The Ford PAS Curriculum

 

Curriculum Structure

The 20 modules that make up the Ford PAS curriculum are organized into seven themes:

·         Foundations in 21^st-Century Skills

·         Working Toward Sustainability

·         Getting Smart About Business

·         Manufacturing for Tomorrow

·         Data, Decisions, and Design

·         Living in a Global Economy

·         Putting Math to Work

Several modules occur in more than one theme. Although grade levels ranging from 9 through 12 are suggested for each module, these are general recommendations, and the modules do not need to be completed in a particular sequence. Many modules are also appropriate for college courses, and several have been adapted for use in middle schools.

 

Ford PAS modules are intended to be taught over periods ranging from six to twelve weeks, but many may be extended to as long as a semester. Each module includes a sample calendar showing how the activities may be scheduled. Each module has a coherent topic and an ongoing project. All modules include a module project, one or more quizzes, and a final test. Each module has a Student Guide and a Teacher Guide that includes the Student Guide pages.

 

Curriculum Description

The 20 Ford PAS modules link classroom learning with the challenges students will face in postsecondary education and the workplace of the future. The curriculum integrates academically rigorous, standards-based content with realistic applications in areas such as design and product development, information systems, environmental sustainability, global economics, business planning, personal finance, and marketing. Innovative partnerships that connect local high schools with colleges and universities, community organizations, and businesses provide real-world learning opportunities that are an essential component of the curriculum.

 

Some schools use all or most of the Ford PAS modules, while many offer a subset of modules within one or more themes. Several modules fit into more than one theme, and many are designed so that they can be used as units in traditional academic courses as well as electives. The Foundations modules are often deployed alongside or as preparation for other thematic sequences. Other modules can provide the core knowledge and skills for career and technical education pathways.

 

The flexible design of the curriculum allows for the use of the program in a variety of ways:

·         To build students’ foundational academic and workplace skills (problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication)

·         To serve as the core for a particular career concentration

·         To encourage students to build on and apply in real-world contexts some of the knowledge and skills they learn in academic courses

·         To serve as the framework for an entire school (small learning community or career academy) designed to prepare students for college and careers

·         To introduce middle school students to collaborative, project-based learning experiences[1]

·         To provide college students with real-world contexts for reinforcing and applying academic knowledge and skills

 

The following table shows the Ford PAS modules by theme. Modules with subject area designations are most suitable for integration into existing academic courses; modules without designated subjects also teach academic content but are fully interdisciplinary and don’t focus on a particular academic discipline. Those modules with asterisks appear in more than one theme.

 

Ford PAS Modules by Theme

 

Theme	Module Titles[2]	Suggested Academic Subjects	Suggested Grade Levels
Foundations in 21st-Century Skills	From Concept to Consumer: Building a Foundation in Problem-Solving (1)*   Media and Messages: Building a Foundation of Communication Skills (2)*   People at Work: Building a Foundation of Research Skills (3)   Careers, Companies, and Communities (4)*	English     U.S. History	9, 10     9, 10     9, 10     9, 10
Working Toward Sustainability	We All Run on Energy*       Energy from the Sun*   Is Hydrogen a Solution?*     The Nuclear Revolution*   Energy for the Future (12)*	Physical Sciences, Earth Science     Biology   Chemistry, Earth Science     Physics   Physics	9, 10       9, 10   9, 10     9, 10   11, 12+
Getting Smart about Business	From Concept to Consumer (1)*   Media and Messages (2)*   Careers, Companies, and Communities (4)*   Calculating Your Future: Personal Finance*     Planning for Business Success (7)* OR Planning for Business Success (Math-Enriched)*	English       Math (algebra, data analysis)       Math (algebra, data analysis)	9, 10   9, 10   9, 10   11, 12+     11, 12+   11, 12+
Manufacturing for Tomorrow	From Concept to Consumer (1)*   Closing the Environmental Loop (5)   Planning for Efficiency (6)   Ensuring Quality (8)*	Statistics	9, 10   10, 11   10, 11   10, 11, 12+
Data, Decisions, and Design	From Data to Knowledge (9)   Reverse Engineering (10)   Different by Design (11)	Technology   Engineering   Engineering	11, 12+   11, 12+   11, 12+
Living in a Global Economy	The Wealth of Nations (13)   Markets Without Borders (14)   Global Citizens (15)	Economics   Economics	11, 12+   11, 12+   11, 12+
Putting Math to Work	Calculating Your Future: Personal Finance*       Planning for Business Success (Math-Enriched)*   Ensuring Quality (8)*	Math (algebra, data analysis), Economics   Math (algebra, data analysis)   Statistics	11, 12+       11, 12+     11, 12+