Community-Connected
Experiential Learning
CESBA Conference
December 1, 2017
Together, we will ...
• Consider the contribution made by Adult Education
programs to learners’ education and career/life
planning.
• Deepen our understanding of community-connected
experiential learning, specifically in the context of
adult education.
• Provide an opportunity for sharing ideas on how we
might employ community-connected experiential
learning in the future.
Mission Statement
Ontario is committed to the success and well-being of every student and child. Learners in the province’s education system will develop the knowledge, skills and characteristics that will lead them to become personally successful, economically productive and actively engaged citizens.
2.4 The Guidance and Career Education Program
Under the direction of the principal, each school will develop and implement a guidance and career education program. The program has three areas of learning:
● student development ● interpersonal development● career development
Career development is discussed in Creating Pathways to Success: An Education and Career/Life Planning Program for Ontario Schools -Policy and Program Requirements, Kindergarten to Grade 12 (2013).
What is learned
The Framework: Areas of Learning and Inquiry Questions∙ Knowing yourself
∙ Exploring Opportunities
∙ Making Decisions and
Setting Goals
∙ Achieving Goals and Making Transitions
Encourage students to ask themselves:- Who am I?
- What are my opportunities?
- Who do I want to become?
- What is my plan for achieving my goals?
Where it is learned
Learning Opportunities
∙ Curriculum-related, in and outside the classroom
∙ School-wide
∙ In the community
Provide learning opportunities in the classroom, school, and
community to support students in developing
education and career/life planning knowledge and skills.
How the learning is documented and
demonstrated
Evidence of Learning∙ “All About Me” Portfolio,
Kindergarten to Grade 6
∙ Individual Pathways Plan, Grades 7 to 12
Encourage students to reflect on the following:● What insight did I gain?
Through which experiences?
● What evidence can I gather to show what I’ve learned? 4
Structure of the Education and Career/Life Planning Program
VISION: All students leave secondary school with a
clear plan for their initial postsecondary destination
(apprenticeship training, college, community living,
university, the workplace) and confidence in their
ability to implement and revise their plans throughout
their lives. (p. 8)
Alignment and Coherence COMPONENT 5
Pathways Planning
and Programming
5.1 Comprehensive education and
career/life planning programs meet
the learning needs, interests and
aspirations of all students.
5.2 Opportunities for authentic
learning experiences and experiential
learning exist in all classrooms and
programs.
5.3 Students, parents, families, and
educators understand the full range of
pathways, programs, options and
supports that are available.
5.4 Students build on in-school and out-
of-school experiences to further explore
and reflect upon their interests,
strengths, skills and education and
career/life aspirations.
A Comprehensive Education and Career/Life
Planning Program for Adult Learners
VISION
Beliefs
Discovering The
Workplace
Designing Your
Future
Individual Pathways Plan (IPP)
Student Success Teams
Dual Credit
Courses
Ontario Youth Apprenticeship
Program
Career Development
in All Classes
Cooperative Education
Pathways Planning:
Life After High School
Guidance Counsellors
School-Work Transition Program
Goals
Learning Strategies
Advisory Committee
Career Cruising
My Blueprint
Guiding Principles
Pathways Fairs
Skills Competitions
Industry Recognized
Certifications
Clubs
Board / Regional Programs
Workshops Course Selection
Labour Market
Information (LMI)
Student Voice
Navigating The
Workplace
Skills Training Centers
Employment Centers and
Agencies
Job Shadowing/
Twinning
Field Trips
Conferences, Workshops and Clinics
Vision and Direction
Tools and Resources
Courses
Transition Planning
Educators in an Advisory Role
Community-Connected Experiential Learning
School/Board Programs
School-based Activities and Workshops
How do you and your colleagues in the adult
education program contribute to students’
education and career/life planning?
VISION: All students leave secondary school
with a clear plan for their initial postsecondary
destination (apprenticeship training, college,
community living, university, the workplace)
and confidence in their ability to implement
and revise their plans throughout their lives.
(p. 8)
Community-Connected
Experiential Learning
Community-connected experiential learning is
an inquiry-based, pedagogical approach that
provides opportunities for students to co-
construct their learning by:
• participating in rich experiences
connected to a community outside of
school;
• reflecting on those experiences to derive
meaning; and then,
• applying their learning to influence their
decisions and actions in various aspects
of their lives.
The community can be local, national, or
global, and the connection can involve being
physically present (an on-site experience),
being present through the use of digital tools
and technologies (a virtual experience), or a
combination of the two (a blended experience).
• Thinking:
– from an event to an effective approach to teaching and learning in all classes,
grades and programs
– from community-based (i.e., location) to community-connected (i.e., nature
and relationship)
– from teacher created to co-creation by teachers, students, parents and
community members
– from helping deepen students’ understanding of the curriculum or education
and career/life planning to the seamless integration of both
– from good for some students to beneficial for all students
• Practice:
– early, often, developmentally- and age-appropriate
– multiple and varied approaches and forms
– emphasis on developing the habits of reflecting, questioning, wondering and
deliberating to inform action (i.e., participate, reflect, apply)
The policy is intended to provide guidance to foster
expansion with intentionality by encouraging shifts in:
Every student in Ontario will engage in multiple and
varied community-connected learning experiences that
develop their capacity to become personally successful
and compassionate citizens who meet the challenges
of a fast-paced and globally-connected world.
● Every student from Kindergarten through PSE can benefit from active
participation in authentic, community-connected experiential learning
opportunities that are age- and developmentally-appropriate.
● Every student should have ample opportunities to engage in community-
connected experiential learning - early and often.
● Each community-connected experience prepares students for success in
future experiences of higher intensity, sharper focus and longer duration.
