To answer the second question, WED’s research team interviewed practitioners in workplace programs across the country to find out how they customize curricula and what methods and materials they use to teach these common skills. The result is the WED Practitioners’ Guide.

The Guide presents a process for customizing accreditation curricula. It contains over 30 sample lessons provided by instructors from across Canada. Each lesson indicates the key strategies used from the customizing process described in the Guide. It is an excellent document for assisting instructors to customize curricula at the program, course and lesson levels. The chapters address the following:

• What customizing accrediting curricula means and the main reasons for customizing.
• An overview of the entire customizing process in flowchart format that divides the process into Program, Course, and Lesson Levels.
• How to determine the needs and contexts of the learners in order to determine the needs and goals at which the accreditation is aimed.
• How to analyse the skills required in an accreditation course, link these skills to real-life tasks and materials (using the Skills Matrix), and integrate these tasks into an accreditation curriculum.
• A detailed example of the analysis and linking process. (A sample Skills Matrix is used to link the GED Tests with work tasks described in an occupational Essential Skills Profile.) Integration Charts and a Matrix Form are introduced.
• A discussion of the integration processes at the lesson and delivery level, and how to determine learners’ individual needs and goals in order to select relevant authentic tasks for integrating into the accreditation curriculum. How to build customized lessons that integrate authentic documents and materials with needed skills is also presented. The chapter ends with a lesson bird to make lessons fly.
• 30 sample lessons with customization process explained for each.

The Bibliography and Recommended Resources includes the resources used to prepare the Guide and an annotated selection of recommended resources.

To order, call Bow Valley College (403) 410-1648, Learning Resources Services, Copyright Assistant.

ERIC and WIN

ERIC (Effective Reading in Context) and WIN (Working in Numeracy) are two workplace essential skills programs developed by Syncrude Canada Ltd. in partnership with Keyano College in Fort McMurray. In 1987, Syncrude recognized that to remain competitive in a global market, they must develop and support a skilled, well-trained workforce. In 1988, Syncrude and Keyano developed and piloted a reading comprehension program for Syncrude employees. When the ERIC program was launched, it was the first workplace literacy program in the country.