Team members:Barb Harold, Co-CoordinatorPam Turnbull, Co-CoordinatorSusan Dickson, Transition ConsultantJan Kielven, Positive Climates for Learning SpecialistBarbara Klerer-Goldenberg, Positive Climates ConsultantScott Milne, ResearchSteve Rensink, Positive Climates for Learning Specialist
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We are a team comprised of a large number of different experiences and lenses who share the common understanding that a positive learning environment is the right of each student in our schools. We bring backgrounds in character development, social emotional learning, transitions, restorative approaches, equity, risk and resilience and guidance that help to frame our work.
Positive Climates for Learning Teams
Ministry Mandate to create Safe Schools Teams (PPM 144)
These teams are responsible for School Safety In YRDSB: Teams will be called Positive Climate for
Learning Team
Membership Includes:StudentParentTeacherNon-teaching staff member
Community PartnerPrincipal
Staff Member Chair
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This regional team will support school based teams created as a result of the Ministry mandate for each school to form a Safe Schools Team as outlined in PPM 144. In York Region we will be calling these teams Positive Climate for Learning Teams. Membership is outlined here. Many schools will already have teams supporting positive climates for learning under the banners of the Equity team, Character Matters team, Healthy schools team, Bully Prevention teams, etc. Our intention is not to supplant this work but rather to enhance it by integrating all of the initiatives under one umbrella.
Ministry Mandate:Prevention and Awareness
Boards must develop and implement strategies that prevent barriers to safe and inclusive schools i.e ---
Boards must:
aim prevention strategies at all members of the school community (i.e., homophobia, gender-based violence, safe internet use, etc.)
engage school councils and student councils require schools to conduct anonymous school climate surveys of
students every two years require sharing of survey results with school Safe Schools Teams Maintain up-to-date contact list of agencies/organizations ensure that all publicly-funded schools provide access to Public
Health Units to deliver their mandated public health curriculum make contact list available to staff / students of every school
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If we could just take you back for a minute to two of the slides from the Safe schools presentation, the first being focused on Prevention and Awareness…. You will see that schools have a number of obligations – many which are already being met by GSA groups, equity groups, character matters groups, peer mediators, etc. in your school. Some however (for example, the anonymous school climate survey conducted every two years) may require further support. That is the role of the Positive Climates for Learning team operating out of curriculum that has come together this year.
What is a positive climate for learning?
• An inclusive, equitable, respectful, safe and caring environment for all members of the school community.
• An attitude or philosophy embedded in actions that will ensure an engaging, motivating and enabling learning climate to meet the needs of each student
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When you examine closely the policy and procedure memo’s you have received today you will see that the concept of a positive climate for learning is fundamental to the safe schools and equity work. In PPM 144, a positive “school climate is…defined as the sum total of all of the personal relationships within a school. When these relationships are founded on mutual acceptance and inclusion, and modelled by all, a culture of respect becomes the norm. It becomes a natural way of doing business in the classroom
Why Positive Climates for Learning?
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Maurice Elias, professor at Rutgers University, and founding member of the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning, upon whose work our SEAL document is based - speaks to the importance of creating the proper climate for learning.
The Research Says….
• The aspects of cognition that we recruit most heavily in schools, namely learning, attention, memory, decision-making and social functioning, are both profoundly affected by and subsumed within the processes of emotion.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD (2001)
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In addition to Elias’s encouragement, it is important to note that current brain research has also highlighted the imperative of addressing emotional needs because they are so intricately linked to the cognitive functions of our brain. We cannot address cognitive learning without involving emotions and vice versa.
Positive Climates for Learning
A positive climate:
• is founded in the belief that each student
can achieve high expectations given the
right amount of time and support.
• ((Literacy Collaborative Parameter One)
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PC of Learning links strongly to Parameter one from our Literacy Collaborative parameters that each student can achieve high expectations given the right amount of time and support.
Links to the Board Plan:
1.2: help to inform the development and refinement of an early years strategy to address the social, emotional and cognitive readiness of the learner.
