this document to particular commercial resources, learning materials, equipment, or technology reflect only the opinions of the writers of this sample Course Profile, and do not reflect any official endorsement by the Ministry of Education and Training or by the Partnership of School Boards that supported the production of the document.
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario
Course Profile Writing Team
Gina Benvie, Anne Carey, Tina D’Acunto, Anthony Mastroianni,
Michael Nasello, - York Catholic District School Board;
Karen Pond - Simcoe-Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Anthony DiLena - Ontario School Counsellors Association
Gerry Brand, Mary Cosentino, Jack Cronin, Blair Day, Kevin Gallacher, Jim Hall, Allan Mackey, Cosimo Modafferi, & Paul Walsh, for their support and encouragement.
Course Overview
Learning Strategies 1: Skills for Success in Secondary School, Grade 9, Open
District/School: York Catholic and Simcoe-Muskoka Catholic District School Boards
Department: Guidance/Special Education
District:
Course Title: Learning Strategies 1: Skills for Success in Secondary School
Grade: Nine
Course Type: Open
Development Date: March-August 1999
Ministry Course Code: GLS 10
Additional Codes: GLE 10
Credit Value: 1.0
Secondary Policy Document: Guidance and Career Education, 1999
Course Developers:
Gina Benvie, Anne Carey, Tina D’Acunto, Anthony Mastroianni,
Michael Nasello, - York Catholic District School Board;
Karen Pond - Simcoe-Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Anthony DiLena - Ontario School Counsellors Association
Revision Date:
July 20,
1999
This course introduces students to learning theories
and strategies, prepares them to become effective independent learners, and
helps them increase their personal management skills, both in school and in
other contexts. Students learn how to use reflective thinking, structured
inquiry, active reading, memorization, goal-setting strategies, and time- and
stress-management skills to identify and work towards their goals. The course
also helps students identify their preferred ways of learning and use this
knowledge to increase their confidence, motivation, and ability to learn. Students demonstrate the ability to
use a variety of technologies/resources to find information about learning,
work, and community involvement opportunities. This course develops not only
knowledge and skills for the learner, but also the values, attitudes, and
actions that constitute a way of life rooted in the Christian call to
discipleship and service.
Becoming
a successful and effective learner is a lifelong journey in which the dignity
and value of each person is affirmed through relationships with God, self,
others, and creation. Catholic education, understood within the context of
Jesus Christ as the centre from which relationships unfold, seeks to mold the very
essence of learners as whole persons – both who they become and how they give
witness to peace, justice, and the sacredness of human life in the world in
which they live. This Learning Strategies course focusses on three
interconnected strands: learning, personal development, and interpersonal
relationships. Within these three strands, students become more reflective
thinkers, effective communicators, and self-directed responsible learners.
Through the integration of body, mind, and spirit, rooted in Catholic values,
beliefs, and traditions, they become more collaborative, caring, and
responsible members of their society.
|
Unit 1 |
Becoming a Self-Directed Learner: Personal Knowledge and Management Skills |
18 hours |
|
Unit 2 |
Becoming a Reflective Learner: Learning and Thinking Skills |
26 hours |
|
Unit 3 |
Becoming a Lifelong Learner: Applying Personal Management Skills and Planning for Learning |
17.5 hours |
|
Unit 4 |
Becoming an Effective Learner: Literacy and Numeracy |
26.5 hours |
|
Unit 5 |
Becoming a Collaborative Learner: Working in Groups and Learning Through the Community |
22 hours |
Time: 18 hours
In this unit, students identify and use self-knowledge to develop a personal learning profile of individual strengths, needs, and strategies for learning through the completion of personal assessments, interest inventories, surveys, and self-reflections. Students also demonstrate an understanding of how communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and teamwork contribute to becoming self-directed learners through case studies, role playing, and group activities.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: 1i, 4g, 4h, 5c, 7d.
Strand(s): Learning Skills, Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Interpersonal Knowledge Skills
Overall Expectations: LSV.01X; LSV.04X; PKV.01X – PKV.05X; IKV.02X.
Specific Expectations: LS2.02X; LS3.06X; LS3.07X; PK1.01X - PK2.05X; PK3.02X; IK1.01X; IK1.03X - IK2.05X.
