Learning

Guide

Supporting Student Development of Competencies:

Identify and Apply Career and Life Skills
This learning guide shares several strategies and ideas related to
supporting student development of the competency Identify and
Apply Career and Life Skills. Some of the strategies and ideas shared
are ones you may have already used with your students. The shift is
to become intentional about highlighting/discussing how these tried
and true strategies support the development of one or more
competencies.

This learning guide is designed for use by

professional learning communities, leaders,
learning coaches and teachers, or as a self-paced
study to explore practical strategies to support student
development of Albertas competencies across the
curriculum and in every classroom.

Use this Learning Guide after viewing

Identify and Apply Career and Life Skills
and Alberta Educations competency indicators
related to Identify and Apply Career and Life Skills.

Learner Profile: Successful development of the Identify and Apply Career and Life Skills competency results in a
learner who demonstrates strong self-awareness and takes responsibility for his/her well-being and career decisions.
This learner continually strives for personal excellence, commits to healthy attitudes and actions and earns respect
from others. This learner is able to confront challenges and adapt to change.

Key Strategies/Ideas:
Create student learner profiles to identify and understand
students personal interests, strengths and needs. Various
inventories (e.g., learner preference, reading, social, interest
inventories) can provide both the teacher and student with
valuable information in relation to intellectual, emotional,
physical, spiritual, financial and social well-being.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion:

Provide multiple opportunities for students to set S.M.A.R.T.

goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)
both in their school and personal lives.

Encourage students to organize, lead and/or participate in

extracurricular activities such as intramurals, after school
sports programs, volunteering, fundraising for special causes,
or community-based activities.

Promote positive mental health practices. Create a learning

environment where students can find supportive
connections, work from a strength-based approach, and
develop a sense of autonomy and self-determination.
Help to promote resiliency the ability to adapt well when
facing hard times.
Offer CTF (grades 5 9) curriculum, in which students
explore their interests and passions while making personal
connections to career possibilities (business, communication,
human services, resources and technology) by working
through engaging challenges.
Teach students how to build portfolios an authentic way to
self-assess growth in intellectual, emotional, physical,
spiritual, financial and social well-being, as well as showcase
personal excellence.

Acknowledgement:
This Professional Learning Guide was developed by the Edmonton
Regional Learning Consortium and funded through a grant from
Alberta Education to support implementation. It is provided for free
in support of improved teaching and learning under the following
Creative Commons license.

Reflect on a time when you set a goal (e.g., I want to exercise

more). How might setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal make attaining it
more manageable and realistic?
How might you/your school staff tap into the expertise of
parents and community members to support student
development of this competency?
Discuss the interrelatedness of this competency with the
other nine competencies. What skills are interrelated? What
attitudes are interrelated?
What other strategies have you used to support student
development of the competency Identify and Apply Career
and Life Skills?

For more information:

Developing Learner Profiles, Alberta Education
Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals, Top Achievement Self Improvement and
Personal Development Community
Supporting Healthy School Communities in Alberta and Bringing
Personal Growth & Well-Being to Life In All Subject Areas, Ever Active
Schools as a Setting for Promoting Positive Mental Health: Better
Practices and Perspectives, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School
Health
Career and Technology Foundations (CTF), AB Ed CTF Website
Career and Technology Foundations Website, ARPDC Website
Portfolios, Teacher Vision
myBlueprints, Education Planner Online Program
Resiliency Quiz for Students, www.embracethefuture.org.au
Blog Series Building Resilience, www.weareteachers.com