Key Elements of Curricula

In all curricula you will find: Evidence of the common curricula framework Subject specific goals Grade specific outcomes and indicators Throughlines First Nations, Metis and Inuit Inquiry Questions for deeper understanding Opportunity for active construction of meaning

Time Allocations

Core Curriculum: Principles, Time Allocations, and Credit Policy (2007)

Subject Specific Goals

Broad statements identifying what students are expected to know and be able to do upon completion of a particular area of study

Same goals from K-12 in an area of study

Outcomes

Describe what students will know or be able to do in a particular discipline by the end of the grade or course.

Are unique from grade to grade, but may build on or expand on outcomes from previous grades

Indicators

Are a representative sample of evidence that students would be able to demonstrate or produce if they have achieved the outcome

Define the breadth and depth of the outcome

Throughlines

There will be identifiable connections from the Broad Areas of Learning, to the Cross-curricular Competencies, to the subject specific goals, and to the outcomes and indicators

First Nations, Métis, and Inuit

Outcomes and indicators have been written to make First Nations, Métis, and Inuit ways of knowing, knowledge, and perspectives foundational in the curriculum

Resources are evaluated and recommended with a conscious effort to be inclusive and reflect this foundation

Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only the particular thing he is studying at the time.

John Dewey

Inquiry

A philosophical approach to teaching and learning

Builds on students’ inherent sense of curiosity and wonder

Draws on students’ diverse background and experiences

Provides opportunities for students to become active participants in a search for meaning

Effective Questions for Understanding

“. . . Questions stimulate thought, provoke inquiry, and spark more questions—not just pat answers . . . The best questions point to and highlight the big ideas.” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005)

The curriculum has placed an emphasis on and provides examples of questions that engage students in a higher level of thinking

Active Construction of Meaning

Achieved through Engaging in inquiry Grappling with challenging questions Being required to demonstrate

understanding Having access and exposure to a wide

variety of resources in a various formats

Other areas of focus

Teachers using the new curriculum should be conscious and attentive to: the appropriate and effective use of

technology education for sustainable development appropriate strategies for assessment and

evaluation the utilization of community resources diversity of personal identities, worldviews,

and backgrounds

“When a learner makes connections and learning takes place, it is because of focused teaching…” (Fullan, Hill & Crevola, 2006).

Focused teaching requires:

A clear, concise curriculum that defines what is to be learned

Assessment and evaluation tools aligned with the outcomes

Detailed knowledge of how best to enable students to achieve the outcomes

The Role of the Teacher is to:

FacilitatePlan

Assess

Explore

Inspire Monitor

Discover

Generate Knowledge

Collaborate

Construct Knowledge

Lead

Ensure Accountability

Evaluate

Support

AdvocateInquire

Reflect

The Role of the Student is to:

FacilitatePlan

Assess

Explore

Inspire Monitor

Discover

Generate Knowledge

Collaborate

Construct Knowledge

Lead

Ensure Accountability

Evaluate

Support

AdvocateInquire

Reflect

The Role of the Administrator is to:

FacilitatePlan

Assess

Explore

Inspire Monitor

Discover

Generate Knowledge

Collaborate

Construct Knowledge

Lead

Ensure Accountability

Evaluate

Support

AdvocateInquire

Reflect

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder. . . he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.

Rachel Carson

Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.

Tom Barrett

In times of rapid change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Eric Hoffer

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision PLUS action can change the world.

Joel Barker

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

Alvin Toffler

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

John Cotton Dana