Time: 26 hours
In this unit, students identify and demonstrate an understanding of various learning theories and concepts through inquiry, research, and class discussions. Students demonstrate effective use of learning strategies to support them in their academic work. Students also develop effective writing and research skills through appropriate use of resources and technologies.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: 1a, 2e, 3a, 3c, 3d, 3e, 4a, 4b, 4e, 4f, 4g, 7a, 7b, 7e.
Strand(s): Learning Skills, Personal Knowledge and Management
Overall Expectations: LSV.01X; LSV.02X; LSV.03X; PKV.01X; PKV.04X; IKV.02X.
Specific Expectations: LS3.05X; LS2.01X; LS2.07X; PK2.03X; PK1.02X; PK1.04X; PK1.05X; PK1.01.X.
Time: 17.5 hours
In this unit, students demonstrate their understanding and use of personal management skills, competencies, and preferred learning styles through activities involving the planning and selection of school programs and the development of a learning plan. Students demonstrate study skills, organizational skills, and the management of time, stress, and information. They are able to identify and explain how these can affect them in a variety of situations and settings, as well as utilizing available school and community resources to support their learning needs.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: 1e, 1g, 1j, 3a, 3c, 3d, 3e, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g, 5b, 5h, 7b.
Strand(s): Learning Skills, Personal Knowledge and Management Skills, Interpersonal Knowledge Skills
Overall Expectations: LSV.01X; PKV.01X - PKV.05X; IKV.04X.
Specific Expectations: LS2.06X; LS3.01X - LS3.05X; LS3.08X; PK2.02X; PK2.04X; PK2.05X; PK3.01X - PK3.05X; IK1.03X.
Time: 26.5 hours
This unit is ongoing throughout the entire course and is integrated into all activities. Students demonstrate effective literacy and numeracy skills through the process of writing for a variety of purposes, reading strategies, computation, and problem solving. Students further develop their learning and thinking strategies to enhance their oral and written presentations through the use of appropriate resources and technologies.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 5g.
Strand(s): Learning Skills
Overall Expectations: LSV.01X; LSV.03X.
Specific Expectations: LS1.01X - LS1.04X; LS2.02X; LS2.06X; LS2.07X.
Time: 22 hours
In this unit students gain an understanding of group dynamics, as well as the skills required for positive group involvement. Students identify roles in groups and reflect on the role that they traditionally adopt in group activities. Using personal inventories, role playing, and reflection papers, students demonstrate their knowledge of effective communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. Students examine obstacles to their learning and develop strategies to remove such obstacles.
An understanding of conflict resolution is acquired through group presentations using the jigsaw method and small group discussions. In addition, students explore to understand the importance of volunteer work, community involvement, and participation in school life to enhance their employability skills, strengthen their resumes, and enrich their spiritual lives for the common good.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: 1b, 1f, 1h, 1j, 3b, 3f, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 6e, 7b, 7c, 7e, 7f, 7i, 7j.
Strand(s): Learning Skills and Interpersonal Knowledge and Skills
Overall Expectations: LSV.01X; LSV.03X; IKV.01X; IKV.02X; IKV.03X; IKV.04X.
Specific Expectations: IK1.01X - IK1.06X; IK2.01X - IK2.05X; LS3.04X; LS2.07X; LS3.03X.
1. Unit 4, Literacy and Numeracy, covers expectations that are integrated throughout the course. Each unit includes activities that enable students to meet the expectations listed in this unit.
2. All units include the development of learning materials that will be cumulatively added to the Student Learning Portfolio, which forms a major part of the final assessment and evaluation.
3. Recognizing the strengths and challenges of exceptional students and designing programs that best meet those needs are important and challenging aspects of program planning. It is essential that teachers use the most appropriate methods and provide the most appropriate materials to help exceptional students achieve the expectations outlined in their IEPs. Teachers may find it necessary to make changes in their style of presentation, their methods of organization, the amount and type of material covered, the use of technology and multimedia, reduced ratio class size, and the procedures for assessment and evaluation.
4. The rubrics provided are models for assessment and evaluation which should be modified or adapted according to the specific activity, the needs of the individual students, and the accommodations recommended in the students’ IEPs.
