Guiding Principles for Resource Development

Even if there were room in courses for an extra unit, it would not be the best way of delivering the Essential Skills content. By imbedding Essential Skills into curriculum delivery, students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate these skills and reflect on their relevance within the course. With thoughtful activity development, students are able to reflect on the relevancy of Essential Skills within their own lives and the lives of others within the community.

Students in the classroom through the tasks and/or activities they perform daily, already demonstrate the Essential Skills. The purpose of the guiding principles is to explain how the activities in this resource book were developed and the methodology educators can use to create or enrich activities within their courses and subject areas.

In the initial stages of development for this resource book, consideration was given to the following main questions:

1. How will we know students have developed a deep understanding of the Essential Skills?
2. What will engage students? How should the activities look?
3. To what degree should Essential Skills play a role within an activity?
4. Who are our partners? How can they be incorporated within these activities? Why should they be incorporated?
5. How can teachers simply enrich existing activities to infuse Essential Skills education?