At the Faculty of Education, I am a part of the Leadership Experience for Academic Direction (LEAD) course.
LEAD fits with the Guidance & Career Education Curriculum as well as the Student Success Portfolio. It plays a central role in the secondary school by preparing students for a complex and changing world. In particular, it addresses many of the important questions that students face at this time in their lives: How can they better manage their time, resources, and dealings with other people to improve their chances for success in high school and the world beyond? What useful knowledge, skills, and habits do they already have, and which can they improve, to achieve success in school and at work? How can they best chart a course for postsecondary education and work?
The secondary school Guidance and Career Education Curriculum builds on the work begun in the elementary program in the three interconnected areas of student development, interpersonal development, and career development. As the ministry document Guidance and Education (2006) indicates, a person’s development in these areas is an ongoing process that continues from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and throughout life. In both elementary and secondary programs, students acquire knowledge and skills that help them become responsible and contributing members of families, peer groups, communities, and workplaces. At the same time, these programs help students turn learning into a lifelong enterprise, and enable them to plan and prepare for futures that include meaningful, productive roles in work, personal life, and the community.
My enrollment in this course has allowed me to be placed at Walkerville Collegiate Institute for the duration of my time at the faculty of education. By continuing placement at the same school, I am able to built rapport with staff and students and create lasting relationships. I believe the LEAD program has and will introduce me to various volunteer opportunities and allow me toexpand my professional growth.
After our practicum we were to reflect on our experience in LEAD and discuss what LEAD looked like in our particular placement school, as there are a variety of needs in every school and LEAD will be different everywhere. Below is the link to my personal reflection of LEAD at Walkerville for the 2015-2016 year.