What is the difference between Teacher-Led, In-Person Volunteer-Led & Virtual Volunteer-Led?
Teacher-Led programs allow teachers to use the JA resources to run the program with their students. Teachers will have access to the JA Campus where they can find the digital resources. Support will be provided by a JA staff contact for questions or any issues they may have with the JA Campus. JA does not provide a program facilitator for the teacher-led programs, as the teacher is running the session. Volunteer-Led programs are facilitated by a trained JA presenter. The presenter will run all the activities with the class during a set date/time. The teacher must remain on the session for classroom management; however, your JA presenters will be responsible for running the presentation. Your JA staff contact will provide you with your student workbooks and activities (program dependent) for your JA in-person volunteer-led program. Virtual Volunteer-Led programs are the same as in-person volunteer-led but are condensed versions of the program (usually 90 minutes). Online programs take place using an online video tool (such as Google Meet).
Am I guaranteed a classroom program if I register?
Unfortunately not. JA programs are dependent on funding and presenters. Thanks to our many corporate partners, grants, and some government funding, we can provide JA programs to schools at no-cost. When programs are available, a JA Program Manager will reach out to registered classes to offer a date. We do our best to offer our programming to as many of our registered classes as possible.
Can I register for more than one program?
It is possible to register for more than one program, however, classes are generally only offered one program per year. We often have more requests than we do have availability for programming, so to ensure that as many classes as possible can participate in our programs, we don’t typically offer two programs to the same class. Students are welcome to continue their learning on our JA Campus where we have self-directed programs and games.
My classroom is learning at an advanced level. Could I register for a higher grade level program?
It is possible to register for a higher grade level program, although we do try to book classes for the recommended grades. However, if you feel a different program would be more appropriate for your class, please indicate this in the comments section of your registration and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
One of my colleagues has their program set up, but I haven’t heard anything yet.
If you have registered separately or for a different program than your colleague, you may not receive the program at the same time. We book our programs throughout the school year depending on when we have presenters and/or support for the program. We cannot guarantee when a class will receive a program. We do our best to reach as many of our registered classes as possible.
Please feel free to reach out to
info@jacentralontario.org and we can confirm that your class is registered for the program.
What schools/geographic area do you provide programs to?
At JA Central Ontario, our programs are available to schools located in our catchment area: Toronto, York, Peel, Durham, Simcoe, and Halton regions. If your school is in one of these regions, please register for our programs
here.
If your school is located outside of this area, please visit
https://jacanada.org/our-locations to find the JA Charter closest to you.
I don’t work with a school; can I register my youth community group (such as a library) for your programs?
If you work for a youth community organization such as a library or other youth initiative, please reach out to us. We may have an opportunity for your group. Contact us at
info@jacentralontario.org, and we will connect you with someone from our team who will see if we have available funded programming for your group.
What are the curriculum correlations?
JA programs are educational and many of the concepts that are included in the program complement the learning objectives in the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculums. If you would like to see how the program you’ve registered for will complement what you’re already teaching with your students, please reach out to your JA contact. The JA program isn’t intended to replace any of the information being taught in the classroom, but the program may be used to complement what is being taught and reinforce some of those concepts.
Many of our programs have a focus on financial literacy. Teachers may choose to include the JA program to help meet the learning objectives in this new area of the curriculum.
Is there a cost to the programs?
JA programs are offered at no-cost to teachers or schools. Our programs are funded and made available through the generous support of our corporate partnerships and/or grants/foundations.
Should I register as a single class or for all the classes in my grade?
Each class that is interested in participating in the program should complete the online registration. This will help us in planning, so we are aware of how many presenters/programs you are looking for. If all the classes in your grade would like to participate, multiple classes can be added in one registration. We will reach out to you when we have an available program for all the classes.
How flexible is the program? Can I break it up or do I have to do it all at once?
The teacher-led program is very flexible. Since JA is not providing any presenters to facilitate the program, teachers can choose when the students participate. Teachers can choose to run the program in one day or can spread the activities out across several dates. Once your program has been set up by JA, the timeline is up to you.
When do I have to do the program?
Once your class has been set up for the teacher-led program, you will be able to run the program any time during the school year that is convenient for you. You can run the entire program in one day, or you can spread the lessons across several days. The teacher-led program provides flexibility, so you can run the program at a time that is convenient for you and your class.
What resources are provided?
By participating in the JA program, you will be given access to the JA Campus. This is where you will find all the digital resources needed to run the program.
You will be provided with notes on how to run the program, digital program elements, and access to any videos that accompany the program. You will also be provided with student workbooks which your students will use for some of the activities. If your students are learning in person, JA will ship the workbooks to your school (a digital version will be made available for students learning online).
What platform will I use?
To run the teacher-led program, you will access all the resources through the JA Campus. You’ll be able to access this through your browser (Google Chrome works best). If you are teaching in-person, you can show the resources on a screen via projector. If you have students learning online, you should be able to share your screen when connecting with students via video conference.
If you have any challenges accessing or using the resources, please reach out to your JA contact. We are here to support you!
Does the code expire?
Codes are active until the end of the school year. When you register your class, you can indicate what time of year would be most convenient for you to participate in the program and we will do our best to provide you with your resources (funding dependent).
One of my colleagues wants to run the program with their class too, can I share my program code with them?
