APPLIED ACADEMICS NEWSWIRE
Volume # II No. 18
June 12, 2000
Helping educators to bring the real world into the classroom

In this issue...

WHAT’S INSIDE:

1. WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

It is usually easier to hear of the post secondary successes of the top students, but have you ever wondered what became of the average student? Research commissioned by the Ministry of Education tracked down former grads from the class of ’98 to ask what they had been doing since graduation. The results show an interesting perspective on what an average student can expect from life beyond high school.

The researchers polled two groups of students: those who had and those who had not taken Applied Academics courses. Of the respondents, 63% of those who did not take Applied courses and about 66% of those who had taken Applied classes had pursued some education since leaving high school. Most of these grads were attending a college or university college (26% of the Non-Applied and 38% of the Applied course grads). Only 10% of the non-Applied grads were attending university, while 5% of their Applied course peers were at such institutions.

Many of the grads had entered the workforce. 44% of those who took Applied courses and 26% of those who had not were employed full-time. The Applied course grads also reported a lower unemployment rate (20%) than those who had not taken Applied courses (38%).

Can we make any conclusions? It would seem that the average student can gain great benefits from Applied courses. Their probability of unemployment decreases, their propensity to pursue further education increases, and their likelihood of finding full-time employment is greater. Simply put, Applied Academics positively enhances the student’s transition to the post-secondary world of work or school.

Want to see more of the details? Check out chapter 4 of the Applied Academics Evaluation posted at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/careers/aa.

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2. A LESS THAN ALTRUISTIC APPROACH

Here is a sobering thought: today’s students will be the ones financing the province once we’re retired. If that doesn’t make you consider the value of teaching the skills needed for employment, nothing will.

The Conference Board of Canada has compiled a list of employability skills. They divide required skills into three key categories: academic skills, personal management, and teamwork skills. Academic skills are the basic communication, thinking and learning abilities needed to gain and keep employment. Positive attitudes and behaviours, a sense of responsibility, and an overall adaptability are the key personal management skills needed. The skills to work co-operatively and effectively within a group is also viewed as essential.

How can you teach these employability skills? One of the most effective ways is to make your classroom more ‘applied’. By teaching the curriculum in the context of real world problems, students develop many of the key skills. They learn how to use the curriculum to find solutions to real issues.

Applications of Work and Learning (AWAL) takes teachers out of the classroom and into the workplace to see how the curriculum they teach is used on the job. It can redefine the way that an educator approaches skill development. Go AWAL at www.awal.ctt.bc.ca.

Some teachers have chosen to begin their year by polling the parents to compile a list of class rules that reflect the expectations of employers. The students are held to the same expectations that their parents face in the work place.

A large proportion of a student’s education is gaining the employment skills required to earn a living in the economy of the 21st century. Teaching these skills is not only part of an educator’s role, but a key to an educator’s future. After all, today’s students are tomorrow’s tax payers.

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3. HELP AT LAST FOR NEW TPC 12 TEACHERS

If that pleasant chat with your school administrator turned into a pitch to teach a TPC 12 course next fall, then we have some good news for you. This summer UBC will be offering Teaching Technical and Professional Communications from July 4th to 21st (10:30-1:00). The 3.0 credit course will explore methods for teaching technical writing, technical and professional literature, and technical presentations in the secondary school. It will examine curriculum guides, Ministry support materials, and recommended textbooks. Students enrolled in the summer course will be evaluated based on both written position papers and practical resource units for teaching TPC 12 classes.

Want more info? Call Dr. Joe Belanger at (604) 822 5479 or email him at joe.belanger@ubc.ca

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