Instructional strategies have been included for each curriculum organizer and grade level (where applicable) for each course. These strategies are suggestions only, designed to provide guidance for generalist and specialist teachers planning instruction to meet the prescribed learning outcomes. The strategies may be either teacher directed or student directed, or both.
For each organizer, a list of specific strategies is introduced by a context statement that focusses the reader on the important aspects of this section of the curriculum and links the prescribed learning outcomes with instruction.
There is not necessarily a one-to-one relationship between learning outcomes and instructional strategies, nor is this organization intended to prescribe a linear means of course delivery. It is expected that teachers will adapt, modify, combine, and organize instructional strategies to meet the needs of students and to respond to local requirements.
Strategies
The suggested instructional strategies may be undertaken by individual students, partners, or small groups. Emphasis is given to the following strategies.
The ability to use technology to solve problems is an essential skill in the workplace and is an important "new basic" in postsecondary education. Students use technology in the business education and economics courses to access information, to calculate, and to enhance the presentation of ideas.
In order to see economics and business as relevant and useful, students must learn how they can be applied to a variety of real-world situations. Instructional strategies should be designed to help students understand their world, and identify and solve problems that occur in their daily lives.
The workplace requires that people work effectivelyindividually and with othersto solve problems and to complete tasks. Students need to experience the dynamics of group work to enhance their understanding of the problem-solving process. Group work focusses on skills such as collaboration, communication, leadership, and co-operation.
In order to make informed and responsible choices, students need to listen, view, and read critically. Critical thinking is an important aspect of all courses. Instruction should include opportunities for students to justify positions on issues and to apply economic and business principles to particular circumstances. This focus on critical thinking is not solely to improve students' understanding of business and economics; it also fosters their abilities to think critically about business and economics.
Students identify needs, pose real or invented problems of their own, and respond to problems presented by others. To develop decision-making and problem-solving skills, students need to be challenged to identify problems and present possible solutions.
Models that describe problem-solving processes should be developed with students so that they understand the recurring nature of solving real-world problems (as part of a problem is solved, new problems arise and some steps in the process recur).
The following diagrams illustrate a variety of approaches to applied problem solving that might be used in business education and economics. They are suggestions only; they are not intended as prescribed models. The first two are most appropriate when students are developing computer simulations to examine problems in economics. The third is more appropriate when students are looking at social factors, such as the impact of government on business.
| A Simple Linear Model |
| Some models suggest that problem solving is a set of clearly defined and prescribed steps. This is a simple approach to analysing problems that can serve as an introduction to a more complex model.
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| Designing Model | |
 | Designing is a problem-solving method used to develop solutions to create systems or environments. |
| Social Impact Model | |
 | This is a method of solving problems used to appraise the social, economic, environmental, and ethical implications of a choice.
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Revised: October 8, 1998
