TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 12 CURRICULUM

In Technical and Professional Communications 12, the emphasis is on developing students' understanding of the nature of technical and professional communications and of the various contexts in which they are used. Students use collaborative processes similar to those employed in the workplace and address real or simulated communications challenges that are related to technical and professional issues. In learning to respond creatively and effectively to these challenges, students are expected to apply research skills and to analyse and assess technical and professional materials. They are also expected to develop the planning, drafting, and editing skills needed to produce communications products that:

use plain language (accessible, concise, and simple) and avoid ambiguity
present or discuss factual information (e.g., derived from primary or secondary source research)
are coherent and convincing
have a clearly defined sense of purpose and audience
apply the rules and conventions of standard English
are organized to allow for selective, easy, and rapid access to information
take account of non-linguistic aspects of the communication process (e.g., page layout in printed text, cross-referencing in on-line text, images and soundtrack in audio-visual material, body language in personal presentations or interpersonal interactions)
make effective use of technologies available to support and enhance technical and professional communications

The learning outcomes for Technical and Professional Communications 12 reflect the importance of using authentic technical and professional literature and using the workplace context to help students develop their command of language and communication skills. Many of the outcome statements promote examination and emulation of technical and professional communications from actual workplace settings. In addition, the outcomes require that students use a variety of traditional and current technologies to facilitate and enhance their work.

Many students entering Grade 12 have a clear sense of their interests and have already begun to plan where they will go after graduation. Technical and Professional Communications 12 focusses systematically and in some depth on the important role of language and communication in supporting technical and professional work. In doing so, it addresses the needs of students who want to pursue immediate career opportunities or further study in:

professional fields (e.g., medicine, engineering, accounting)
science or applied science areas (e.g., research in health care, silviculture, marine biology)
technical and vocational fields (e.g., trade apprenticeships, tourism and hospitality management, child care)
private, public, and non-profit sector business and administrative settings (e.g., manufacturing, service, retail, government)

Curriculum Organizers

The prescribed learning outcomes for Technical and Professional Communications 12 are grouped into the following three organizers:

Reading, Viewing, and Listening
Writing, Representing, and Speaking
Communications and Collaboration

Within each organizer, suborganizers further define the specific topics.

For clarity, the learning outcomes are grouped under the curriculum organizers and suborganizers. In practice, teachers may organize the learning outcomes in various ways, depending on the methods they use and how they decide to present the material to make it relevant and interesting. See Appendix D for sample combinations of prescribed learning outcomes.

Reading, Viewing, and Listening

In this organizer, students develop their abilities to understand and think critically about technical and professional communications by developing techniques andstrategies for reading, viewing, and listening effectively, and for conducting original and secondary research. The suborganizers are:

Comprehension
Critical Analysis
Research

Writing, Representing, and Speaking

Through the creation, production, and presentation of technical and professional communications, students develop their abilities to identify communications challenges. They also learn to synthesize and apply information in various ways in response to the demands of the situation. The suborganizers are:

Products and Presentations
Planning
Drafting
Revising and Editing

Communication and Collaboration

In this organizer students apply and develop their collaborative skills in relation to the communication process and to the many technical and professional contexts in which these skills apply. The suborganizers are:

Nature of Language
Process and Systems
Working with Others

Revised: January 25, 1999

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