During this course, students:
· design and conduct a survey;
· plan and implement a class celebration;
· analyse a conflict situation;
· complete a personal self-interest inventory;
· evaluate peers using a peer evaluation rubric;
· present research findings orally and in a variety of written forms;
· use technology to enhance research and written and oral presentations;
· design a poster and advertisement;
· conduct an interview;
· perform a skit;
· learn a variety of concepts related to learning styles, strengths, and challenges and be able to identify how they affect the student in his/her learning environment.
The assessment plan includes the following:
DIAGNOSTIC FORMATIVE SUMMATIVE
· checklist
· self-inventories
·
teacher
observation
·
anecdotal
record log
·
quiz
·
group
brainstorming
·
Student
Learning Profile
·
communication
rubric
·
group work
checklist
·
anecdotal
record log
·
conferencing
·
brainstorming
·
journal writing
·
written
assignments
·
role playing
·
student
learning portfolio
·
teacher
observation
·
notebook
evaluation
·
research
process checklists
·
quiz
·
paper and
pencil test
·
written
summaries
·
projects
·
group project
·
research essay
·
oral
presentation
·
social science
survey
·
note taking
·
student
learning portfolio
·
final exam
Fender, Gloria. Learning to Learn: Strengthening Study Skills and Brain Power. Nashville: Incentive Publications, Inc., 1990.
Ohme, Herman. Learn How to Learn: Study Skills. Palo Alto, California: California Education Plan, Inc., 1989.
Townsend, W.J. Study Skills Workshop. Kitchener, Ontario: Brownlee Publishing, 1987.
Peel District School Board (formerly Peel Board of Education). Secondary Specific Learning Disability Curriculum Guidelines. 1989.
St. Roberts Catholic High School. A Students’ Independent Research Guide. YDCSB, 1991.
Shortcuts to Learning: a Basic Study Skills Activity Pack. Weston Walch Publisher, 1985.
Waterloo CDSB. Authentic Assessment for Outcomes-Based Learning.
Johnson, David W. and Frank P. Johnson. Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
Myrick, Robert and Tom Erney. Caring and Sharing: Becoming A Peer Facilatator. Minneapolis: Educational Media Corporation, 1984.
Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario Division. Self. 1993.
Bodine, Richard, Donna Crawford, and Fred Schrumpf. Peer Mediation. Illinois: Research Press, 1997.
Brigman,
Greg and Barbara Earley. Peer Helping: A
Training Guide. Portland, Maine: J.
Weston Walch, Publisher, 1980.
Carr, Dr. Rey and Greg Saunders. Peer Counselling Starter Kit. University of Victoria: Faculty of Education, 1980.
Classroom Assessment, Evaluation, And Reporting Made Easy and Effective. Canada: Classroom Connections International, 1994.
Fender, Gloria. Learning to Learn: Strengthening Study Skills and Brain Power. Nashville: Incentive Publications, inc., 1990.
Townsend, W.J. Study Skills Workshop. Kitchener: Brownlee Publishing, 1988.
Video Series: Cooperative Learning Series,
Episode 4, Three Frameworks: STAD, TGT, Jigsaw II, Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development 125 North West Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2798, (703-549-9110)
Study Skills Game
Lessonware, Inc., 1991.
Beginners Central: A Users Guide to the Internet
School computer network system for research.
“Ask Pete”
http://www.pete.com
http://www.northern.webs.com/bc.
The Internet in the Classroom: Internet, 104.
Cooperative Education:
Policies & Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 1989
Regulation 183
The Ontario Curriculum:
English, 1999
The Ontario Curriculum:
Mathematics, 1999
The Ontario Curriculum:
Individual Education Plan, 1999
The Ontario Curriculum:
Technological Education, 1999
The Ontario Curriculum: Guidance and Career Education,
1999
The effectiveness of this course in Learning Strategies is assessed in a variety of ways:
· ongoing monitoring of the changes in student success rate in a variety of subjects;
· students’ evaluation of the course re: how it helped them, where it might have helped them more;
· teachers’ review of course effectiveness with other subject teachers, guidance teacher-counsellors, and school administration.
Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations
The graduate is expected to be:
A Discerning Believer Formed in the Catholic Faith
Community who
CGE1a -illustrates a basic understanding of the saving story of our Christian faith;
CGE1b -participates in the sacramental life of the church and demonstrates an understanding of the centrality of the Eucharist to our Catholic story;