Core Beliefs
Learner groups that have been shown to benefit from experiential
learning include:
• The mature learner who has been long removed from the
traditional classroom and needs the motivation of contextual
learning to get them back into the swing of academia.
• The learner who needs to personally experience the value of a
subject in order to be motivated to learn.
• The learner who has trouble learning within the formal
classroom, and needs an alternate learning method in order to
succeed.
Best Practices in Experiential Learning, Ryerson
University Learning and Teaching Office
Who benefits from
community-connected experiential learning?
The Relevance of Community-Connected
Experiential Learning to Adult Learners
• Experiential learning can provide adult learners with an opportunity
to gain valuable real-world skills and help them to develop a
network of potential employers in a variety of ways.
• Community-connected experiential learning provides opportunities
to help students become personally successful and compassionate
citizens who meet the challenges of a fast-paced and globally-
connected world.
Community-connected experiential learning
helps children, youth and adult learners develop:
• a deeper understanding of expectations from the Ontario curriculum
and the ability to make connections to life experiences outside of
school; and
• personally meaningful
answers to the questions
that frame education and
career/life planning:
Community-connected experiential learning helps children, youth and
adult learners develop:
• a heightened awareness of the opportunities to discover, develop and
contribute their talents in a technology-driven, globally-connected world;
• insights into their identity (e.g., personal strengths, interests, needs and
aspirations) and their relationships to others in their community and
around the world;
• the habit of reflection, which promotes metacognition, learning to
learn/self-awareness and self-direction.
Community-connected experiential learning can lead to
transformational changes by helping learners develop a sense
of identity, purpose and belonging and by raising awareness of
a wide range of postsecondary pathways.
Approaches to Community-Connected
Experiential Learning for Adult
Learners:
● Problem-Based Learning
● Project-Based Learning
● Civic Engagement Focus
Service Learning
Activist Education
● Reach Ahead Focus
● Outdoor Education
What types of experiential learning activities could we offer?
Common Forms of Community-
Connected Experiential Learning with a
Career/Life Focus:
● Job Shadowing / Job Twinning
● Work Experience
● Cooperative Education (For Credit)
● Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
Common Forms of Community-
Connected Experiential Learning for
Adult Learners :
● Field Trip
● Overnight Excursion
● Field Study
● Workshop / Clinic
● Conference
● Mentorship
● Hospitality and Career Studies students learn about
career/life possibilities through industry tours and
mentorship opportunities.
● Students deepen their appreciation of the history and
culture of the Indigenous people through museum trips and
visits to local elders/cultural organizations (e.g., Friendship
Centers)
● Experiential learning at a local kitchen that incorporates
culinary skills, food handling and safety certificate, healthy
eating, finance and life skills.
● Students create art installations in their community in
partnership with local organizations.
Examples of Community-Connected
Experiential Learning for Adult Learners
VIdeo Clip - Crypto Escape Rooms
Students Challenge:
Given a design space with set
dimensions, work in teams to
design an escape room.
In groups, students will work with the
client to create:
• a 2D floor plan,
• 3D computer generated model and
• a 1:1 scale model.
... for presentation to the client.
The client will choose a winning design.
Global competencies
necessary to thrive in a
technology-driven, globally-
connected world:
● Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
● Innovation, Creativity and
Entrepreneurship
● Communication
● Collaboration
● Global Citizenship and
Sustainability
● Learning to Learn / Self-
Awareness and Self-
Direction
Experiential Storytelling
Guest speakers from different nations (i.e.,
Oneida, Métis and Canadian) spoke about identity
and relationships as well as creation stories and
culture. Students had opportunities to participate
in workshops and learn from key speakers and
make connections with Indigenous community
members. They explored the four questions that
frame education and career/life planning:
Who Am I? Students were invited to explore their own identity.
What are my opportunities? Students were provided with opportunities to understand relationships and community connections through guest speakers and written material.
Who do I want to become? Students reflected on who they want to become based on their current experiences and aspirations.
What is my plan? Students developed an appreciation of the importance of personal identity and communication as key drivers of planning for success.
Global Competency:
Learning to Learn / Self-Awareness
and Self-Direction
● Learns the process of learning (metacognition)
● Believes in the ability to learn and grow (growth mindset)
● Perseveres and overcomes challenges to reach a goal
● Self-regulates in order to become a lifelong learner
● Reflects on experience to enhance learning
● Cultivates emotional intelligence to understand self and others
● Adapts to change and shows resilience to adversity
● Manages various aspects of life – physical, emotional (relationships, self-awareness), spiritual, and mental well-being
How does each of the following contribute to the
development of an effective community-connected
experience:
● Students Are Co-Designers and Co-Planners
● Community Member(s) is “Invested” Throughout the
Process
● The Experiential Learning Cycle Frames the Entire
Experience
● Students Develop Their Education and Career/Life
Planning Competencies
How might you and your colleagues
use community-connected experiential
learning in the future?
VISION: All students leave secondary school with a
clear plan for their initial postsecondary destination
(apprenticeship training, college, community living,
university, the workplace) and confidence in their
ability to implement and revise their plans
throughout their lives. (p. 8)
Call for Proposals: Community-Connected Experiential
Learning For Adult Learners 2017-18Fall 2017
Community-Connected Experiential Learning Policy, K-12 Spring 2018
Cooperative Education Curriculum and Policy Document Spring 2018
Online Curriculum Resource to Support Cooperative
Education ImplementationSpring 2018
Regional Implementation Training Sessions
(CCEL / Cooperative Education)Spring 2018
Full Implementation Fall 2018
Nancy Britton
Education Officer
Program Implementation Branch
Carlos Sousa
Education Officer
Program Implementation Branch