No. We kindly ask that the program details and access to our resources are not shared with other teachers. If you do have a colleague who would like to participate in the program, please connect with your JA contact. We would be happy to assist interested teachers in registering for programs.
We are required to track all the classes and students participating in our programs. Therefore, we do need to make sure each class is registered. Your JA contact will be able to help you with this process and provide you with you and your students with your own materials and answer any questions.
What do I do if I’m having problems logging into the JA Campus?
If you have any challenges accessing the JA Campus or the online resources, please reach out to your JA contact. We will be able to troubleshoot any challenges you are having. We’re here to support your program experience! Contact info@jacentralontario.org
What platform do I use?
For the virtual volunteer presentation, we recommend that teachers give access to our presenters to join a platform they’re already using with their class (E.G. Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, Brightspace, etc.). Please set up a test session with your presenter and share the meeting link ahead of time to make sure they’re able to join, share their screen, and access audio/video.
If for any reason you’re unable to share your platform with your presenter, you are welcome to ask your presenter if they have a platform they can share for the presentation. Whichever is easiest for your class.
If you are having challenges connecting to a platform, please reach out to your JA contact. We will help troubleshoot any challenges you’re having.
Where are the JA presenters coming from?
We work with a variety of presenters who are from the local business community. All our presenters come from our corporate or community partnerships. Each presenter is screened and comes with a unique level of experience and expertise. We encourage our presenters to share information about their career development and to share relevant stories from their professional life as it relates to the program content. Students will be able to interact with our presenters and ask them questions throughout the presentation.
We hope you and your students enjoy having our presenter join your class for the program.
Will I hear from my presenter before the JA program date/time?
Yes. We ask our presenters to reach out to their teacher the week before their presentation to introduce themselves and to test that they can get onto your platform. If you have not received an email from your presenter in advance, please reach out to your JA contact to let us know. We will follow up with your presenter to ensure that they do reach out in advance.
Can I share information about my class with the presenter in advance?
Yes. We encourage you to share any information that would be helpful to the presenter. Any insights and tips for engaging your class would be helpful. Our presenters enjoy running an engaging session with students. We know different students learn in different ways. If your students enjoy asking questions and participating that is great, however, if you have a quieter class that enjoys hearing more stories that works as well.
Should I test the online platform in advance with my presenter?
Yes. It is very important that you test the online platform with your presenter ahead of time (ideally a week before the presentation). This ensures that the presenter can join your online platform and allows them to test screen sharing/audio/video.
When your presenter reaches out to introduce themself, we recommend setting up a time to test the online platform. This can be done at any time that is convenient for both of you. Normally the test call takes approximately 10 minutes.
It is important that this step happens. Some of our presenters have had challenges joining platforms hosted through the school board or had security challenges accessing platforms. If this does happen, please reach out to your JA contact. We will help troubleshoot and offer some solutions. This is also why we recommend setting up the test call a week in advance. This allows for time to find solutions if there are any challenges with the online platform.
How long is the online program?
The online program session will last 90 minutes. Most of our programs are run as one session (90 minutes). Occasionally, we will offer the program as two sessions of 45 minutes.
What is the role of the teacher during the presentation?
The primary role of the teacher is to manage the class and ensure that the presenter is set up to broadcast the session for the students.
Teachers are required to remain on the session at all times and to monitor the students. Should there be any challenges with student behaviour, this should be handled by the teacher.
The presenter will run all the activities and bring any online resources. The teacher will not be asked to run any elements of the program during the presentation. However, if teachers want to join in on the conversation, they are welcome to participate.
Our presenters also love engaging with the students. Any information you can share with the presenter ahead of time on how to best engage your class would be most appreciated.
What do I do if my presenter is late for the presentation?
If your presenter has not arrived for your online presentation, please reach out to your JA contact ASAP. We will reach out right away to see why your presenter has not arrived and will assist with the situation.
My school has a policy about student privacy when guests join our class, who do I share this information with?
If your school or school board has a policy around student privacy, please share that info with your JA contact. Our presenters will follow any policies/procedures that are required.
Our presenters understand that there are many privacy regulations when working with a youth audience. Our presenters are also instructed not to take photos during the presentation.
How can I share feedback about the program or presenter?
We would love to hear feedback about your JA program experience. After your presentation, please feel free to reach out to your JA contact to let them know about your program experience. This feedback is most valuable to us! You will also receive an online survey that you can complete.
How can my class show appreciation for our presenter?
If your class would like to share a thank you of some sort with the presenter, they often enjoy hearing how the students enjoyed the program. We’ve had some teachers share student testimonials, ask the students to share something they learned, or put together a digital thank you card for the presenter. These types of gestures are typically well appreciated by our presenters. You can feel free to include your JA contact when sending this, as we love seeing this as well.
Sending a thank you after the program is not required. These are just a few ideas in case your class would like to do so.
The presenter didn’t get through all the material, do you have any resources I can use?
We do ask that our presenters stick to the 90-minute time slot for your presentation. We understand that you likely have other plans for your class after the presentation. We know that different presenters and classes will get through the program at different paces.
If your class is having good discussions with the presenter, they may not get through all the content. After the program, your JA contact will have some additional resources that they can share with you should you want to continue the learning with your class.
Can I get a copy of the presentation deck?
No. Unfortunately, we are unable to share the presentation deck. However, if you would like to continue the learning with your students, we can share some additional resources with you. Please reach out to your JA contact and we can set this up for you.