1.3: assist in building capacity in students’ social, emotional,and academic engagement in the learning process so as to show an increasing trend over baseline data.
3.1: provide support for schools as they implement the Social, Emotional and Academic Learning (SEAL) continuum
Why Positive Climates for Learning?
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Positive Climates for Learning also links very strongly to the Board Plan for Continuous Improvement. The work we begin this year will help to inform 1.2 and the early years strategy, is foundational to the implementation of 1.3 and supports the work in 3.1 through the SEAL document.
How does YRDSB support the building of positive climates for learning?
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This visual is our YRDSB quilt that Elias referred to in the earlier video clip. All of these pieces are strategies/tools and foundational pieces that help us to build the a cohesive quilt of support for each student. Four green corners represent Ministry mandated policy work Red – represent tools we can use Blue represent other programs, initiatives, issues etc. that impact a positive climate for learning. Components have been strategically placed. Green corners are Ministry mandated focuses, Red boxes (centre edges) are significant “tools”, Yellow centre reflects the vision for positive school culture/climate surrounded by, Blue (yellow print) our “core” business…namely things literacy Blue (white print) are other components/initiatives. Note that these have been strategically clustered around Ministry mandated focuses Our vision is that each box will be linked to each component/initiative’s presence on the BWW. On each of these “pages” there will appear a brief statement articulating the connection between the component/initiative and the PCL focus. Currently the boxes associated with our core business have been linked (some to BWW, some to outside resources).
How will the work be done?• The PCL team will work with the mandated
school based safe school action teams referred to as “Positive Climates for Learning” teams
• These teams will serve as a conduit to staff and students in each school who are doing the prevention and awareness work that creates positive climates for learning.
• The Regional PCL team will collaborate with other system initiatives to provide a variety of resources and training to support the work of the school teams
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You already have people in your schools doing this work. The task now is to bring together the folks focused on character development, anti-bullying, restorative approaches, equity, GSA’s, etc…. To work together on the work that creates a positive climate for learning.
How will the work be done?• The PCL team will work with the mandated
school based safe school action teams referred to as “Positive Climates for Learning” teams
• These teams will serve as a conduit to staff and students in each school who are doing the prevention and awareness work that creates positive climates for learning.
• The Regional PCL team will collaborate with other system initiatives to provide a variety of resources and training to support the work of the school teams
Presenter
Presentation Notes
You already have people in your schools doing this work. The task now is to bring together the folks focused on character development, anti-bullying, restorative approaches, equity, GSA’s, etc…. To work together on the work that creates a positive climate for learning.
Who will help?
The work being done throughout the system will be shared with the
Positive Climates for Learning Connections Committee
who represent:
• Psychology• Social Workers• Care and Treatment Programs• Equity/Seeds Committee members• Principals both Elementary and Secondary• Guidance• ELL• Special Education• Student Success• Curriculum and Instructional Services• Superintendents
Training will be differentiated to meet the needs of individual school based teams and will include e learning, blended learning and school team training in areas such as:
•Positive Climates for Learning: An Integrated Approach •SEAL: An in depth look at a social, emotional and academic skill development tool •The Respectful School: Bully Prevention and Teacher Intervention Strategies•Tribes Training •Using a Restorative Mindset: A Classroom Focus•Restorative Conferencing•Risk and Resiliency•Tools to Support the Development of Inclusive and Equitable Schools and Classrooms•Respectful, Equitable, Inclusive, Safe and Caring Schools through Character Development
PCL Training
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Training will be differentiated to meet the needs of school based PCL teams. Highlight re development of Respectful Schools training modules to provide teachers with intervention strategies along with scripts for responding to incidents… - this will be one of the first supports available to schools.
Team Reflection:
How does the concept of a positive climate for learning link to your team’s work?
What can you do to explicitly embed the development of positive climates for learning in your team’s work?
What are your next steps?
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Contact any member of the team with questions or for support.
